Abura soba with spoon-served onion at Mentsuru, Gwangjin ramen shop

This week too, Poksu and I went on another Seoul outing, and after thoroughly exploring the agricultural expo, I could feel Poksu's carb-loving energy fading fast... So while brainstorming what to eat for dinner to recharge, I found a Konkuk-area favorite right by Children's Grand Park Station and decided to grab a simple bowl of ramen before heading home.

Where is Mentsuru, the ramen restaurant by Children's Grand Park Station, and what are its hours?

Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch is less than a minute's walk from Children's Grand Park Station, and it's open from 11:00 to 23:00. Open every day of the year with no break time, this Konkuk-area favorite is great to visit whenever you like, lunch or dinner. There's no dedicated parking lot, but if you're driving, Gwangjin Gwangyang Public Parking Lot is nearby 😊

Inside Mentsuru: a clean Japanese-style room, and can you eat alone?

When we visited there were already quite a few customers. Being close to both Sejong University and Konkuk University, it seemed like a popular spot for Konkuk-area lunch dates, and nearby office workers also seemed to drop in often for lunch, dinner, or a casual drink.

There's a bit of that distinctly Japanese ramen-shop atmosphere, with plenty of seating and comfortable spacing between tables, making it a relaxed place to eat — I'd say it'd work well as a solo-dining spot for Sejong University students too.

Ordering is done at the table via tablet~~ There's a wide range of ramen, but also plenty of sake, highballs, and beer, so it's perfect for pairing a drink with your ramen at dinner haha.

If you're not sure which ramen to order, there are descriptions of each one written on the wall, which is handy for picking a menu.

Utensils, water, yuzu pickled radish, pepper, and napkins are all set out on the table, so just help yourself to as much as you need.

How fast does the food arrive at Mentsuru?

Whoa, the turnover here is something else. There were already a lot of customers, so I figured we'd have to wait a while for our food — but honestly, by the time we sat down, poured water, and set out the pickled radish, it was already out.

We ordered shoyu ramen (11,000 won) with a clam and chicken broth base, and abura soba (mixed ramen, 12,000 won) flavored with Mentsuru's own 5 signature oils, one of each, plus homemade karaage (7,000 won) as a side.

I originally thought about adding a spicy option, but since we're both total spice wimps, I figured we'd end up crying our eyes out over a self-inflicted challenge lol, so we left the spicy level alone and instead decided to share the homemade karaage.

Abura soba, 12,000 won: the onion served on a spoon

Mentsuru's abura soba has 5 signature oils soaked right into the noodles, giving them a glossy sheen, topped with a generous helping of minced meat, seaweed, scallions, and a poached egg — a mixed ramen that's genuinely fun to stir together.

Both ramen bowls came with onion placed on a spoon, which was such a fresh presentation I'd never seen before — apparently it's served separately so you can adjust the amount to your taste. I'm an onion lover, so I dumped the whole thing in and mixed it up haha.

As I started mixing everything together evenly, the oil sitting underneath rose up and released this intense savory aroma — it smelled so good I instantly wanted to shove a huge bite of abura soba into my mouth... ❤️

After mixing it well and taking a bite — wow, every single ingredient felt like a hit. Especially the seaweed, which had fully soaked up the signature oil and seasoning; eating it together with the slightly thickened noodles doubled the umami and depth of flavor.

The tender chashu in Mentsuru's abura soba

The chashu was another must-mention highlight — the fat and lean meat were so well balanced that you could taste the fat's distinctive savoriness alongside the lean meat's chew at the same time ❤️ That tender texture was insane, in the best way ❤️

The poached egg's yolk gently wrapped around the oil's flavor, which could easily have been too sharp or greasy, and turned the whole dish into something thick and savory — every single bite was packed with flavor. Personally, I feel like it'd taste even better with a spicy kick! Next time I'm 100000% coming back for the spicy version.

Shoyu ramen, 11,000 won: for a light, clean broth

Poksu ordered Mentsuru's signature shoyu ramen, and rather than the thick, heavy tonkotsu style, it leans toward a clean broth-forward flavor — I'd recommend it if you're after something light and mild!

The broth tasted a bit like beef bulgogi stock? It's soy sauce based but not salty, letting the natural flavor of the ingredients come through — clean with a subtle, pleasant umami.

The chashu came in big chunky pieces too, so eating it together with the noodles was seriously satisfying lol.

The chewy noodles, the crisp texture of the scallions, and the chashu melting softly in your mouth all came together in one bite in a way that made me want to keep eating. I guess a signature dish earns that title for a reason...

And since I'm an egg lover, Poksu gave up their soft-boiled egg for me — oh my god,,,, it was so damn good,,,,, ❤️ Dipping the soft egg lightly in the broth made it creamy and savory in perfect harmony with the stock — so good. When you're eating ramen, you have to add chashu and egg. If you skip it, you'll regret it like I almost did 🥹

Homemade karaage, 7,000 won: Mentsuru's chicken thigh side

And finally, the long-awaited highlight — a side dish that's anything but side-dish-quality: the homemade karaage. Fried to a golden brown, doesn't it look crispy just from the photo?

Since it's raw chicken thigh coated in batter and fried right after you order, the outside was crispy and the inside was pure juicy goodness! The tender, moist texture unique to chicken thigh really came through, and the more you chewed, the more the chicken's natural flavor shone.

Dipping it lightly in the accompanying sauce added a refreshing, mild mayo-based flavor on top of the freshly fried karaage's savory aroma, making it even more enjoyable.

Karaage really does need to be made from chicken thigh for that juicy quality lol. Each piece was a decent size too, so it was great to take turns eating a bite of ramen and a bite of karaage.

Even eaten on its own, the combination of the crispy batter and moist chicken was great, and dipping it in the sauce gave it a whole different flavor to enjoy — snacking on karaage in between bites of ramen made the whole meal even better haha.

Is Mentsuru worth it as dinner after a day out in Seoul?

After a filling lunch and some snacking before dinner, I wanted something simple rather than heavy, and this hit the spot — satisfyingly full without breaking the bank (though honestly Poksu ate about 1.5 servings lol) — Mentsuru, the ramen spot near Children's Grand Park Station.

A Seoul outing really isn't complete without ending on a good meal, right 😎 Thanks to Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch, this Konkuk-area favorite, our Seoul outing was once again super packed and fun ❤️