Seongsu dessert boutique madeleine gift bags on a Friday: Notldun

I've been finding myself in Seongsu more often lately, and it's genuinely hard to find a really good café there! New places pop up and disappear so fast in Seongsu. But I heard there's a spot that defies that worry, so I went to check it out.

I recently visited Notldun, one of the hottest dessert destinations near Seoul Forest right now. Having been there myself, both the visuals and the taste exceeded expectations — a true high-end dessert café. I highly recommend it if you're planning a Seongsu date course or looking for a café near Seoul Forest. Let's get right into the review 〰️

Where is Notldun? On the 2nd floor, not the 1st

Notldun is located on the 2nd floor of the building at 11 Seoul Forest-2-gil. I accidentally walked into the café on the 1st floor first haha — don't get confused, just head straight up to the 2nd floor!

Since it's such a popular place, a waiting machine seems like a must. Just a heads up — when the store is busy, your time inside may be limited (to 90 minutes).

Friday 6:30pm at Notldun: madeleine flavors sell out

I visited around 6:30pm on a Friday, and there weren't many madeleine flavors left. I guess popular places get busy no matter whether it's a weekday or weekend...

If you want to try a variety of flavors, I definitely recommend going early. I wanted to pack a bunch of different ones to eat with my niece, but there wasn't much left, which was a bit of a bummer 🥺 I'll make sure to go early next time.

Madeleines and financiers packed to go for gifts

Apparently Notldun means "our gift, our talent" in French! Maybe that's why so many people were packing gifts there. They had madeleines and financiers available for gift packaging. It's all wrapped so neatly that both the giver and the receiver would be thrilled.

Beyond madeleines and financiers, there were all kinds of other desserts too. Don't these look like something you'd see at a hotel? There were so many desserts with a look you don't often see at a regular café.

The desserts really overwhelm you with their looks — almost too pretty to eat. Perfect for an anniversary or a gift.

Notldun's Signature Blanc and Noir cakes on display

And then the 'Notldun Signature Blanc' and 'Notldun Signature Noir' really stood out — desserts with a distinctive look modeled after the brand's Noir logo. Shaped after the store's logo, they're said to have a rich, luxurious chocolate flavor! I'll have to try these next time — I couldn't buy anything chocolate this time since I was buying desserts to share with my niece 🥺🤭

Notldun's open kitchen: spotless enough to trust

Behind the desserts, you can catch a glimpse of the open kitchen. Just looking at the kitchen, you can tell how cleanly everything is made, right? A lot of dessert kitchens get pretty messy with flour and eggs everywhere, but Notldun's kitchen was so clean it really built my trust. Since I was planning to eat these with my niece, I paid extra attention to this kind of thing. It was reassuring to be able to eat at Notldun with confidence.

Notldun's Smart Store and review perk

And for those of you who want to visit Notldun but live too far away — they've opened a Smart Store, so you can enjoy it comfortably from home 🤍 I should order too haha. And one more piece of good news! If you leave a review, they give you a free dark chocolate latte. It's available for both dine-in and takeout customers, so make sure to participate and grab that chocolate latte 🩵

Drinks and seating inside Notldun

Since desserts are the main event, my dessert descriptions got a bit too long! Notldun also sells a variety of drinks.

There are also tables available if you want to eat in.

Seven madeleines and a shopping bag to carry them

Since so many people buy gifts here, Notldun's gift packaging is really pretty. It would be lovely to receive a gift from Notldun.

I ordered seven madeleines, and they packed them into such a pretty shopping bag! It kind of felt like treating myself, honestly... ha. The bag is sturdy too, so I think I'll be able to reuse it haha!

Is Notldun worth it for a madeleine gift?

If you're looking for a thoughtful gift to express your feelings to someone special in Seongsu, I highly recommend visiting Notldun, which combines luxurious packaging with excellent taste. Thanks to the neat, pretty wrapping, it'll be a special gift that makes both the giver and the receiver happy. Next time, I'll go early so I can grab the madeleines I missed out on this time because of the sellout!