FourB – Hapjeong

April 8, 2019

“Ideas are the basic building blocks of the universe.”

The absolute basics of a good cafe include a well-made cup of coffee and a comfortable place to simply be. Cafes boast a remarkable history of providing the proper atmosphere where significant books and songs were penned, the landmarks of artistic history. Cafes are where both java and ideas percolate, where revolutions are planned, and where people fall in love. A small table, a single mug full of the bitter brew set before you, the hum of conversation and carefully chosen music cast a spell of creativity. Interesting themes and fancy drinks are but whimsical designs that decorate the stark simplicity of a cafe’s foundations; a good cafe can do without.

Four B promises to take their cafes back to the basics. The three locations of Four B around Seoul all have airy and light-filled architectural styles. I visited the Hapjeong cafe; a huge, bright building designed to capture space. Complete with an outside pavilion, an inside garden-like terrace, and expansive windows, the openness of the cafe is like a sigh of relief. The bakers on the first floor roll dough with calm focus, white baker’s hats on their heads and white flour on their hands. One young man roasts beans in the loft-style room. The roasting room is all glass and no wall. It’s somehow soothing to see the beans tumble and turn inside the coffee roaster.

Here at Four B, they promise specialty coffee of the highest quality, guarding the flavor of their beans from green to extraction to present the perfect cup of coffee. Their bagels are made every morning and are a unique point among other cafes; the most simple of bread made in the most exquisite way. I always recommend getting a bagel to those visiting Four B.

For the interior designer and photographer who loves clean angles and natural lighting, the Hapjeong location of Four B is a dream.