Seongsu café Forêt Noire mousse and Earl Grey madeleine: Notldun

This post is about Notldun, a Seongsu dessert café I always want to bring friends to.

You don't need a birthday or anniversary to make eating Notldun dessert feel like a special day!

Why I've visited Notldun four times, with a different friend each time

When I think of dessert in Seongsu, this is usually the first place that comes to mind haha. This was already my fourth visit to Notldun! And not with the same person each time — every visit was with a different friend. Whenever I'm in Seongsu I end up saying, "There's a great dessert place here, want to check it out?" and dragging someone along haha. That's how much I like Notldun's desserts — it's my go-to Seongsu dessert spot when I want something a bit more special than a regular slice of cake.

You know how your girlfriend can get moody sometimes, feeling down or craving something sweet! Take her to Notldun and she instantly melts,,,,✨ If you're looking for a Seongsu dessert café, you have to visit Notldun — I go every year, please don't disappear, I'm praying 👏 Around Seoul Forest, Seongsu and Ttukseom, so many places open and close constantly 🫠🫠

What kind of café is Notldun in Seongsu?

Notldun apparently means "our gift, our talent" in French. It's the first pastry boutique from chefs Kim Myeong-jun and Ha Min-jae, built around the idea of gifting our talents — and honestly, they're even more good-looking in person than on TV haha.

At Notldun you can also watch the desserts being made in a showroom. That day I got to peek at the showroom in the back where they were making desserts haha. Watching them made through the glass made me even more curious, and with everything from baked goods to mousse desserts on offer, I thought I'd have to try a different menu item next time! Getting to see a bit of the process, rather than just the finished pretty products, made it extra fun 🫶🏻

How to get to Notldun from Seongsu and Ttukseom stations, and where to park

Notldun is easy to reach from Exit 5 of Seoul Forest Station (Suin-Bundang Line) or Exit 8 of Ttukseom Station (Line 2). It's about a 5-minute walk from Ttukseom Station Exit 8, or about an 8-minute walk heading toward Seongsu Middle School and into Seoulsup 2-gil. Since it's near Seoul Forest, it's easy to stop by on a Seongsu date, and the route wasn't hard to follow.

For parking, if you're driving you can use the Ttukseom Yusuji Public Parking Lot. It's at 23 Wangsimni-ro 11-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea, about 270m from the café. It can get crowded on weekends, so if you're driving I'd recommend giving yourself a little extra time 📌

Why Notldun works for a Seongsu date

Notldun is near Seoul Forest, so it's a good stop on a Seongsu date. After a meal, when you want an actual proper dessert instead of just coffee, this is the place that comes to mind ✨ The store is clean and the vibe is calm, so it also feels fine for a blind date or a date spot! Best of all, it stays open until 10pm, so it's great for grabbing dessert after eating out and hanging around Seongsu.

Choosing from the Notldun pastry showcase

Coming to Notldun, I feel like I end up standing at the showcase for a while haha. Every dessert looks beautiful, but not in a just-for-show way — you can tell they've put thought into the mousse, cream, and even the texture inside, so choosing is genuinely fun 👀👀

Notldun desserts that look like hotel patisserie

Every time I see Notldun's desserts, they have a bit of a hotel-dessert feel. The shapes are clean and the packaging is pretty, so they're great to eat in person but also good as a gift for someone. That's why the success rate is high when I bring friends along haha. It's actually why I've come here with four different friends so far. It's the kind of place where you say, "This is somewhere I love, want to come with me?" and it works. The look is polished, but once you actually eat it, it's not overly formal-tasting — it's the kind of dessert that pairs easily with coffee, so I don't think it's too particular about taste preferences.

I've tried the signature cake before, but new menu items keep coming out, so every visit gets me a little excited 🫶🏻 I was personally hoping for the vanilla caramel mille-feuille but it was sold out, which was such a bummer ㅠㅠ I visited around 3pm on a weekday and still missed it,,,darn 🥲

Notldun prices: more reasonable than they look

At first glance, the desserts look so polished you'd assume they'd be pretty pricey, right? But Forêt Noire is ₩13,000 and the Earl Grey madeleine is ₩4,500, so the prices were more reasonable than I expected. These are a bit different in style from your typical slice of cake in Seongsu, but factoring in the flavor and texture, I thought, "This is actually pretty good for the price." It's a satisfying spot when you want something more special than plain coffee on a Seongsu date.

