Abura soba, spicy shoyu ramen and karaage in Jung-gu, Seoul: Mentsuru

One of the dishes my boyfriend and I really loved when we traveled in Japan was abura soba!!! No broth — you just mix the noodles with sauce. At first I was like, what is this? But we both got completely hooked. So now whenever I spot a place serving abura soba in Korea, I make a point of trying it.

Mentsuru's flagship is in Sanbon, so I already knew of it from passing by there a few times. This time my boyfriend and I visited the Mentsuru City Hall Branch.

We deliberately went around 2pm to avoid the lunch rush, but... why were there so many people???? Haha, even past the lunch peak it was nearly packed, with lots of solo diners and quite a few foreign customers too. It felt like a place where City Hall office workers looking for a solo lunch spot could go without feeling self-conscious at all!

Where is Mentsuru City Hall Branch, and when is last order?

Mentsuru City Hall Branch is at 2 Seosomun-ro 11-gil, 1st floor unit 1, Jung-gu, Seoul, and last order is at 9:00 PM.

Being near City Hall, it's convenient for office workers' lunch and also a good stop before or after a Deoksugung date. We visited around 2pm and it was still crowded — oh, this place is popular, I thought, haha.

We ate down in the basement, and there were plenty of people eating alone!! Ramen and abura soba are naturally easy to eat solo, so this seems like a good option if you're looking for a solo dining spot near City Hall.

What we ordered: abura soba, spicy shoyu ramen and karaage, with prices

What we ordered at Mentsuru City Hall Branch that day was abura soba for 12,000 won, spicy shoyu ramen for 11,500 won, and karaage for 7,000 won.

We came for the abura soba, but I wanted something with broth too, so we added the spicy shoyu ramen! Turned out to be a great combo.

Mentsuru's abura soba: kelp vinegar is the kicker

The abura soba finally arrived! I had such good memories of eating it in Japan that I dug in with high expectations. First, they mix the noodles and sauce thoroughly from the bottom up.

The base seasoning was spot on, so I tried it without adding anything at first. Then partway through, in went the kelp vinegar!

This was the kicker for me. Just a little splash of vinegar and the flavor completely came alive — I kept eating more and more.

It's hard to say it's exactly the same as what we had in Japan, but it's worth coming to when you're craving abura soba in Korea. I'd recommend it!!

The spicy shoyu ramen broth kept disappearing...

And the spicy shoyu ramen we shared! The moment I tasted the broth I thought, oh... this is kind of like a hangover-soup ramen???? It was spicy and refreshing, so I kept scooping up the broth, haha.

I especially loved the thinly sliced onion mixed in — the crisp bite alongside the noodles was great. And the chashu was generous too! There were 4 pieces, so my boyfriend and I happily split them, haha.

Eating the abura soba, then a spoonful of the spicy shoyu broth, then wanting the abura soba again... I'm glad we ordered both together.

Karaage is 4 pieces, and one of them is huge

The karaage we ordered as a side at Mentsuru City Hall Branch was 7,000 won for 4 pieces. At first I thought only 4 pieces might not be much, but each one turned out to be quite thick!

I tend to get sick of karaage quickly if it's too heavily seasoned, but here the seasoning was just right, which I loved. It's tasty on its own, but dip it in the mayo on the side and... it's an unbeatable combo^^ It was great to pick one up here and there between the abura soba and the ramen.

Why is the kimchi at Mentsuru so good...?

And something that surprisingly stuck with me was the kimchi, haha. Someone talking about kimchi at a ramen restaurant... yes, that's me. But the kimchi here is delicious!!! The seasoning was exactly my style, so I kept picking at it between bites of ramen and abura soba.

Good for a solo lunch near City Hall, good for a date too

I visited Mentsuru City Hall Branch with high expectations, thanks to the memory of loving abura soba on a trip to Japan!

I liked the combination of abura soba with kelp vinegar the most, and the spicy shoyu ramen I shared with my boyfriend was so spicy and refreshing that I kept spooning up the broth. Plus the thick karaage on top~~ We left full and satisfied.

There were quite a lot of customers even at 2pm in the afternoon, and plenty of solo diners felt right at home, so it's a great restaurant for City Hall office workers looking for a no-pressure solo lunch spot. I also spotted quite a few foreign customers.

And since it's near City Hall and Deoksugung, it would work well as part of a couple's date course, like we did. On cool days like these, it's nice to eat and then take a walk around Deoksugung, or grab dinner and head over on a night when Deoksugung has its night opening.

If you like abura soba, definitely try it with a splash of kelp vinegar~~ I think I'll be back here again next time I'm craving abura soba, haha.