Euljiro ramen restaurant, three dishes on a weekday evening: Mentsuru

A genuine Euljiro ramen spot. Here's my review after waiting and demolishing three menu items at Mentsuru!

Where is Mentsuru Euljiro Branch, and how do you order?

Mentsuru Euljiro Branch is located in Euljiro, tucked inside the Euljiro food alley, so it's not hard to find!

The menu looked like this. True to a ramen specialty spot, they had a wide variety of ramen on offer. You order yourself at the kiosk by the entrance!

How long is the weekday evening wait? Bar seats and table seats

Mentsuru Euljiro Branch has bar seats that are convenient for solo diners, plus table seats for a cozy meal with company! For reference, I visited on a weekday evening and it was busy enough that I had a short wait..!

There were also a lot of foreign visitors. But luckily, the dishes don't take long to come out and don't take long to eat either, so even with a wait, the fast turnover means you get in quickly..!

What we ordered: abura soba, tori paitan, and handmade karaage. The visuals were insane. Wow.

Tori paitan: a pale broth with deep chicken flavor

First up, tori paitan! A milky-white broth made by simmering chicken bones for a long time. I ordered it because I couldn't quite imagine what it would taste like.

Wow, the broth was clean and deep, and it was insanely delicious. Even though it's a white broth, the umami was no joke..! I actually tend to prefer heavy, rich broths, so I worried a white broth might be bland and light, but that was totally wrong.. It's a legendarily rich broth. The noodles had that distinctive chewy, springy texture of Japanese somen, which I loved.

Abura soba: loaded with meat toppings and a bold sauce

Abura soba. Honestly, I could say I came here just for this. It was my first time trying abura soba, so I was so nervous, phew. Even before tasting it, just the look of it was exactly my type. There's no way it could taste bad with a look like that.

So what happens when you mix all these ingredients together properly?

The ultra-delicious abura soba was complete! There was a generous amount of meat toppings, and the noodles were thick with a great chewy texture. The sauce was pretty intense, so some people mix in rice with it, but we didn't have rice this time..! Next time I'll finish it off with rice too. Anyway, both the thinly sliced meat and the finely diced meat that came with it were delicious — not tough at all and no gamey smell. If you want more protein than ramen alone gives you, I highly recommend the abura soba!

Handmade karaage: chicken thigh with a distinctive tartar sauce

Handmade karaage (fried chicken). They say it's made only with chicken thigh meat! You can tell just by looking that it's crispy outside, tender inside, right?

Oh, this was so good. The batter was seasoned just right, and the chicken thigh meat inside was super moist and tender! Perfect as a side dish to eat alongside the ramen.

In particular, that white tartar sauce served alongside it had a distinctive flavor I hadn't tasted anywhere else..! It had kind of a spice note to it, and rather than being off-putting, it made it feel like eating a special kind of karaage, which I actually liked a lot. I'm totally a fan! If you want to try a karaage that's different from anywhere else, I recommend ordering it.

Is Mentsuru Euljiro Branch worth it for Euljiro ramen?

An incredibly satisfying dinner completed at a Euljiro ramen restaurant! Mentsuru Euljiro Branch has a great location for visiting, plus excellent food quality! If you're looking for Euljiro ramen, abura soba, or a great Japanese restaurant, I highly recommend Mentsuru Euljiro Branch!