When I first came across the word “yeonswaejeom(연쇄점),”
I couldn’t immediately guess what it meant.
I could tell, though,
that it was probably a Sino-Korean term,
formed in a Japanese style during the colonial period.
Yeonswaejeom.
What kind of word was this?
After looking it up,
I learned that it was a term used at the time
for what we would now call a chain store.
In other words,
it referred to shops operating under the name “Hwashin.”
So then,
what exactly was Hwashin?
It may sound unfamiliar to younger generations today,
but for people older than me,
it is a name that often rings a bell without much effort.
Hwashin was a modern department store
that once stood on the site of today’s Jongno Tower
and was built during Japan’s colonial rule.
It was not the first department store in Korea,
but it flourished at the time
and continued operating until the 1970s,
which is why the name still remains
in many people’s memories.
According to information that comes up easily in a basic search,
Hwashin operated around 350 stores nationwide.
Among them,
larger-scale branches seem to have existed
in places like Pyongyang and Mokpo.
And the building that housed Hwashin Yeonswaejeom in Mokpo
is still standing today,
now operating as a café.
While walking through the narrow alleys of the old downtown area,
coming across this place felt almost like meeting a savior.
Maybe it was because I had drunk too much the night before,
but I wasn’t feeling very well.
Rather than walking any further,
I just wanted to sit down and rest somewhere,
and that was exactly when this café appeared.
A cup of coffee
inside a building preserved as a registered cultural heritage site
didn’t sound like a bad idea.
I came in simply to sit and rest for a bit,
but once I saw the bread on display,
I couldn’t just walk past it.
So I picked one salt bread and one scone.
To be honest,
there was nothing particularly remarkable about the taste.
These days, cafés in Korea have reached a kind of overall standard,
and bread tends to be good almost anywhere.
It was that kind of taste.
Not outstanding, but not lacking either.
I could tell they hadn’t been stingy with the butter.
The drink I ordered was their signature,
the “1990 Hwashin Cream Latte.”
The menu practically tells you to order it,
with “signature” written in large letters.
The weather was chilly,
and I was feeling a bit cold,
so I hesitated,
wondering if I should get something warm.
But at that moment,
the staff gave me a very clear look
that said it had to be iced.
So I ordered it iced.
It’s a coffee topped with cream over espresso.
Milk at the bottom,
espresso layered above it,
and a soft yet dense cream on top.
It could be seen as a variation of an Einspänner-style drink.
I first scooped up some of the cream with a spoon,
then drank the coffee without mixing it,
and in the end,
mixed everything together and finished it that way.
Because of the ice,
there isn’t much volume.
You finish it in just a few sips. Haha.
Oh, and one more thing.
I didn’t realize this at first
because I was sitting on the first floor,
but the real charm of Hwashin Yeonswaejeom
is actually on the second floor.
The interior and atmosphere upstairs are especially appealing,
so if you ever visit,
I strongly recommend taking a seat on the second floor.
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