Gongridan-gil tsukemen shop in Seoul: how to dip, Torikokoro

Today's story is about a ramen shop near Gongneung Station that my older sister goes to all the time :) There are quietly a lot of great eateries around Gongneung Station, so every time we make plans we agonize over where to go. This time I heard about a tsukemen specialist, a bit different from the ramen I usually eat, so off I went 🍜 The place is Torikokoro near Gongneung Station.

Torikokoro Gongneung Direct Store: location, hours and parking

Torikokoro Gongneung Direct Store sits between Gongneung Station and Taereung Station, a 10-minute walk from Taereung Station. It is open 11:00 - 21:30, with a break from 15:15 to 17:00, and last orders at 14:45 / 21:00.

• 📍 Between Gongneung Station and Taereung Station, 10-minute walk from Taereung Station
• ⏱️ Open 11:00 - 21:30
• Break time 15:15 - 17:00
• Last order 14:45 / 21:00
• 🚗 No parking lot of its own, so use a nearby public car park

It's on the Gongridan-gil side, between Gongneung Station and Taereung Station, so it looked like a fine option for people hunting for a Gongneung date spot or a place to eat solo ☺️

What's the atmosphere at Torikokoro like?

Torikokoro is a cozy Japanese-style ramen shop with wood-toned bar tables and an open kitchen. The moment I walked in, I felt that special snugness a Japanese ramen shop has :) The bar-table setup makes it easy to come alone, and since the kitchen is open, you can catch a little of how the ramen is made 😮

Personally, I prefer ramen places where you can quietly focus on one bowl rather than somewhere loud or hectic, and Torikokoro was exactly that, which I loved :)

What is tsukemen? Torikokoro is a tsukemen specialist

Tsukemen is a Japanese ramen where the noodles and broth come separately and you dip the noodles into a rich broth yourself. Honestly, when I thought of ramen I only pictured noodles served in hot soup, but Torikokoro specializes in tsukemen. Because you don't leave the noodles soaking and only dip what you're about to eat, the chewiness of the noodles comes through even more ⭐️

According to Torikokoro's explanation, they simmer the broth themselves and make the noodles in the shop to suit the ramen, so I was looking forward to it before I even ate 🥺

What I ordered: Karai Miso Tsukemen

What I ate was Torikokoro's signature, the Karai Miso Tsukemen (spicy miso dipping ramen) 🍜

The Karai Miso Tsukemen arrives with the noodles and soup served separately. It looks so different from regular ramen that it felt extra special ✨

The noodles were thicker and springier than I expected, and even just looking at them they seemed much firmer than ordinary ramen noodles. House-made noodles, of course ⭐️

The soup was a deep brown broth topped with scallions, which helped cut the richness a little 👍🏻

How do you eat tsukemen?

Taste the noodles on their own first, then dip only what you're about to eat into the soup. If it's your first time with tsukemen you might be a little unsure how to eat it, but it turned out to be simpler than I thought.

• First, try a bite of the plain noodles to get their texture and flavor
• Using a renge (Asian soup spoon) or chopsticks, dip just what you'll eat into the soup
• Don't leave the noodles soaking in the soup; dip as you go! ⭐️

I almost soaked them in the soup at first, but after reading Torikokoro's guide and eating it properly, the noodles definitely felt chewier 😋😋

How chewy are Torikokoro's tsukemen noodles?

What stuck with me most about Torikokoro's tsukemen was the noodles. They're thicker than regular ramen noodles and stay springy the more you chew, so I finally understood why tsukemen noodles are dipped separately 😮 Since they don't sit in hot soup, they never went soggy and stayed chewy to the end.

When you dip the noodles lightly in the soup, the rich broth flavor hits first, then the nutty flavor of the noodles follows, which gives it a different charm from regular ramen 💗

Nori, menma and chicken breast: the fun of eating each topping

The Karai Miso Tsukemen came with nori (seaweed), menma (seasoned bamboo shoots) and meat toppings 😜

The menma had a crunchy bite, so eaten together with the chewy noodles it added a nice texture accent here and there,

and the chicken breast topping wasn't dry at all, just clean and light ⭐️ It was totally tender (honestly the best chicken breast I've ever had, wow)

I especially liked piling noodles and menma together and dipping them lightly in the soup. Chewy plus crunchy, so I never got tired of it :)

Is it a good Gongneung date spot too?

The mood at Torikokoro isn't overbearing and the ramen isn't the usual style, so I think it works as a Gongneung date spot too. The Gongridan-gil area of Gongneung-dong has lots of cafés and nice alleys for strolling, so there are plenty of ways to do a meal-then-coffee outing ♥ Especially on a day when you think "I want to try a slightly special ramen today," I think you'd be very satisfied 🍜

If you want a slightly special Japanese ramen near Gongneung Station, Torikokoro Gongneung Direct Store was good 👍🏻✨ It isn't the usual soup ramen but tsukemen, where you dip the noodles in a rich broth yourself, so there was the fun of a first try, and above all the chewy noodles stayed with me 😋 If you're looking for ramen near Gongneung Station, solo dining on Gongridan-gil, or a Gongneung tsukemen spot, it's worth a visit once ♥