Cooler-bag cake takeout for a Seoul Forest picnic: Notldun, Seongsu

Terrace-and-picnic season, aka fall! If you're heading to Seoul Forest and looking for a Seongsu café where you can grab a same-day slice of cake to take out nearby, keep an eye on Notldun (노틀던), a proper dessert spot. Here's my review after taking out 2 cake slices and 1 baked treat :)

Where is Notldun near Seoul Forest, and what are its hours and parking?

Notldun is on the 1st floor of 11 Seoul Forest 2-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul. Hours are Mon–Thu 11:00–22:00 (last order 21:30) and Fri–Sun 11:00–22:30 (last order 22:00). There's no parking support, so you'll need to use a nearby lot.

• Hours: Mon–Thu 11:00–22:00 (last order 21:30)
• Fri–Sun 11:00–22:30 (last order 22:00)
• Note: no parking support. Use nearby lots.
• A good Seoul Forest dessert café for a date

It took about 6-8 minutes on foot from Ttukseom Station Exit 8 or Seoul Forest Station Exit 5!

Inside Notldun: a small Seongsu café with plenty of daylight

I visited on a weekday afternoon, and the first thing I noticed inside was how good the natural light was. The space itself is on the smaller side, but thanks to the sunlight it felt bright and warm overall.

It's a spot that works well as a stop on a Seoul Forest date course, or for sitting down with a friend over good dessert and conversation..! I took mine out for a picnic in Seoul Forest, but next time I'd like to sit in and eat leisurely at the café itself.

What we ordered at Notldun, and how the cooler bag packing works

🍰 The 3 things I ordered — Pistachio Festival / Forêt Noire / Raspberry Madeleine. I love pistachio desserts in general so Pistachio Festival was my clear first pick, and I rounded it out with the chocolate-and-cherry Forêt Noire and the tart raspberry madeleine.

One thing that stood out with the takeout was that they give you a cooler bag as standard. Mousse or cream desserts especially make you nervous while moving them around, so I was glad they packed with that much care :)

I visited with a friend from France, and the staff were super friendly to both of us..! If you're planning to eat it right at Seoul Forest, I'd also recommend taking it to go and pairing it with a walk or picnic -:)

Pistachio Festival, 13,000 won: pistachio mousse and praline cream

💚 Pistachio Festival (pistachio mousse + praline cream), ₩13,000. This was the menu I was most looking forward to, and from the very first bite that signature nutty pistachio flavor came through smoothly.

The mousse is very smooth and melted lightly in my mouth, and with the praline cream added on top, the nutty-sweet flavor got even richer. Pistachio lovers would be satisfied with this quality! ♥

Because the texture is so soft, it's still fairly vulnerable to heat and melted quickly, which was a bit of a shame — but now that evenings are cooling down, taking it out should be fine..!

Forêt Noire, 13,000 won: dark chocolate, cherry and vanilla mousse

🍫 Forêt Noire (dark chocolate + cherry + mascarpone vanilla mousse), ₩13,000. Forêt Noire is a cake where rich dark chocolate comes together with cherry and mascarpone vanilla mousse.

The moments where you bite into cherry flesh become a highlight in between — after the deep chocolate flavor, the cherry's tartness follows, and it felt like the flavor got refreshed in my mouth each time.

Maybe it's because they use dark chocolate from Valrhona, the French premium chocolate brand, but it was outright delicious...♥ The mascarpone vanilla mousse made it even softer and sweeter :)

Raspberry madeleine, 4,500 won, with a red jasmine ade

❤️ Raspberry madeleine (raspberry + moist madeleine), ₩4,500. You can't skip the baked goods either. The raspberry's tart aroma was quite subtle, with the madeleine's crumbly texture taking the lead — a familiar, comforting flavor. Nice for a light bite.

It was still hot during the day so I also took out an iced latte and a red jasmine ade — the red jasmine ade was outright delicious!! It really cut through the thirst, so I'd want to drink it again on my next visit :-)

Is Notldun worth it? A dessert café that fits a Seoul Forest walk or picnic

That was my review of taking out same-day cake slices from Notldun, the dessert café by Seoul Forest. If you're casually looking for a pretty, delicious spot for a birthday cake gift, or a good-quality dessert café, I'd definitely recommend this one.

It's close to Seoul Forest, so it's easy to fold into a walk or picnic course, and it also suits days when you just want to enjoy dessert in a quiet atmosphere.