Escaping a Korean heatwave in Old Songdo's Forest Outings Cafe

The temperature spiked from 33-35°C, heat stroke territory. My good friend Mr Park suggested we check out the Forest Outings Cafe after meeting for lunch. It was literally too hot to comfortably do anything outside so I agreed. As we got to our destination, The cafe looked more like a mini shopping mall with a queue of cars waiting to get into it's parking. Would it be worth the wait?

Inside, a cool breeze from the AC and chatter of hundreds of people greeted us. There were three floors to explore, so we decided to walk around before ordering something. The first floor has a mini enclave of palm trees and ferns. Within the enclave a little stream with a bridge was a popular photo destination. There was a "Don't feed the fish" sign but I didn't see any to warrant the warning.

This is also the floor where you order food. An assortment of pastries were spread out on display. You take a tray and use tongs to place your choices on it. Drinks and main course meals are ordered at the cashiers. Once you have your order, there are a variety of places to sit.

I particularly liked the raised platforms next to the staircases that led to the 2nd floor. They had tables where a group of 3-4 people could sit and enjoy an elevated view of the 1st floor and partial sight of the above floors. The fact that you could take off your shoes and stretch out your legs plus the huge number of people escaping the heat, meant those seats were all occupied. So we checked the other floors for similar seating.

The second floor had a reserved corner regular looking cafe chairs and tables. I noticed as we went higher, the aircon wasn't as strong, but it was still cool. The decor of life buoys, dolphins and of course presence of palm trees, hinted that the owners were aiming for some kind of tropical theme, which they conservatively pulled off.

In fact, each floor offers different vantages to take good pictures, which Mr Park exploited at my expense. Though I looked like a willing poser, I felt different within.

The third floor had the platform/floor seating that I was looking for and luckily by the time we ordered, we managed to find a free one. I committed the faux pas of hopping on with my shoes and then taking them off, which is the equivalent of walking into a Korean house with shoes. Don't. Do. It.

Now before I talk about the food and drinks we ordered, I would like to apologize dear reader... for not taking any pictures of them! Mr Park got the salty bread and ice coffee. I got a biscuit with butter and red bean paste in the middle, plus peppermint ice tea. All of this cost an eye watering 31,000won around $24!

If there is one negative about Forest Outings, it's the exorbitant menu prices. Our pastries were delicious but did they warrant such a valuation? I think you can get similar quality elsewhere for much cheaper.

Overall I would say we had a nice time. The cafe's decor and size makes it a great place to take photos, The seating options are varied, comfortable and even though the menu is expensive. The options are diverse and palatable. A bonus is that since people spend so much, parking is free. For a chilled environment or heat escape, Forest Outings is the natural indoor nature escape.

Google Maps Address: Forest Outings, 145 Cheongnyang-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon