La vie à Paris, a small Europe in Korea

 If you are interested in European culture, and if you also like coffee and wine, this cafe will be perfect for you. The cafe's owner has spent eight years and six months studying in the U.K. and one year and six months studying in Paris, for a total of 10 years.

▲ This is the interior of the La Via Paris Cafe.

 Now, the cafe is run with his wife and has a good vibe and facilities. Unlike other coffeeshops, this cafe has something special: First reason why the cafe is so special that it holds European cultural and artistic performances such as European plays and concerts. Its owner studied plays as a his major while studying abroad, and based on this, he hosts European plays, concerts, and exhibitions of art works from the British mainland at cafe la vie à Paris. He plans these performances himself, and in the case of concerts, he consults with the music agency, Le French Code, so that Kunsan citizen can experience local performances of singers who actually perform abroad, at the cafe.

 The events are held regularly once a month, so you can enjoy various cultural arts with different content every month. However, this month two events are scheduled: an art workshop and a concert, instead of holding the concert in June. Some tables will can be pre-booked because the day of the concert is crowded. So if you are willing to attend, you should contact the cafe and make a reservation in advance. The cost of attending these concert is free, but you have to pay the cost of your beverage. If you attend, you can enjoy the wonderful performances in front of you.

 Also, there is the opportunity that 10 first-come-first-served people will be offered a 5,000 won discount coupon for beverages!

 Second reason is the coffee and wine. In 2014, the owner experienced working as a barista at a famous cafe in Paris after obtaining a barista license in Paris. So he makes coffee in same way as the French mainland. The way of making coffee in Korea is completely different from that of France. As he carefully selects the coffee beans, roasting, and extraction method, we can taste the Paris mainland-style coffee at 5,000 won. Wine is also brought in from Europe with advice from Korean sommeliers who have obtained licenses in Europe, so you can taste the bitter but very fragrant luxury wines. When people first try the various coffees and wine, he wishes to give them a taste of real coffee and wine, not the carelessly made coffee and cheap wine sold at the mart.

 Third reason is the artworks. If you look at the interior of the cafe, you will notice the pictures hanging on the wall. These are pictures that the owner took himself, which makes you wonder. The artworks on the wall are genuine items that are brought in by famous artists, so if you're interested in art, it is good to see them with a cup of coffee.

 The owner said about his cafe, "I didn’t understand why these special cafes should only be in Seoul. And we wanted to have a chance to have easier access to them because we had a significantly lower chance of enjoying my cultural life in these areas than in the Seoul. That's why we hosting these events with a financial loss, so we hope we enjoy them together."

 The opportunities for access to mainland European culture are very rare. There is also a geographical advantage that the cafe is in front of the school, so if you are interested in Europe, don't hesitate to visit! A small European figure in Korea will be opened ahead your eyes.

Song Jeong Eun

sallysje@kunsan.ac.kr