FatManSeoul

In honor of Pi Day, Fatman would like to point out a place to get . . .well, little pies! Tartine in Itaewon is one of the few places that serves up the petite treats, and in great variety. The small, European-style bakery/cafe on one of Itaewon’s side streets has a convivial (if cramped) atmosphere of western charm. More importantly, it has a large selection of pint sized pies in a variety of flavors from fruit to custard and beyond. Canadians rejoice, you have found your butter tart connection!

You can select your pie (or from their cookie and brownie collection) and have it packaged to go, or you can enjoy the pie right there in the store, ala mode and warm and gooey. You know which one Fatman would recommend, right?

The fruit pies are very fruity, with chunks of blueberry, strawberry, cherry, rhubarb, or whatever growing thing is in season, and very sweet. They’re not so completely packed with fruit however that the unwary will be deceived into getting all their daily servings of fruit, so worry not about the idea of actually consuming something vaguely nutritious. Rhubarb and strawberry were a standout, highlighting the amazingly symbiotic relationship these two have when baked together. It’s like a film by Park Chan-uk starring Choi Min-shik ~ just two things that belong together and always produce something worthwhile. There’s also a rhubarb-cherry rendition, but it can’t match the perfection of the classic combination. In the meantime the blueberry could have stood for a bit more of a fruity punch. All the fruit pies though suffer from one particularly Korean (and a bit peculiar, since it is jointly run by a Korean and an American) failing, in that there’s too much of a gelatin tinge to the proceedings.

Tartine also has a selection of cream and custard pies. Their coconut custard came out elaborately plated and topped with toasted coconut. Perhaps just a tad on the side of being too sweet, it had an good heavy creaminess to it and was nicely balanced with flavors of coconut and vanilla. The downside was an over-whipped and over-sweetened topping that fought with the creaminess of the custard instead of accentuating and complimenting it.

The pecan pie won raves for the excellent abundance of nuts and the gooey-ness of the caramel. It is in this pie that the heavy, thick crust finally finds its balance with the ingredients it contains. In some of the other tarts, the thick, heavy crust overwhelms the fruits and creams, giving you more crust to chew on than the pastry can stand up to. In the pecan pie though the thicker crust helped cut the oozy filling and keep it all together as a work of culinary goodness. Here the ratio worked instead of fighting between the sweet interior and the heavy crust.

It turns out the best thing on the menu at Tartine’s isn’t even a tart.
Their hot chocolates are the best to be had in town: Thick, creamy, and luxurious, there’s not much short of homemade that can match them. Add an optional shot of cacao liqueur and you’ve gone from luxurious to unworldly. The perfect amount of sugar harmonizes with the rich chocolate for the perfect cup of relaxation.

Tarts are 6-7,000 won per tiny pie, and in the neighborhood of 2-4,000 for cookies and brownies. Hot drinks start at 3,000 for coffee, and run upwards of 4,000 for European hot chocolates. To find Tartine, take exit 1 from Itaewon Station (Hamilton Hotel exit) Head towards the KFC, and you’ll find Tartine on the right hand side of the second alley on the right.