Korean street dessert store WalWal Mackay opens at Parkside Coles

It was on a recent trip back to Korea that a longtime hospitality manager found the inspiration for his own business, now bringing Asia’s popular desserts and street snacks to Central Queensland.

It was on a recent trip back to Korea that a longtime hospitality manager found the inspiration for his own business, now bringing Asia’s popular desserts and street snacks to central Queensland.

Visiting home to celebrate a daughter’s first birthday with family is its own treat, but a Mackay restaurant runner also found inspiration in the goodies sold at Korean street markets.

Brian Shin has worked in hospitality for over a decade and is the manager at Wara Sushi, but on Sunday he oversaw the soft launch of his own dessert business.

WalWal Mackay sells a select range of Asian fusion desserts and celebrated their opening with free samples of their signature walnut pastry, known in Korea as hodu-gwaja, with custard, Nutella, red bean, and cheese fillings on offer.

Brian Shin at the soft opening of WalWal Mackay outside Coles Parkside. Photo: Zoe Devenport

Mr Shin said WalWal’s sweet and savoury treats, like Korean egg bread and the traditionally Chinese tanghulu (candied fruit skewers), were inspired by the trip home with his partner and co-owner Bella Kim and their young daughter Thea.

“While we were visiting Korea, we witnessed all the street food getting popular,” he said.

“And last year this fruit candy (tanghulu) was so famous in Korea.

“So we were thinking if we have this business in Mackay it could be really good, and it’s happening now.”

Walnut cookies or hodu-gwaja are a popular Korean street snack now available at WalWal Mackay in Parkside. Photo: Zoe Devenport

Mr Shin said Ms Kim was also a chef at Wara Sushi and, with support from its owners and Parkside Plaza management, built WalWal in the kiosk in front of Coles.

Having lived in Australia for nearly 20 years, Mr Shin said he was excited to bring some of the snacks he had grown up with to his Mackay home.

WalWal Mackay employee Lee Gwak with some of their signature tanghulu and other snacks on opening day. Photo: Zoe Devenport

But Mackay itself has made its mark on WalWal, with Mr Shin saying the business’ dog and walnut logo was inspired by the Brothers Rugby League bulldog.

“If you work in a restaurant as a manager for a long time, you always want to have one of your own and then I got an opportunity,” he said.

“The main idea was we wanted local people to enjoy these kinds of popular street foods.”