Posted : 2021-01-14 08:09
Updated : 2021-01-14 17:57
Ng Keng Leng, the founder and CEO of Dessert Merlion Cafe in Seoul, poses inside the cafe. Opened in 2014, it is the first Singaporean-style coffee shop in Korea. / Courtesy of Dessert Merlion Cafe
By Yi Whan-woo
When Ng Keng Leng opened "Dessert Merlion Cafe" in Seoul six years ago, it never crossed his mind that the cafe would become a hotspot for those wanting to reminisce of their past trips to ASEAN countries, especially in the time of COVID-19.
"At that time, I realized that it was not easy to find foreign food, in particular, Southeast Asia's cuisines, desserts and beverages in Korea," Ng from Singapore told The Korea Times in an email interview this week. "It came to me that it would be very exciting if I could introduce those food cultures to Koreans."