(Closed) Long Bread Sandwich Bar: Organic Brunch at Myeong Dong Lotte Young Plaza

I wonder if anyone ever feels the same with me that sometimes it is not easy to get real good western breakfast/brunch in Korea. You can easily see one almost everywhere here in Seoul, but sadly they are hardly impressive. My recent trip to a “brunch” cafe ( don’t want to name it here) was especially disappointing. Tiny portion, expensive price, the bad fishy smell in the salmon, soggy salad, egg benedict sauce that was a tad too sour… Everything could go wrong went wrong. I heard they are plenty of good ones at Itaewon, but I have yet to visit any. I should probably make time to go down and check it out myself, as I don’t believe finding an impressive brunch palette in a cosmopolitan city like Seoul could be that hard.

Anyway back to this current post, Long Bread Sandwich Bar is one of the nicer brunches I had here in Seoul. Under the aura of “The Flying Pan”, food does appear to have certain quality here in Long Bread. Basically, it is a sandwich bar that serves traditional panini and sandwiches, with almost every ingredient made in their own kitchen. (bread, soup, dressing sauce, pesto and even cheese.)

It was boxing day and we wanted to start the day at a slower pace. We reached their chain at Myeongdong at about 12pm+ and the place is still quiet. This cafe is located right in the building of Myeong Dong Lotte Young plaza, facing Myeong Dong Lotte Department Store.

They practise self-service here so we ordered our meals at the counter (They have an English and Japanese Menu!), pay for them and waited at our table until the device beeped to collect the food at the counter ourselves. Do remember to return the tray to the return counter after the meal!

It wasn’t too cold so we decided to sit by the window. Their interior feels a little similar to Pasarbella in Singapore, dining in a market kind of atmosphere.

Food prepared here in their kitchen are all organic. It has been a while since I last have organic meals. I used to have all my meals organic. My mom prepares our meals only with organic ingredients. Ever since I moved out of home 7 years ago to pursue my undergrad studies, organic food became a luxury. It is hard to get them around the campus nor it is economically friendly for a student. but well… It is fine with me as I’m having a life a student should have, and I am happy with my life now. ; )

Before the food is ready. Selca. Selca. Selca.

I really like the curls my hair stylist did to me. For those who are interested to know, I always do my hair at Richard at Gangnam. Love my pretty stylist and she has never let me down for the past 5 years. I permed my hair on my birthday, but my bangs were really messy before Christmas. So I went back to the salon for trimming and Miss Dong-suk just work her magic on my hair effortlessly. My curls came back!

This saloon that I have been following is one of the busiest ones in the Gangnam area. Probably because they don’t overcharge their fees. I am really satisfied with their price and work so far. One of the best hair salon in Gangnam for sure. For those who are interested, you can email or leave me a comment I will share more about it in detail.

Army Green Angora Fur Sweater from a random boutique in Hongdae. Casio Vintage from a Singaporean Online Shop Late Rabbit. (Click to their eShop) They carry real cool stuff with a classy vintage touch. Not to be missed if you are also a fan of vintage timepieces.

Finally here comes the food. We ordered two paninis and two hot drinks. Cost us about SGD 14 each. I think the pricing is quite reasonable, especially since they are all prepared from organic ingredients.

Cheese and Mushroom Panini. Mozzarella cheese and mushrooms — a dream combination if you love cheese and mushrooms. Look at the cheese oozing out between two panini slices, and the mouthwatering sauteed mushrooms… so good. Their panini’s texture totally nailed it: Slight crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside.

Ham and cheese can never go wrong with panini. A bit of my all-time favourite —  pesto sauce added a perfect finishing touch to the dish. It was a simple brunch. As the restaurant gets packed around 2-3 pm with afternoon tea crowds, we decided to leave the place for some shopping at Myeongdong, then went up to the nearby Namsan for a walk. So that’s how I spent my boxing day in 2013. ; )

My Verdict: One of the better brunch around the Myeong Dong area. They provide a healthier choice for western breakfast/brunch. Foreigner friendly. The portion was huge enough for me. However, if you are a big breakfast person I don’t recommend this place to you. Their food is more on the lighter/healthier side. Panini only comes with salad, no chips or potato wedges. It would be a nice place if you want a quick bite and rejuvenate before stepping into your “shopping warzone” nearby. Bored of accompanying girlfriend for her never-ending shopping therapy? You may want to come here for free wi-fi! (They can lend you iPad for in-house usage too!)

How to Get There? (Click map below to enlarge) 
1. Coming out from Eujiro-Ipgu Station Exit 7 (을지로입구역 7번출구), Walk straight.
2. You will pass by Lotte Department Store, on your right-hand side. Keep walking.
3. Lotte Young Plaza is just right after Lotte Department Store. You should be able to see Long Bread when you are waiting to cross the road.

(*** There were some major changes in the numberings of the Exits at the station due to upgrading. Just make sure you are towards Lotte Department Store and you can easily locate the cafe.

Contact Details: 
Long Bread 롱브래드 (Click!)
123, Namdaemunro 2 Ga, Jung Gu, Seoul.
Korean Address: 서울시 중구 남대문로2가123.