Brunch with Bingo

Written and photographed by Sarah Pittman

 

Bingo’s Table is a quiet cafe situated near Gwangju City Hall in the business district of Seo-gu. Bingo’s Table opened in March of 2017 and serves a variety of hot and cold sandwiches, salads, and fresh blended seasonal juices. The interior is a mix of brick and wood, which gives it a nice, homey feeling. It has outside patio seating as well as a couple of booths and tables on the inside. There are multiple picture menus posted around the cash register, which can feel a little overwhelming, but they are extremely useful if you struggle with speaking Korean in social situations like I do.

It was a beautiful sunny day when I went there, so I decided to pick from their cold sandwiches. I had a sandwich with fig and prosciutto. It came on a wonderfully light French baguette with a side salad and a small cup of pickles and pickled onions. The baguette was buttered before having multiple strips of prosciutto placed inside. Then, jammy figs and chunks of brie were alternately placed across it. Lastly, some arugula was layered on top. I loved the combination of the sweet figs with the fattiness of the prosciutto and the bitterness of the arugula. The fig and prosciutto sandwich is definitely one of the smaller sandwiches on offer, and I did wish that it was a bit bigger considering the 8,500 won price tag, but I still felt satisfied after eating it.

My companion got the ham and cheese sandwich, which also came with a side salad and a small cup of sweet pickles and pickled onions for 7,500 won. The ham and cheese sandwich was much larger in size, with a slice of deli ham that was close to a centimeter thick. It was well balanced between the ham, cheese, crisp lettuce, and tasty tomatoes, with a fantastic light Thousand Island dressing that tied it together beautifully. If, however, you are looking for a sandwich to eat delicately, you may wish to pick something else on the menu. With a healthy helping of all fillings, this sandwich had a tendency to come apart somewhat.

We also decided to try two of their seasonal fruit juices. They have mango, pineapple, kiwi, and walnut-banana available currently. We tried the pineapple and the mango. Personally, I preferred the pineapple over the mango, but they were both icy, refreshing, and delicious. Bingo’s Table does not add sugar to its blended fruit juices, which I truly appreciated. The natural fruit juices are left to shine on their own.

If you ever find yourself near City Hall in Seo-gu, Bingo’s Table is a great little restaurant to enjoy your afternoon in, either by yourself or with friends.

Bingo’s Table 빙고스테이블
Address: 27, Sicheong-ro, Seo-gu, Gwangju 광주 서구 시청로 27
Telephone: 062-375-0456
Opening Hours: 9 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Website: https://cafebingostable.modoo.at/

The Author
Sarah Pittman is a 26-year-old English hagwon teacher and a southern California native. She loves photography, swing dancing, the color teal, and her dog Cosmo. When she goes back to America, she hopes to either continue teaching or work in an office that allows dogs.

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