You’ve probably heard of ‘soboro bread’ here in Korea. It’s actually a variant of Hong Kong’s ‘pineapple bun’, the original sweet bun of its kind. Although listed as one of Hong Kong’s intangible cultural heritage, it is also sold in high quantities in neighboring countries and many Chinatowns around the world. In February of 2017, Seoul saw the introduction of Oh Hoo Hong Kong, a café that is dedicated to providing its customers with some delicious pineapple buns, their main menu item. ‘Oh Hoo’, which means noon time in Korean, refers to the time the golden buns are freshly out of the oven and available for purchase.
The café’s interior remains simple, with chairs and tables resembling those that are very often found on the streets of Hong Kong. There is a slightly clinical feeling to the café, but after you take a bite of the pineapple bun, you’ll get a warm feeling. The pineapple bun comes either plain or with a slice of Anchor Butter (a premium). Don’t be surprised if you don’t taste or smell any sort of pineapple on your sweet and crunchy first bite. The fruit is only referred to because of hard exterior shell (made with a mixture of corn starch and sugar) that resembles the skin of a pineapple. The plain bun is a little on the dry side, but a sip of milk tea completes the experience. The bun with butter on the other hand, can be enjoyed thoroughly by itself. A fair warning, the iced milk tea could seem a little watered down — we recommended that you order a warm cup of tea instead. Oh Hoo Hong Kong is a simple café that’s located in a university area, so expect to see a lot of students chit-chatting away – it’s not the best place to have a quiet conversation.