Rainy-day tomato ramen in Seoulsup: eggplant tom yum at Menya Pomo

Why tomato ramen in Seoulsup on a rainy day?

Menya Pomo Seoul Forest Branch (멘야포모 서울숲점) is a tomato ramen restaurant on the 2nd floor at 28 Seoulsup 4-gil. I had errands in Wangsimni with a friend, and we moved over near Seoulsup for a late lunch. It was raining and I wanted something with warm broth, so I went looking for something special and ended up at Menya Pomo Seoul Forest Branch.

📍Menya Pomo Seoul Forest Branch · Location: 28 Seoulsup 4-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 2nd floor · Hours: weekdays 11:00–20:30 (closed Saturdays and Sundays)

This was my first tomato ramen. I'd heard somewhere that adding tomato to instant ramen tastes good, but I'd never been to a specialty shop, so I was extra curious.

Right out front, big letters say "Start with ramen, finish with risotto."

What is the atmosphere like at Menya Pomo Seoul Forest Branch?

The 2nd-floor dining room at Menya Pomo Seoul Forest Branch is calm, with low lighting and jazz playing. Curious, I headed up to the second floor, and the place turned out nicer than I expected.

With the dim lights and jazz, it even feels a bit like a pub. It's a good mood for eating slowly, and it looked like a great date spot too.

Menya Pomo specializes in tomato ramen: fresh noodles in a soup of tomato simmered with chicken and pork broth. Their signature way, apparently, is to enjoy the ramen first, then add rice to the leftover soup and finish it like a risotto.

Menya Pomo tomato ramen menu and spice levels

The tomato ramen at Menya Pomo Seoul Forest Branch comes in five types — tom yum, original, bone broth (sagol), tantan and Indian — and you can pick a spice level. The menu is quite varied: tom yum, original, bone broth, tantan and Indian tomato ramen, and even though they're all tomato ramen, each has its own personality.

You can also choose the spice level, so order to your taste.

What we ordered at Menya Pomo

• Tomato ramen (not spicy, basil risotto rice)
• Tom yum tomato ramen (level 1, no cilantro, extra eggplant & mushroom toppings)
• Hanwoo minced beef cutlet set

What does the not-spicy original tomato ramen taste like?

Menya Pomo's original tomato ramen pairs a clear broth with tomato tang, and since there's a not-spicy option, it's fine even if you can't handle heat. This is the original tomato ramen my friend ordered.

It's a style where the tomato's tanginess blends naturally into a clear broth.

Since you can choose not spicy, even people who are bad with spice can eat it without worry.

It came with Handon (Korean pork) soboro crumbles and a soft-boiled egg, and after one sip of the broth my friend said it had a chicken-stock kind of savoriness. She really does have a good palate, haha.

Tom yum tomato ramen at level 1 with eggplant and mushrooms

Menya Pomo's tom yum tomato ramen is a Thai-style tomato ramen with a lively lemongrass aroma; I had it at spice level 1, without cilantro, and with eggplant and mushroom toppings added. This is the tom yum tomato ramen I ordered.

It's a Thai-style ramen with lemongrass aroma front and center. I asked them to leave out the cilantro, but as I ate I couldn't remember why. I actually like cilantro, so leaving it out was a mistake.

It has a poached egg, and with the eggplant and mushrooms added it looked much more filling.

I tried the broth first. From the very first sip, the tomato tang and the signature tom yum aroma spread out. The combination of tomato base and tom yum works much better than I expected.

The sour tomato and lemongrass flow into each other so naturally that I kept spooning up the broth. It's been a while since I tasted that tom yum goong flavor, so it was even more welcome.

How spicy is level 1 at Menya Pomo?

Menya Pomo's spice level 1 is said to be about the heat of Shin Ramyun. I chose level 1, the Shin Ramyun level, and by my standards it was plenty spicy. The shop had a note saying that adding non-spicy Tabasco brings out more savoriness, but I was satisfied enough without adding any.

How do you eat razotto (rice in the leftover tomato soup)?

Razotto is Menya Pomo's way of finishing: after the ramen, you add rice to the leftover tomato soup and eat it like a risotto. The real point of Menya Pomo is the ending. Around the shop, signs tell you to finish with razotto (ramen + risotto) after your ramen.

Mixing basil risotto rice into the leftover tomato soup turns it into a completely different dish.

Tomato and basil never fail. Add the richness of cheese and every last spoonful was delicious.

Once I tasted it, I immediately understood why they tell you to finish with razotto.

Is the Hanwoo minced beef cutlet set worth ordering?

The Hanwoo minced beef cutlet set at Menya Pomo Seoul Forest Branch comes with tomato broth and a tomato-based demi-glace-style sauce. The Hanwoo minced beef cutlet set we ordered alongside was satisfying too.

It comes with tomato broth, and since I'd been eating tom yum tomato ramen, the plain tomato broth was a welcome sight.

The inside of the minced cutlet was really tender, and the tomato-based demi-glace-style sauce went well with it.

Is Menya Pomo Seoul Forest Branch worth a return visit?

Menya Pomo Seoul Forest Branch felt well made, not just the ramen but the cutlet set too. If you're craving a different kind of ramen, it's worth a visit. The quiet atmosphere is good for eating slowly, so it suits solo dining as well as dates.

Next time I want to try the bone broth tomato ramen or the tantan tomato ramen. Menya Pomo is a Seoulsup ramen spot I'd return to just out of curiosity about the new menu items.