Gentle shio ramen for a sensitive stomach at Mentsuru, Gwangjin

30 seconds from Exit 4 of Children's Grand Park Station, why I picked Mentsuru

Today I went to a ramen restaurant called "Mentsuru," located 30 seconds from Exit 4 of Children's Grand Park Station 🍜

Honestly, I've been avoiding spicy or heavy food lately because of gastritis..😢 But suddenly I was craving good Japanese food so badly ㅜ So after a storm of searching with my boyfriend, we found 'Mentsuru' near Children's Grand Park Station!!

Walking into the restaurant, the first thing that caught my eye was of course the open kitchen 😲 Being able to watch the chefs cook right in front of you also gave me more confidence in the hygiene.

A U-shaped bar table that's comfortable for solo diners and couples

The seating was a U-shaped bar table plus a few tables for 2-4 people. We sat at a 4-person table, and each table had its own kiosk, which made ordering and paying super convenient. It felt like a layout that's easy whether you're dining solo or coming with a couple or friends like us. It seemed like most of the customers that day were eating alone. The front is blocked off with a wooden panel(?), so it looks great for enjoying a comfortable solo meal!!

Mentsuru's menu and our order combo

Since I was still on medication for gastritis that day..;;🙀 I tried to go for the least stimulating, most plain ramen I could. I wanted to try the shoyu ramen too.. but the shio ramen seemed clean and clear with a chicken-broth base, so I ordered the shio ramen ✅, and my boyfriend, who usually loves mazesoba, agonized between abura soba (mixed noodles) and hormone-don before finally landing on hormone-don ✅ 🤭

Ramen 🍜

• Spicy shoyu ramen 👑 - ₩11,000 · A clean, light clam-and-chicken broth ramen, recommended for hangovers
• Motsu ramen (beef intestine ramen) 👑 - ₩15,000 · A spicy hangover ramen loaded generously with beef intestine and beef brisket
• Shoyu ramen - ₩11,000 · A clean, light clam-and-chicken broth ramen
• Shio ramen - ₩11,000 · A chicken broth ramen seasoned with salt
• Tori paitan - ₩12,000 · A rich, thick ramen made by long-simmering chicken bones
• Abura soba (mixed noodles) - ₩12,000 · An oil-based ramen made with Mentsuru's own 5-ingredient secret oil blend (make sure to ask for the finishing rice to eat with it)

Rice bowls 🍱

• Hormone-don (grilled beef intestine rice bowl) - ₩15,000 · A special rice bowl using beef intestine and beef brisket with Mentsuru's own secret sauce
• Gyudon - ₩11,000 · A beef rice bowl using beef brisket with Mentsuru's special seasoning sauce

Sides 🥗

• Handmade karaage - ₩7,000 · Japanese-style fried chicken made by breading fresh chicken thigh meat right when ordered
• Chicken skin gyoza - ₩5,000
• Taco-yaki - ₩5,000

The ordering system was: order and pay right when you sit down! It was nice not having to deal with payment again on the way out bb

Two tips for visiting Mentsuru

Alrighttt, here come the visit tips!!!! ✨✨🤩🤩

Tip 1: Book on Naver Reservation and get free 'taco-yaki'

💡 I made a Naver Reservation before going to Mentsuru that day! If it's your first visit through Naver Reservation, you get a coupon for 4 pieces of taco-yaki for free!🥺💗💗

Even as a coupon item, doesn't this taco-yaki look amazing?? (Seriously, the color is insane;;🤤🤤 come into my mouth🫦) I'm actually a huge taco-yaki fanatic 🥵💦❤️‍🔥 The inside was moist and the outside crispy, and the bonito flakes piled on top were totally my thing.. Next time I come back, I think I'll order taco-yaki as a side too 👍 So even if it's a hassle, definitely make a Naver Reservation and grab your free taco-yaki! Highly recommend.

Tip 2: Get a 'drink or gyoza dumplings' through the receipt review event

Looking at the kiosk screen on the table, there was also a Naver review event going on. The method is really simple!

• Ask a staff member for your receipt.
• Log into Naver, verify the receipt, then write a thoughtful photo review. (Make sure to include a photo of the food!)
• Show the completed review to a staff member.

Doing this gets you a free drink (Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero, Sprite) or gyoza dumplings (fried dumplings). We had already gotten the taco-yaki, so we picked the drink, but next time I definitely want to try the gyoza dumplings haha.

An event this generous, it'd be a shame to miss it, right??😝

On the table there was Japanese pepper and pickled radish you could add to your taste. The pickled radish had a subtle yuzu scent 🍊, which was great for cleansing your palate between bites of ramen and hormone-don 👍

Shio ramen that was gentle on my gastritis (₩11,000)

First up is the shio ramen (salt ramen) I ordered 😃

Thinly sliced chashu covered the clear broth generously, topped with a soft-boiled egg (ajitama), menma (fermented bamboo shoots), and finely chopped scallions. As the staff explained, shio ramen is made by simmering chicken broth deeply and then seasoning it with salt.

Exactly clean and refreshing. The salt seasoning wasn't overdone and was just right, so it went down easily without stressing my stomach. The chashu was tender, and the noodles were chewy and paired well with the broth. I was worried because of my gastritis, but I felt totally fine.😮‍💨

My boyfriend's pick, hormone-don (₩15,000)

My boyfriend's hormone-don arrived too——!

He said this menu is his best haha. To borrow his review, there was zero funky smell or fishiness from the beef intestine, and it wasn't too chewy, grilled just right so the texture was excellent.

He especially doesn't like the texture of raw onion or raw vegetables, but here the crunchiness of the vegetables cut through the richness of the beef intestine really well, so it didn't bother him at all — he actually liked it.

And he said the real trick is putting thinly sliced cheongyang peppers and a little wasabi on top right before eating 🌟 he said the spiciness of the cheongyang pepper and the sharp nose-tingling kick of the wasabi perfectly cut through the richness of the beef intestine haha. But it wasn't too spicy either, just the perfect meal, and he said if we come back he'll definitely order hormone-don again.!!

Overall verdict ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Being 30 seconds from Children's Grand Park Station made it easy to get to, and the cozy atmosphere didn't feel awkward for solo diners. Thanks to the clean shio ramen and the perfectly non-greasy hormone-don, it was a meal we were both very happy with.

The Naver Reservation taco-yaki and the review event perks are a nice bonus too, so I'd recommend stopping by as a date course around Children's Grand Park or Konkuk University 😉👍