Gangnam Station ramen for a cold: coriander-loaded broth refill, Oreno

Oreno Ramen is a great spot for a solo meal in Gangnam. At Oreno Ramen Gangnam, known for its deep, rich chicken-broth ramen, I had a really enjoyable meal ^_^

Where is Oreno Ramen Gangnam, and what's on the menu?

Oreno Ramen Gangnam is a 5-minute walk from Exit 11 of Gangnam Station. It's said to be the first ramen shop in Korea to be listed in the Michelin guide! There are really only two main dishes, so you can tell they're serious about ramen.

Climb the stairs to the 2nd floor and you'll find Oreno Ramen Gangnam. You order everything at a kiosk by the entrance and then take a seat, so you may wait a moment near the door, but you'll get in quickly, just so you know!

There are just two menu items: tori paitan, the mild, light-broth ramen, and kara paitan, the spicy ramen with a red broth. Japanese ramen usually makes people think of tonkotsu (pork bone) first, but Oreno Ramen's chicken-broth paitan is impressively light and clean.

Free refills and side dishes at Oreno Ramen Gangnam

Oreno Ramen Gangnam lets you refill noodles, broth, rice and kimchi for free, which makes it a great-value lunch spot near Gangnam Station. There's a container of danmuji (pickled yellow radish) on the table to help yourself, cold green tea is available, and the drawer at the side of the table holds chopsticks and wet wipes!

Pickles, kimchi, ginger and coriander come as side dishes. I love that adding coriander to your ramen is a free option haha. The cola comes in a small size with a cup of ice, so nice!!

Kara paitan and tori paitan: how much is an extra egg?

Every ramen at Oreno Ramen comes with one soft-boiled egg, and for ₩1,000 you can add one more. I ordered the kara paitan, the spicy-broth ramen. At a glance you might think the broth isn't red, but under the heap of foam on top it's full of red broth, which is fun to see. The extra egg was great too!!!

The regular tori paitan clearly has a white broth. I added a ₩1,000 soft-boiled egg to the tori paitan as well.

With a bowl of ramen in front of each of us, time to dig in!!

How do the chicken broth, noodles and sous-vide chicken breast taste?

Maybe because Oreno Ramen's paitan broth isn't pork-based like tonkotsu ramen, it isn't greasy at all, and you can taste the savory depth of the chicken broth. The thin noodles are boiled to a nice chewy texture, so it's easy to enjoy.

The chicken in the ramen is sous-vide chicken breast, so even people who normally don't like chicken breast would probably enjoy its tender texture. And with the extra egg, you get two eggs! hahaha

Is kara paitan good as a hangover ramen?

The kara paitan broth definitely has a spicy kick and a pleasantly fiery feel. I think it would work as a hangover ramen too haha

Tender sous-vide chicken breast plus a moist soft-boiled egg: Oreno Ramen is a really tasty spot for a solo meal at Gangnam Station.

The noodles are soft yet chewy, and the sous-vide chicken breast is so tender you could eat it without teeth, which is its charm.

Sous-vide chicken breast and a soft-boiled egg in the spicy broth make Oreno Ramen's kara paitan really delicious.

Shredded wood ear mushrooms with their appealing chewy texture, plus green onions, make it even tastier.

For a cold: refill the broth and load it with coriander

The broth refill is free at Oreno Ramen Gangnam, so since I had a bit of a cold, I downed the broth, then got a refill and packed it with coriander. That turned it into an exotic-tasting bowl, which makes Oreno Ramen a fun ramen spot near Gangnam Station. Next time I visit, I'm going to eat more delicious ramen!!!!

• Name: Oreno Ramen Gangnam (오레노라멘 강남점)
• Address: 2F, 28-9 Teheran-ro 1-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:00–20:30