Hwangnidang-gil mochi shop at 6:10pm, two flavors left: Tareudang

Sold out by day: back at Tareudang at 6:10pm

After finishing dinner in Gyeongju, we turned back toward Hwangnidang-gil. It was all because of Tareudang, a dessert spot on Hwangnidang-gil we'd passed earlier in the day and desperately wanted to try.

We were told the day's desserts had already sold out and the second batch would start at 5:25pm — and there was no way we were missing that second round. Earlier in the day, we'd watched the sold-out sign go up right in front of us, which left us pretty disappointed, so we promised ourselves we'd come back after dinner no matter what. Sure enough, when we got back to Hwangnidang-gil around 6:10pm, people were still lined up in front of the shop. It made us even more curious what could possibly taste good enough for everyone to wait in line like that, so there was no way we were turning back home empty-handed. We quickly parked in a nearby public lot and joined the line right away.

Which two mochi flavors were left this late?

Since we'd arrived a bit late, most of the other popular mochi flavors were already sold out, leaving us no choice but the fresh pineapple cream mochi and gold kiwi mochi. It was a shame not to try more flavors, but we bought one fresh pineapple cream mochi and two gold kiwi mochi just to taste what was left. The way the staff packed them into round, cute little boxes caught my eye.

Looking around, other people were unwrapping theirs and eating them right on the street as soon as they bought them, but we wanted to bring ours home, plate them nicely, and really enjoy them properly, so we packed them carefully into the cooler bag we'd brought and headed back to our place in Daegu.

Gold kiwi mochi: a whole kiwi in cross-section

As soon as we got home, we pulled the desserts out of the cooler bag, quickly unwrapped them, and cut them in half with a knife to check the cross-section.

The gold kiwi mochi, cut first, lived up to its name — a whole large gold kiwi packed entirely into the chewy mochi and soft cream. The cross-section alone was visually satisfying. Taking a bite, the chewy mochi skin, the cream melting smoothly in the mouth, and the sweet-tart gold kiwi flesh bursting with juice all came together perfectly. The kiwi's distinctive juiciness and sweetness blended with the cream's richness, and the flavor spread through my mouth with every bite.

Fresh pineapple cream mochi and its fruit pieces

Next we cut the fresh pineapple cream mochi in half. Unlike the whole-fruit format, this one had pineapple pieces scattered throughout the cream inside the mochi. So even cutting it carefully, the cross-section wasn't a clean, single fruit slice — the cream and pineapple pieces mixed together a bit as the knife went through, which was slightly disappointing shape-wise. But the taste didn't disappoint at all. The sweetness and crunch of the pineapple pieces popping with each bite blended well with the soft mochi and cream, giving the dessert a clean, refreshing flavor. The cut cross-section wasn't as pretty, but the balance of flavors was excellent.

Keeping one mochi in the fridge for the next morning

We didn't finish everything today — one gold kiwi mochi went straight into the fridge. Tomorrow morning we plan to share it with my sister over tea or a cold drink. Chilling it should make the mochi's chewiness and the fruit's cool juiciness even more vivid, so I'm looking forward to it.

Tareudang, a well-known dessert shop on Hwangnidang-gil, is a distinctive fruit mochi specialty shop where you can really taste the balance of natural fruit brightness, chewy mochi, and smooth cream. The wait is long, and visiting late means your desired flavors may well be sold out, but both the look and the taste make the wait worthwhile. With the high sweetness of the fruit and the great mochi texture, it's perfect for dessert lovers or anyone looking for a light gift for someone special. If you want to try a distinctive, well-made fruit dessert while visiting Hwangnidang-gil in Gyeongju, I highly recommend stopping by Tareudang for a taste of their fruit cream mochi.