Hanam Misa ramen restaurant for a parents' date night: Menji

Location and hours of Menji Hanam Misa Branch

Menji Hanam Misa Branch is a Japanese-style ramen restaurant at 36 Misagangbyeonbuk-ro 30beon-an-gil, Hanam-si, Gyeonggi-do, 1st floor. It's open daily from 11:00 to 20:30, with a break time from 15:00 to 17:00 and last order at 20:00. Free parking is available in front of the building.

A rare couple's date after leaving the baby behind

Hi everyone, this is shy quince :) Worn out from the daily parenting battle, I finally left our baby with my mom and went on a date with my husband for the first time in a while.

Ever since we got married and had our baby, sitting down together to eat a leisurely meal hand in hand has become such a precious, rare event ㅠㅠ Since it was our long-awaited free time, I wanted to find a place that wouldn't disappoint, so I scoured every corner of Hanam Misa for days beforehand.

And then one place caught my eye — Menji Hanam Misa Branch, a Hanam Misa ramen restaurant famous for its rich chicken broth Japanese ramen.

Same building as a bakery: the exterior and seating at Menji Hanam Misa Branch

Menji Hanam Misa Branch is in the same building as Easy White Bread. When we arrived, the clean yet emotive exterior welcomed us. Once inside, we realized it shares the building with a bakery.

At first I thought we'd walked into the wrong place, but the entrance to the right had the vibe of a Japanese ramen shop, which felt surprising and fun haha. There were bar table seats well set up for solo diners eating comfortably, as well as table seats perfect for a rare date like ours or a cozy family meal.

Sitting side by side with my husband looking at the menu, everything looked so delicious that we fell into a happy dilemma haha. We wanted ramen but couldn't give up tonkatsu either, so after a long look we finally found the perfect combination for our tastes.

The couple's menu picks: the ₩16,500 set and the ₩13,500 ramen set

My husband chose the hand-made pork loin tonkatsu + mini ramen set (₩16,500), letting him taste both the hand-made Korean pork loin katsu and a half-size chicken broth ramen at once.

I went with the hand-made ramen set (₩13,500), which comes with tori paitan ramen plus a generous side of mini rice and a soda.

Hand-made pork loin tonkatsu + mini ramen set

The freshly fried pork loin tonkatsu arrived with a crisp sound, and the meat was unbelievably thick and tender.

One bite and the juices spread through your mouth, and pairing it with a spoonful of the rich chicken broth mini ramen soup made for a fantastic combination... the portion was generous too, so it was plenty filling.

Hand-made ramen set (tori paitan ramen)

The broth was made from deeply simmered chicken, and it was the real deal. Clean yet deep and rich umami filled my mouth... What makes Menji special is the care put into every single noodle and topping.

They use house-made fresh noodles with the nutty flavor and firm texture of whole wheat, and the texture while slurping was so much fun haha.

The meat toppings were also top-notch! The sous vide pork neck char siu, made fresh daily from good-quality raw pork neck, was so tender it melted the moment it touched my mouth.

The sous vide chicken breast, soft and moist like castella cake, was also a real treat. And finally, popping the soft katsuobushi ajitama (marinated egg) they make fresh daily on top made it absolutely perfect!

How was it as a Misa date restaurant?

Menji Hanam Misa Branch was a great Misa date restaurant for a couple to sit face to face without the baby. Having a relaxed conversation after so long, and eating something so rich and delicious, melted away all the fatigue from parenting that had built up. Every little detail tasted so good that I lost count of how many times my husband and I said, 'We really found a great place here.'

If you're looking for a place near Hanam Misa with a great atmosphere and food you can count on, how about a warm bowl of ramen at Menji Hanam Misa Branch, a Hanam Misa ramen restaurant?