Gwangjin ramen lunch booked on Naver: extra-tamago shoyu at Mentsuru

Life lately: wedding invitation meetups and a break from blogging

The weather has turned noticeably cooler. Not long ago it genuinely felt like 'is this weather even livable for humans,' but once ipchu (the start of autumn on the lunar calendar) passed, it got cool and clear like magic. The big swing between day and night temperatures is a bit annoying, but I figure this too shall pass. Lately, so many friends have gotten engaged that I've had a string of wedding invitation gatherings and have been running around all over the place.

Sometimes I get handed a wedding invitation quietly, in a place like this.

(The owner of this particular invitation has already had their wedding. They seem to be enjoying their honeymoon now, which is a relief.)

Around the neighborhood I often see people walking their pets like this, and it looks like such a peaceful, sweet everyday life — I'm a little jealous. I'd like to raise a pet myself someday, but I don't trust myself to take full responsibility and raise one properly, so I haven't.

During the stretch when I wasn't posting, I went to places like this that were pretty active,

and I also ended up at this interesting place. (People in the know probably already recognize this one, so I'll be putting up a post about it soon.)

Sorting through the photos, it kind of looks like I've just been living a pretty uneventful life. By the way, I've had a lot of reasons to go to the Konkuk University and Gunja area lately, and there's one place I stopped by that I thought I'd introduce on the blog.

A wait even at weekday lunch: why a Naver booking pays off at Mentsuru

Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch was surprisingly busy even for a weekday lunch, with an actual waiting line. I'd booked ahead through Naver Reservation, so I walked straight in without waiting, but if you're thinking of visiting, it looks worth reserving in advance.

Mentsuru menu and prices: what does a bowl cost?

At Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch, shoyu ramen, spicy shoyu ramen, and shio ramen are each ₩11,000, and tori paitan runs about ₩12,000. Sides are in the ₩5,000–7,000 range, and with any ramen order you can add as much tamago or chashu as you like.

• Shoyu ramen ₩11,000
• Spicy shoyu ramen ₩11,000
• Shio ramen ₩11,000
• Tori paitan ₩12,000
• Motsu ramen ₩15,000
• Abura soba ₩12,000
• Hormone-don (daechang rice bowl) ₩15,000
• Gyudon ₩11,000
• Fried gyoza (8pc) ₩5,000
• Handmade chicken karaage ₩7,000
• Takoyaki (5pc) ₩5,000

On the day we visited, tori paitan was sold out, so we ordered shoyu ramen and shio ramen instead.

You can even add extra orders while seated, like this.

Shoyu ramen and shio ramen with extra tamago piled on

Shoyu ramen with a heap of extra tamago

And this is the shio ramen, also loaded with extra tamago (...)

Shoyu ramen or shio ramen at Mentsuru: which was better?

Mentsuru's ramen isn't especially standout in flavor, but it's a great spot for a simple, satisfying meal. Sharing both, I felt the shoyu ramen was the more satisfying dish compared to the shio. The chashu was soft, and despite being thin, it had a bit more texture than expected — not bad at all.

To my taste the broth leaned a little bland rather than salty, though the friend I was with liked that it felt just right. I'd actually come hoping to try the tori paitan, so it was a bit of a letdown to miss out, but even so, this was more than enough to fill up on. On top of that, the food comes out really fast, so it seems like a great option when you need to eat quickly.

The staff were also friendly and the service quality was solid, so overall I left satisfied with the meal. If you're out and about nearby or want a Konkuk University date lunch, it looks like a good, easy place to grab a bite. Of course, self-proclaimed ramen connoisseurs (라오타) might find it a little lacking, but for the average person, it's a restaurant where you can eat well and leave satisfied.

Next time I should start catching up on my backlog of dining reviews. (I've taken tons of photos at places like Ramant Secret and Dalmaji Barbecue's outdoor seating, thinking I should write them up as proper reviews — but that thought alone became weirdly pressuring. So I figured I'd use AI to help write them, except the result never had the flavor of writing I actually want, so I kept putting it off, telling myself I'd write it later when I had time. And that 'later' turned into never, and my blog basically died again...)