Seoul Forest ramen restaurant, cheese rice and tonkatsu: Menya Pomo

On the way to Seongsu-dong I stopped by Menya Pomo (멘야포모), a Japanese-style ramen restaurant and a great find in Seoul Forest. Tantan hanwoo (Korean beef) cutlet ramen made with domestic female hanwoo — just how rich was the broth? Here's my review of a ramen spot that's perfect for a Seoul Forest date.

A Seoul Forest ramen restaurant before exploring Seongsu-dong

That day I had to select our wedding photos nearby, so since we were going anyway, my husband and I wanted to look around Seongsu-dong and Seoul Forest and eat something good, and we visited Menya Pomo. It had been ages since I'd had ramen, and I was really craving a rich bowl. I found it while searching for restaurants near Ttukseom Station, so my expectations were high.

The restaurant is on the 2nd floor, and inside it was really spacious, and with the wood-toned interior it didn't feel like a ramen shop at all — it was so pretty. The moment I saw it, I thought it was a really good spot for a Seoul Forest date. It was the first ramen place with this nice an atmosphere I'd found near Ttukseom Station. We went around 2 p.m. on a Sunday, and at first there was nobody, so I wondered if lunch was over, but while we were eating it suddenly got busy.

The tantan hanwoo cutlet ramen and tonkatsu we ordered

Even though it's a Japanese-style ramen specialist, the range of ramen and side menus was much wider than I expected, so choosing was fun.

• Tantan hanwoo cutlet ramen set (spice level 1, cheese rice option) — ₩22,000
• Tonkatsu set meal — ₩13,800
• Giant fried shrimp (side) — ₩4,500

We ordered the tantan hanwoo cutlet ramen set as our main, plus the tonkatsu set meal for my husband, who is a tonkatsu fanatic.

While the food was coming, I went to the self-serve bar and brought back water and house-made cabbage pickles. Rice is free too, so even people who order only ramen can eat their fill.

Hanwoo cutlet ramen with rich broth and cheese rice on the side

The tantan hanwoo cutlet ramen set comes with the cheese rice I chose and karaage. You can pick the side as an option.

The ramen had the hanwoo cutlet, a soft-boiled egg and lots of minced meat, and the broth looked really rich just from looking at it. The ramen noodles were cooked nice and springy, and there was a slight hint of tomato, but it wasn't heavy at all.

The hanwoo cutlet was really thick yet so tender that it looked good for kids to eat too. It said they use only domestic female hanwoo. Maybe it tasted even better because it's domestic haha

The cheese rice was completely covered in cheese, with garlic flakes inside. It's tasty on its own, but eaten with the ramen broth, the cheese aroma, the garlic aroma and the broth came together and it was so much better. The chicken karaage was tender too, with no gamey smell.

Crispy tonkatsu set meal and giant fried shrimp

The tonkatsu set meal came with rice and a tomato soup.

The tonkatsu was neither too thin nor too thick — just right — and crispy with no chewy bits. As you'd expect from a Ttukseom Station favorite, you could feel the care even in a single tonkatsu.

Under the tonkatsu there was a huge heap of cabbage salad, so for us — we love cabbage salad and always get refills — it was plenty even without a refill (there was much more than the photo shows).

Whenever it started to feel heavy, eating it with the tomato or the salad-type side dishes, or with the tomato soup, brought my appetite right back with that tangy taste haha

The giant fried shrimp we ordered as a side was totally crispy too, so we could eat it all the way to the head, and the shrimp was big, so the shrimp flavor really came through.

It was enough for two big eaters to walk out full. The line-up was solid for the price, so I felt it's on the good-value side even among Ttukseom Station restaurants. There's a receipt review event and a KakaoMap review event too, so if you have time, join in and get something extra tasty, yay~

Why I'd come back for a Seoul Forest date

If you're looking for a good restaurant on a Seongsu-dong date or a visit to Seoul Forest, give Menya Pomo a try. Among Ttukseom Station restaurants, on a day you want rich ramen, this was just the place. Rice is free, and the side menu line-up is solid, so I already want to come back.