Japanese restaurant in Songpa: mild mentaiko butter udon, Gomemui

When you go shopping with the kids on a weekend, the hardest part is deciding what to eat, right? I visit Gardenfive a lot, so I've eaten here more times than I can count. Gomemui Hyundai Gardenfive, where I went this time, was comfortable and the food was tasty, so I was really happy with it. 🤍

And on a weekend, too! I couldn't believe I could eat this unhurried. Let me introduce it to anyone looking for a good place to eat at Gardenfive.

Where is Gomemui Hyundai Gardenfive, and what's the atmosphere like?

Gomemui Hyundai Gardenfive is in the basement of Hyundai City Mall Outlet at Gardenfive.

Walk further in and you'll see the restaurant. Maybe because it's new, it was really clean!

Above all, I loved how big and comfortable it is. I visit and eat at Gardenfive NC a lot too, but it had been a while since I found a place where I could eat this easily on a weekend. When you eat with kids, the spacing between tables and the overall mood matter, right? Gomemui has plenty of room, so it never felt crowded.

Another thing I liked was the open kitchen! You can see the cooking area, which makes it feel even more trustworthy. Everything felt neatly kept, so it passed the first-impression test. 👍

How do you order?

You order on the pad at your table. You can browse the menu and order without calling over a staff member, which was convenient. We ordered three dishes in total!

• Mentaiko butter udon (spicy pollock roe and butter noodles)
• Sirloin katsu (breaded pork cutlet)
• Cold soba (chilled buckwheat noodles)

Since we were eating with the kids, I picked a variety of dishes. The food also came out faster than I expected, which was nice.

Is the mentaiko butter udon mild enough for kids?

The dish I was most curious about this time was the mentaiko butter udon! I eat udon often, but I wondered how the mentaiko and butter combination would taste. It looks appetizing right away, doesn't it?

It's a warm mixed udon, where you stir everything together. One bite and the savory umami of the mentaiko blended really well with the nutty richness of the butter. 😋 The sauce coated the noodles nicely, too. And it wasn't as intense or spicy as I expected, so the kids ate it well.

Because the udon is hot, the mentaiko cooks slightly, which felt gentler for a child. It's still a little salty, of course, but overall it was soft and nutty, which I liked. Personally, it's the dish I'd recommend most out of what we ordered! I'd order the mentaiko butter udon again next time. 🤍

How thick is Gomemui's sirloin katsu?

And then the sirloin katsu! Seriously, look at the thickness of this meat. 😳

Look at the cross-section of the sirloin katsu. The meat is really thick, isn't it? It looks completely different from thin tonkatsu. It's crispy outside and juicy inside, with a great bite. The coating isn't overly thick either, so you can enjoy the flavor of the meat itself. It's an easy dish to share with kids, so I was happy with it. If you're deciding on a tonkatsu dish at Gardenfive, I recommend the sirloin katsu.

What goes well with cold soba?

Last was the cold soba! After the rich, savory dishes, the cool soba was the perfect match. Chilled broth and chewy noodles!

It cleanses your palate, so I really enjoyed it. If you order the mentaiko butter udon and the sirloin katsu, I recommend adding cold soba to the combination. haha

Overall verdict on Gomemui Hyundai Gardenfive

The food at Gomemui Hyundai Gardenfive was good, but above all I loved the spacious, comfortable atmosphere. Gardenfive on weekends can be crowded and chaotic when eating, but Gomemui let us eat at an unhurried pace.

• Spacious, clean dining room
• Reassuring open kitchen
• Easy table pad ordering
• Quick food service
• Menu that works well for eating with kids

In particular, the mentaiko butter udon is nutty with great umami, so I hope you'll try it at least once. If you're looking for a good place to eat at Gardenfive, especially somewhere to eat after shopping with kids, I recommend Gomemui Hyundai Gardenfive! I plan to go back next time. 😊