Gyeopgyeop-ui Uido: Must-Try Croissants in Seogwipo
As of July 2022, it is currently closed due to relocation. T_T
After finishing Jeju Olle Trail Course 6, it was time to eat. I should have had a hearty dinner, but I remembered a baker friend recommending a must-visit croissant shop in Seogwipo. Figuring bread would quickly replenish my carbs anyway, I walked an extra kilometer to get to 'Gyeopgyeop-ui Uido'.
When you search for it on a map app, it shows up as one word, leaving me wondering what on earth it meant, but there's actually a space in the middle. Even with the space, the meaning isn't entirely clear, but since croissants are made of many layers (gyeopgyeop), I guess it means something like 'we bake our croissants with intention' (uido).
The prices are pretty average. Since it wasn't too expensive, I decided to order two to eat here and get two to go. First, I ordered the croissant I was so curious about, along with a pain au chocolat because I was craving something sweet. You can't have pastries without milk, so I added that too. For takeout, I got a croque monsieur and an ang butter (red bean and butter) pastry. Because I visited late in the day, there wasn't a lot of bread left.
I don't know if you, the reader, have ever really thought about what makes a delicious croissant. If you imagine it, you'd probably picture a pastry that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The croissants at Gyeopgyeop-ui Uido are exactly that. The outside isn't just simply crispy; it doesn't crumble easily, as if they brushed it with an ingredient to make it sturdier. But once you take a bite, there's a real twist.
Usually, bad bakeries make their croissants sweet to trick you into thinking they taste good. But this place must be confident in its texture because there is almost no sweetness. You just get the pure, savory flavor of wheat.
The pain au chocolat has a similar texture but adds sweetness with chocolate. I'm not sure what kind of chocolate they use, but even though there wasn't much inside, it was incredibly rich. I was a little disappointed when I first saw the filling, but one bite instantly lifted my mood.
The ang butter and croque monsieur didn't taste quite as good, probably because I ate them after coming home. As expected, pastries are best eaten right away. Still, even though I ate them two days later, the texture hadn't degraded much. They maintained about 80% of the quality from when I ate at the shop. Plus, I completely ignored all their instructions on how to reheat and eat them at home, so I really have no right to complain.
If you're in Seogwipo and you love pastries—especially croissants—this is a must-visit spot. Some places advertise themselves as must-visit spots in Jeju, but unsurprisingly, they often fall short of famous bakeries in Seoul. However, I doubt there's another bakery that makes croissants as well as Gyeopgyeop-ui Uido. I definitely consider this a must-visit place for myself whenever I come to Jeju.