Solo-dining ramen restaurant near Ttukseom Station: Menya Pomo

Tomato ramen is really having a moment on social media lately. I'd been curious about it for a while, so I searched hard for a good tomato ramen place near home.

Turns out there's a ramen restaurant near Ttukseom Station with all kinds of tomato ramen — Menya Pomo Seoul Forest Branch — so I hurried over haha.

Where is Menya Pomo Seoul Forest Branch, and is it good for eating alone?

Menya Pomo Seoul Forest Branch is a ramen restaurant on the 2nd floor of 28 Seoul Forest 4-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul. Walking up to the 2nd floor and stepping inside, the interior was really clean and had a great vibe.

They've got everything from bar seats that are easy for solo dining to tables for groups, so it seems like a great spot whether you're eating alone or on a date.

Which tomato ramen bowls are on the menu?

The menu at Menya Pomo Seoul Forest Branch had all sorts of interesting options beyond the basic tomato ramen — Indian tomato ramen, tom yum tomato ramen, you name it.

I was starving when I got there haha, and craving something spicy-sweet with broth, so I went straight for the tantan tomato ramen without a second thought. I ordered it at spice level 1, which is supposedly about as spicy as Shin Ramyun. While I waited, I looked around the restaurant and could really tell the owner had a great eye for detail.

Is the rice really free at the self-serve bar?

At Menya Pomo Seoul Forest Branch, you grab water and side dishes yourself from a self-serve bar — and not only did they have crunchy cabbage pickles, they gave out rice for free too.

As someone who loves mixing rice into ramen broth, this was such a welcome surprise haha.

On top of that, they even had hair ties on hand so you could tie your hair back comfortably while eating — such a thoughtful touch.

And since I wanted something cold and fizzy, I also ordered the zero-calorie apple cider vinegar sparkling water. So many people drink apple cider vinegar these days for blood sugar management or general health.

It was refreshingly fizzy without any calorie guilt, which made it a great match with the ramen.

How do the tantan tomato ramen and Korean beef cutlet taste?

The long-awaited tantan tomato ramen finally arrived, and just from the look of the broth, there was no way it wasn't going to be delicious.

I love adding cilantro to ramen, so I got the free cilantro topping, and rounded things out with cheese risotto to mix into the broth later plus a Korean beef cutlet on the side.

I tried the Korean beef cutlet side dish first, and you could really see the grain of the meat haha. The outside was pleasantly crispy, and the beef inside pulled apart along its grain, bursting with rich, savory juices in every bite!

The beef cutlet was so good that I ended up devouring it before even touching the ramen lol.

Then I piled cilantro onto the main dish, the tantan tomato ramen, and took my first sip of broth. The umami-rich sweet-and-sour flavor of well-ripened tomatoes blended perfectly with the nutty peanut notes and spicy chili oil that tantan noodles are known for.

The bright, savory tang of tomato combined with the nutty, spicy flavor of tantan noodles made the broth absolutely incredible. It was rich but the aftertaste was clean rather than heavy, so it felt soothing with every sip — an insanely good broth!

The noodles were also very soft and slurped down easily, and dipping the meat toppings and soft-boiled egg into the broth made the whole thing so satisfying.

Finishing the meal with cheese risotto

Once I'd finished all the noodles, I added the cheese risotto into the leftover broth.

The cheese's savoriness blended with the tomato broth and transformed into an amazing risotto — you absolutely have to try this lol. I ended up scraping the bowl clean without leaving a single drop of broth.

This was my first time trying tomato ramen, and it exceeded my expectations — so perfect and delicious that I was completely satisfied haha.

Next time, I'm planning to come back for the tom yum tomato ramen I didn't get to try this time.

If you're looking for a great ramen restaurant near Ttukseom Station, definitely check out Menya Pomo Seoul Forest Branch :-)