Coffee and tea options at Notldun

There's a good variety of coffee on the menu, as below.

• Americano
• Café Latte
• Vanilla Latte
• Valrhona Guanaja Mocha
• Valrhona Guanaja Dark Chocolate Latte

They also carry TWG and Mariage Frères teas, so it's a fine place to bring someone who doesn't drink coffee.

Notldun happened to be running a menu and event to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Valrhona Guanaja. Apparently if you take part in the review event, you get a free Valrhona Guanaja dark chocolate latte, so keep that in mind!

Notldun takeout and online orders

Notldun also does takeout, so if you try a dessert and love it, you can easily bring it home too. Their baked goods and desserts can also be ordered from their online store, so if it's hard to make it out to Seongsu every time, you can enjoy them comfortably at home. I secretly love this kind of thing haha. Whatever dessert you enjoyed, you can just order it again at home next time! The packaging is also clean, so it seems like a good option when you're looking for a simple dessert gift.

What we ordered at Notldun and what it cost

• Iced Americano: ₩6,000 × 2
• Forêt Noire: ₩13,000
• Earl Grey Madeleine: ₩4,500
• 💸Total: ₩29,500

Notldun Forêt Noire, 13,000 won

The Forêt Noire I picked this time had a smooth, neat surface, so at first I expected a pretty heavy, intense chocolate flavor. But when I put the fork in, it gave way more softly than expected, and with the first bite, the mousse slowly unfolded in my mouth with the bitter chocolate flavor coming through first.

Flavor: rich, bittersweet chocolate / Texture: smooth, soft mousse / Sweetness: not overpowering, lingers subtly at the end / Recommended pairing: iced americano

It's not the kind of sweetness that hits you all at once — it lingers subtly at the end, which made it good to pair with the nutty americano. In particular, within a single piece, the soft mousse on the outside and the different texture inside come through in sequence, so it's the kind of dessert you eat slowly rather than one that's just sweet. The chocolate flavor got clearer with each bite after the first, so I kept taking sips of coffee alongside it.

How the Forêt Noire mousse thawed

One reason I keep coming back to Notldun is the thaw state of their mousse. Mousse desserts can sometimes be too cold, making the texture stiff and the flavor hard to taste — but that day the Forêt Noire was in just the right condition. When I pressed it lightly with a fork, the surface didn't collapse but still gave softly, and it melted smoothly like cream in my mouth. It wasn't so cold that it numbed my mouth, but it also wasn't so soft that it fell apart — the mousse's characteristic texture came through well. There's a rich, intense chocolate flavor, but it doesn't leave a heavy aftertaste, so it paired well with the americano's clean bitterness.

Notldun Earl Grey madeleine, 4,500 won

The Earl Grey madeleine had a charm all its own, quite different from the Forêt Noire.

Flavor: subtle Earl Grey aroma with buttery notes / Texture: slightly firm outside, moist and fluffy inside / Aroma: soft black tea scent that builds as you chew / Recommended pairing: americano or tea

The outside was slightly firm while the inside was moist and fluffy, giving softly with each bite. The Earl Grey aroma wasn't overpowering — it built up subtly the more you chewed, and the buttery flavor came through together with the black tea scent, making it great with an americano. If Forêt Noire is a rich, soft dessert, the Earl Grey madeleine was more of an easy, pick-up-and-eat menu item. If you find heavy mousse desserts a bit much, starting with the madeleine seems like a good option.

Would I return to Notldun for a Seongsu date or meetup?

This was already my fourth visit, and coming with a different friend every time feels like the biggest review I can give Notldun haha. Whenever plans come up in Seongsu, I naturally end up suggesting, "There's great dessert here, want to go?" To sum up by menu item,

• Forêt Noire ₩13,000: recommended for those who love soft mousse and rich chocolate flavor
• Earl Grey Madeleine ₩4,500: recommended for those who love moist baked goods and a subtle black tea aroma
• Iced Americano ₩6,000: a clean pairing that goes well alongside a rich dessert

I especially recommend it if you want something a bit more special than a usual dessert on a Seongsu date. I think I'll be back in Seongsu next time to try yet another dessert :)