Yongsan ramen restaurant, mild and spicy sets to share: Menya Seoul

I went to Yongsan I'Park Mall, wandered around forever trying to decide what to eat, and ended up craving hot ramen so badly that I went to Menya Seoul Yongsan I'Park Mall Branch (멘야서울 용산아이파크몰점)! It's on the 7th floor of I'Park Mall, so it's a handy spot for a meal after shopping or catching a movie. And since Yongsan Station connects directly to I'Park Mall, it also works for a meal before or after a train ride.

This time two of us went and deliberately ordered completely different flavors, and to give you the conclusion first… get the set here. The karaage especially is insanely good haha

Food court seating and solo bar seats

The shop isn't a fully separate restaurant like a regular place; it's over in the I'Park Mall food court, so you just use the shared seating around it. There are also bar seats for eating alone, so it looked fine for anyone hunting for a solo dining spot in Yongsan.

How do you choose the broth, toppings and set?

At Menya Seoul you order by picking broth flavor + topping + set or no set. The broths were split broadly into mild broth (Mild), spicy broth (Spicy) and mala broth (Mala Flavor).

The menu looks a little complicated at first glance, but everything is numbered, so you can just say “No. 1 and No. 4, please” and it's easy hahaha. The menu board itself actually said it's faster to order by number.

That day we ordered No. 1, the mild dongpo pork (Dongpo-style braised pork belly) chashu ramen set, and No. 4, the spicy dongpo pork chashu ramen double set. Based on the menu board at the time of our visit, set No. 1 was listed at ₩17,900 and double set No. 4 at ₩20,900. The double comes with more dongpo pork topping than the regular, so if you love meat, I'd recommend the double!

Mild dongpo pork chashu ramen broth and huge dongpo pork

First, the mild broth! Even from the photo, the size of the dongpo pork is insane, right? hahaha. On top of the milky broth there's a generous pile of dongpo pork, thinly sliced meat like jambon, bean sprouts, seaweed, egg and more.

Personally, Japanese-style ramen is sometimes so salty and heavy that I can't finish a bowl, but Menya Seoul's mild broth was less heavy than I expected. The broth is rich and savory, but it isn't the kind that leaves only a strong salty taste lingering, so it went well with the dongpo pork. Other visitors' reviews also said the broth is rich without being overly salty.

And the dongpo pork here is seriously huge. When you pick it up with chopsticks, the grain feels like it pulls apart softly, and since there's lean meat and fat together, it was really moist. Dip it lightly in the broth and eat it with the noodles and it's amazing… It feels a bit different from the chashu at regular ramen shops, so if you like dongpo pork, this should suit you especially well!

How spicy is the spicy broth double set?

And the other one, spicy! If two of you go, I recommend ordering one mild + one spicy like this. The two flavors are clearly different, so alternating between them means you never get tired of either hahaha

Even though it's called spicy broth, it isn't fiery or aggressive like buldak (Korean fire chicken); it feels more like the mild broth base with a kick of heat added, so unless you're a total spice wimp, it was very manageable. For me especially, eating only the mild one can get slightly heavy midway, but having the spicy broth felt like it reset everything, which was nice.

And since No. 4 is the double, you get a much heartier serving of dongpo pork too. If you love meat, paying a few thousand won more for the double seems worth it!

Why you have to pick the karaage for the set

Honestly, I went for ramen and the karaage (Japanese fried chicken) surprised me the most hahahaha. You can pick it as a set side, so I ordered it without much thought… and it's insanely good.

Crispy outside, moist chicken inside, and it went so well with the ramen. It's the style with a bit of sauce on it, so instead of plain, bland Japanese fried chicken it even had a sweet-salty flavor that kept me reaching for more. If it were me, I'd absolutely pick the karaage as my side again next time hahahaha

When you order a set, the side is listed as a choice of karaage, crispy gyoza or sweet soy chicken rice bowl.

Recommended order combo when visiting as a pair

If you're visiting as a pair like us, I think it's better to order one or two sets rather than two ramen à la carte. A single bowl of ramen fills you up on its own, but grabbing a piece of karaage or gyoza here and there definitely made it more satisfying. A drink comes with it too, so it's nice to sip on between bites of ramen. Especially with the spicy one, cola is a must haha

The set pairs the ramen with a side and a drink, and it's presented as about ₩3,900 cheaper than ordering each item separately.

The dongpo pork comes in big pieces, so there's clearly more meaty satisfaction than a regular chashu ramen, and being able to choose between mild and spicy was great too. If two of you go, I recommend ordering one mild dongpo pork chashu ramen + one spicy dongpo pork chashu ramen and sharing! And seriously… get the karaage as your set side. hahahahaha It's a little funny that I'm thinking about the karaage more than the ramen, but it really was that good. I'll probably stop by again whenever I want hot ramen at Yongsan Station or I'Park Mall :)