Shrimp tonkotsu ramen with less oil at Shomendo, a Hongdae ramen shop

I suddenly had a huge craving for ramen, so I went looking for good spots and found what seemed to be a newly opened place. This is Shomendo, a tonkotsu ramen restaurant in Yeonnam-dong near Hongdae. Torigaitan is also genuinely delicious, but I think alternating between that and tonkotsu is the best way to live haha.

Inside Shomendo: the space and how to order at the kiosk

Shomendo is an open-kitchen ramen shop with all bar-table seating, so it's comfortable for solo dining. You order at the kiosk by selecting your seat number.

Even at a glance, it looked clean and spacious.

All the tables are set up bar-style, and I really love this layout... it's so easy for solo dining! Plus it's an open kitchen, and the kitchen was seriously spotless. The owner was kind too, and ordering was easy.

You select your seat number on that kiosk over there and order.

How to eat at Shomendo: adding garlic and refilling noodles or rice

A tip for enjoying it best! It's delicious no matter how you eat it, but if you want to enjoy it to the max, I highly recommend adding garlic partway through eating. Noodle refills are free up to two times, and rice can also be added. Apparently mixing the rice with the spicy takana (pickled mustard greens) niku-miso is great... I wanted to try it but gave up due to being too full...

There's a variety of seasonings up there like this.

Shomendo menu and prices, and what you can change in your bowl

Shomendo's menu is just three items: Hakata tonkotsu ramen ₩11,000, shrimp tonkotsu ramen ₩12,000, and handmade gyoza (dumplings) ₩5,000. The ramen options can be customized, and even though it's not on the menu, they accommodated my request for less oil on the shrimp tonkotsu.

Just three items on the menu screams proper ramen shop. The prices are really reasonable too.

The ramen options can be changed like this. It's not listed here, but I asked the owner if less oil was possible for the shrimp tonkotsu, and they made it happen. It seems like customization is generally possible to some degree.

• Hakata tonkotsu ramen ₩11,000
• Shrimp tonkotsu ramen ₩12,000
• Handmade gyoza ₩5,000
• Total ₩28,000

The food came out pretty fast too!

Shrimp tonkotsu ramen, 12,000 won, ordered with less oil

Shrimp tonkotsu ramen ₩12,000

I ordered the shrimp tonkotsu. I think this was my first time having shrimp ramen, and I loved how well the shrimp's distinctive deep flavor came through. It's a rich tonkotsu base with shrimp umami layered on top — that deep, rich tonkotsu character combined with shrimp umami is just exactly my taste!

Tonkotsu ramen is usually on the greasy side, so I asked for less oil, and it wasn't uncomfortably oily at all — just right. When I added garlic partway through, the garlic aroma really hit and it was so delicious. Not greasy at all, and I just kept eating spoonful after spoonful.

The broth stayed hot all the way until I finished, and the noodle doneness was perfect right to the end too. And since it's the thin ramen noodle style, which is my favorite, that was another plus. The shrimp ramen has something crunchy on top — it also tasted like shrimp and added great texture. The egg was moist and salty, exactly the classic perfect ramen egg...

Hakata tonkotsu ramen, 11,000 won: rich broth that is not too salty

Hakata tonkotsu ramen ₩11,000

I also tried a bite of the Hakata tonkotsu ramen my friend ordered, and it was deep and rich too — delicious. My friend even said it had a deep, comforting flavor and drank the whole broth. Of course it's tonkotsu so it's a bit salty, but if you eat it in Japan, the local version is really salty. Here, ordering it as the default, it wasn't excessively salty — just right.

The chashu (braised pork) was tender too, with zero gamey smell — so delicious. Taking the noodles, chashu, and egg all together in one big bite is the best. Ramen really has an irreplaceable charm...

Handmade gyoza, 5,000 won

Handmade gyoza (dumplings) ₩5,000. It would feel incomplete to only have ramen (?), so I ordered gyoza too, and they were packed with juice and vegetable liquid inside — enough to drip. So delicious, and a perfect side dish. Dipping it lightly in vinegar brought out great umami flavor.

Cleaned my plate...

Is Shomendo worth a visit in Hongdae?

Shomendo, a great tonkotsu ramen spot in Hongdae! Both the shrimp tonkotsu and Hakata tonkotsu ramen had such a deep, comforting flavor. Adding garlic partway through makes it truly fragrant and delicious. The prices are reasonable, the ramen is delicious, and you can even adjust saltiness and oil level, which I loved. Especially since noodle and rice refills are possible, it's great for eating until you're really full, and with the bar-table seating, it's a comfortable atmosphere for solo dining. If you're looking for a good tonkotsu ramen restaurant in Hongdae, I highly recommend it!