Lunch date at Jojo Mullae Branch: tableside mentaiko monjayaki

Lately I've been having fun hunting down new restaurants in Mullae-dong. If you're looking for something for lunch that isn't too heavy but also isn't your everyday menu, monjayaki (a savory Japanese griddle dish) is actually a pretty good option. This time I went to Jojo Mullae Branch, which just opened near Mullae Station.

It's about a 6-minute walk from Mullae Station Exit 1, so it wasn't hard to find, and being a new spot, the interior felt clean and fresh. It's open daily from 11:30 to 22:00, with a break time from 15:30 to 17:00. Last order is at 14:30 and 21:00, so keep that in mind if you're planning a visit.

Why it's a 6-minute walk from Mullae Station makes it a great lunch date

Jojo is about 6 minutes on foot from Mullae Station Exit 1, so it worked out well as a lunch meeting spot. Walking through the alleys of Mullae-dong, the name Jojo catches your eye, and even the exterior gives off a subtle Japanese vibe.

Walking in, every table had its own teppan griddle ready to go. Monjayaki is cooked right on this griddle, so eating here felt like a different experience from a regular restaurant meal.

Chatting with my companion while waiting for the food, and getting to watch the whole cooking process, made it feel especially suited for a lunch date.

What is monjayaki? How is it different from okonomiyaki?

Monjayaki is a Japanese teppan (griddle) dish that looks similar to okonomiyaki but is actually a bit different. Unlike okonomiyaki, which has a thicker batter, monjayaki has much more liquid, so it's spread out thin across the griddle and cooked that way.

What's in the monjayaki 2-person set

This time I ordered Jojo's monjayaki 2-person set, which comes with mentaiko monjayaki + karai yakisoba + pokpo potato. Rather than sticking to just one dish, it's nice to try several together, making it a good order for two people.

The dishes that arrived looked pretty appetizing right off the bat. The mentaiko monjayaki (with mentaiko, salted pollock roe) came topped with crispy tenkasu (fried batter bits), mentaiko, and rice cake, and it's cooked by chopping and mixing the ingredients finely right on the griddle. Since you're cooking it yourself at the table, there's definitely a fun element to eating it. Once it's cooked enough, you scoop it up little by little with a small spatula, and scraping up the crispy bits stuck to the griddle was oddly satisfying.

The karai yakisoba that came alongside had cabbage, noodles, and shrimp in it. A fried egg on top made it look even more substantial, and paired with the mentaiko monjayaki, the table ended up looking quite full.

The pokpo potato had a soft-boiled egg sitting on top of the potato. Breaking the yolk and watching it run down was pretty striking. Eaten with the crispy toppings, it made a nice thing to nibble on between bites of the other dishes.

At first the griddle was empty and I was curious how it would all come together, but watching the staff add and mix the ingredients turned out to be surprisingly entertaining. The mentaiko sitting right in the center stood out too.

How Jojo Mullae Branch cooks the mentaiko monjayaki

Once the mentaiko monjayaki arrives, you don't eat it right away — a staff member starts cooking it directly on the tableside griddle. At first, the ingredients are all piled to one side of the griddle. Cabbage, tenkasu, and mentaiko were all in there, and there was more volume than I expected.

First, the ingredients get chopped finely and stir-fried on the griddle, with the staff continuously mixing using a spatula. As the cabbage cooks and a savory aroma rises, it starts looking more and more delicious.

Next, the ingredients get gathered into the center to form a round shape. Mentaiko is placed right in the middle, surrounded by the other ingredients. This step was a bit different from typical teppan dishes, which made it fun to watch.

After that, the prepared broth gets poured into the center. As the broth spreads across the griddle, it naturally starts mixing with the ingredients. At first it looks quite watery, but as it keeps simmering, it gradually thickens.

Once it's simmered enough, the surrounding ingredients get mixed into the center, and it really starts taking the shape of monjayaki. As the mentaiko mixes in, the color turns a slight pink, and the whole thing takes on a thicker texture.

Finally, it gets spread out thin across the whole griddle and cooked a bit more until done. Any bits that stick to the griddle can be scraped off with the small spatula — and that ended up being a real hidden delicacy.

• Chop and stir-fry the ingredients on the griddle
• Gather them into the center to form a round shape
• Place mentaiko in the center
• Pour in the prepared broth
• Mix and cook until thick, then spread out to finish

At first I didn't really understand how monjayaki was made, but watching the process — stir-fry the ingredients → gather them → add mentaiko → pour in broth → mix and cook — made it that much more enjoyable to eat. Ordering the 2-person set meant I got to enjoy the karai yakisoba and pokpo potato too, not just the mentaiko monjayaki, which made for a satisfying lunch for two.

Overall verdict on Jojo, a Mullae-dong restaurant

Overall, since it's a menu that's a bit different from what I usually eat, it seemed like a good place to visit when you want a change of pace for lunch. Because there's a whole tableside cooking process, it felt less like just eating and more like something to slowly enjoy while chatting with whoever you're with.

Being within walking distance of Mullae Station was also convenient, and it seems well suited to anyone looking for a new spot with a slightly special menu. If you're searching for a lunch date spot in Mullae-dong or you're a fan of Japanese teppan cooking, Jojo Mullae Branch is worth checking out.