Seongsu dessert café for Signature Noir to share: Notldun

As the weather has gradually gotten cooler, I’ve been loving walks around Seoul Forest lately. It was so hot for a while that there were many days when I’d sit in a café and head straight home, but now it feels like the perfect weather to take a slow lap around Seoul Forest and finish with a delicious dessert. This time too, I went to Seoul Forest for a walk and revisited Notldun (노틀던).

The Signature Noir that brought me back to Notldun

Honestly, I came back because I kept thinking about the dessert I had on my first visit, haha. Plenty of desserts end at “that was tasty” after one bite, but Notldun’s Signature Noir was seriously one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. So I briefly wondered whether I should try something else this time, but in the end I picked the Signature Noir again >_<

It’s an easy distance to stop by after a Seoul Forest walk, so personally I recommend pairing it with Seoul Forest. Notldun is a dessert specialist selling baked sweets, madeleines, and petits gâteaux, and takeout is available too.

A weekday lunch visit and window seats

It’s such a popular spot that there can be a wait, eek. Luckily, I visited at weekday lunchtime and got straight in.

There were lots of seats by the window too!!

Financier and madeleine gift sets

They also sell gift sets, so I’d recommend them as presents too. Apparently, Hanyang University students often use them as gifts for their professors.

They’re also running an event for items made with Valrhona chocolate! You can really tell how serious they are about dessert.

Desserts I met again in the display case

The dessert I enjoyed most on my last visit was the Signature Noir. Other desserts did catch my eye as I looked through the display case this time too. The visuals are insane. Every single one is like a work of art…

If it were near my home, these are the kind of desserts I’d work my way through one by one.

Desserts packed up to eat with my parents

I chose several things to take home and eat with my parents, and when I asked for takeout, they provided free insulated packaging. Since these were desserts, I wondered if they’d be okay during the trip home, but the insulated packaging was so carefully done that I loved itㅠㅠ The staff were incredibly kind too!!! Then I got home and tried everything with my parents, and they said it was really delicious as well. So pleased~!

Why I kept thinking about the Signature Noir

In particular, the Signature Noir isn’t a dessert that is only sweet; it has chocolate flavor, nuttiness, and a crisp texture together, so it was great to share with my parents. I thought it was extremely delicious the first time, and it was just as delicious when I had it again.

The milk chocolate mousse is smooth and rich without tasting overly sweet, and the almond praline brings a nutty flavor too. A subtle whiskey crème is added as well, so it avoids the one-note sweetness that chocolate desserts can have. Personally, if someone asked me for a Seoul Forest café recommendation, I think I could confidently recommend Notldun to dessert lovers. It isn’t just a pretty café that I recommend—it’s a place I revisited because I wanted to eat there again, and that’s the biggest reason.

Pistachio, raspberry, and vanilla madeleines

This time, I packed up madeleines along with the Signature Noir. I chose three: pistachio, raspberry, and vanilla madeleines.

I had tried the pistachio madeleine last time and loved its nutty flavor, so I chose it again. This time, I added raspberry and vanilla too! The pistachio had the rich, nutty flavor I like, while the raspberry had a fresh tang that gave it another kind of charm. Vanilla was the plainest and most classic flavor of the three, so it went nicely with coffee.

Notldun’s dessert quality impressed me on my first visit, and that feeling was exactly the same when I returned. This time I got takeout and shared it with my parents; they were satisfied too, which made me feel like I was so glad I came back ❤️