Wintry J-pop escape, beignets and bayou soul in Yongsan

It appears summer is not yet ready to cede to fall. If you can bear the heat no longer, make an escape to a snow-themed J-pop band pop-up store, complete with igloo aesthetics. Or, you can embrace the heat and try authentic beignets and chicory coffee prepared by a Louisiana native.

Japan’s beloved pop group Snow Man opens its first-ever pop-up store in South Korea this weekend, offering a refreshing escape for Korean fans sweltering in the summer heat.

Under the theme of “Winter at the heart of summer,” the nine-member Japanese boy band’s pop-up store, running from Aug. 30 to Sept. 14 in Seoul's Seongsu-dong, will immerse fans in the illusion of stepping into an igloo, where white walls and ceilings vividly reflect the band’s identity.

With the band’s music echoing throughout and snowy-themed fan goods lining the shelves, from pearl keyrings and transparent, glowing photo cards to poster holders decorated with snowmen, fans experience Snow Man through multiple senses, soon forgetting the blazing season outside.

The pop-up store will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.

Since its debut in January 2020, Snow Man, under Starto Entertainment, has seen every album surpass 1 million copies in sales, with its latest single, “SERIOUS,” topping Oricon’s daily singles chart after selling over 650,000 copies on the first day, officials siad.

“We are pleased that Snow Man has the opportunity to connect more deeply with Korean fans. This pop-up will be a symbolic space that visually represents the band’s identity,” the company said in a press release.

Ahead of the store's opening, the group performed its new track “Charismax” on Mnet’s music program M Countdown on Thursday.

Snow Man's pop-up store in Seoul

73 Yeonmujang-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul

In his book "Buttermilk Graffiti," chef Edward Lee recalls his first encounter with beignets during a booze-soaked end-of-college trip to New Orleans. Years earlier, a woman from the South had told him: "You ain't lived till you been dere and had a beignet." That offhand advice lodged itself in his mind ever since, the deep-fried pastry becoming something akin to Proust's madeleines — an intimate portal that opens onto time and identity.

You can taste that piece of the French Quarter in Seoul, served in its most authentic form by an actual Louisiana native. New Iberia sits in Yongsan's rustier quarters, yet untouched by the neighborhood's newfound gloss and hype. The storefront reads less as a replica than a collage -- weathered shutters and vertical clapboards lifted from those Cajun porches, grafted onto Seoul's concrete urban frame.

Inside, you're in a wood-lined shack crammed with bayou ephemera. Louisiana and Cajun flags jostle for wall space alongside a banjo, Drew Brees' Saints jersey, and a glassy-eyed buck. An alligator — the ultimate swamp mascot — presides over the room as country music seeps from the speakers.

The beignets arrive hot, fried to order. These pillowy squares, buried under powdered sugar, deliver the familiar pleasures — shatteringly crisp outside, chewy within. Locals might catch echoes of fairground churros or those old-school donuts from traditional markets. Pair them with chicory coffee, another Louisiana specialty served in a pot with an aroma that hints as much at burnt roots as apothecary shelves.

Seats fill quickly in this compact space and popular items sell out fast, so arrive early. Catch the Louisiana-born owner on the right day and he'll pull out his guitar or strike up a chat.

Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays (closed Tuesdays), until 7 p.m. weekends.

New Iberia Cafe

330-1 Baekbeom-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul