Friday dinner with a 5-year-old at an Incheon ramen shop: Menya Seoul

After work on Friday, I went to Lotte Department Store Incheon with my husband and our 5-year-old son. The main goal of this trip was to buy a Micro Kickboard scooter for our son, but by the time we finished browsing the store, it was already dinnertime. Since we'd come straight from work and then gone shopping on top of that, everyone was hungry, so we looked for somewhere to eat inside the department store.

That's how we ended up at Menya Seoul, a restaurant specializing in dongpo pork char siu ramen. My husband and I ordered spicy ramen, and picked a mild side for our son, so the whole family could enjoy dinner comfortably.

Where Menya Seoul is inside Lotte Department Store Incheon

Menya Seoul Lotte Department Store Incheon Branch is great for eating right in the middle of a shopping trip inside the department store.

You don't need to drive anywhere separately, and you can go right back to shopping after you finish eating, which made it convenient to visit with a child. It also suits families like us who stopped by after work to grocery shop or buy kids' items and needed to handle dinner too. It was a Friday afternoon so it wasn't exactly empty, but the menu was laid out clearly, which made it easy to compare and order what we wanted.

Ordering two spicy ramen sets: jambon char siu and dongpo pork char siu

At Menya Seoul, you can choose your meat topping between dongpo pork and jambon. The broth is also divided into mild, spicy, and mala, so you can pick according to your taste. My husband ordered the spicy jambon char siu ramen, and I ordered the spicy dongpo pork char siu ramen. We both chose the set instead of the à la carte option, and matched our drinks with cola.

Ordering the set menu lets you pick a side dish and a drink along with the ramen, making the meal much more filling than the à la carte option. If you're worried the ramen alone won't be enough when looking for a restaurant at Lotte Department Store Incheon, going for the set could be a good idea.

The spicy jambon char siu ramen my husband ordered

The spicy jambon char siu ramen my husband picked came topped with thin, wide slices of jambon. It looked noticeably different right off the bat from ramen with the usual thick char siu. The tender jambon was easy to eat with the noodles, and the spicy broth kept it from feeling greasy all the way to the end. If you prefer a kick over a mild broth and like softer meat toppings, the spicy jambon char siu ramen would suit you well.

How generous the spicy dongpo pork char siu ramen was

What I ordered was the spicy dongpo pork char siu ramen. Big chunks of dongpo pork sat on top of the ramen, and it looked hearty just from the sight of it.

The dongpo pork was thick and tender, so it held its own well alongside the noodles. With the rich broth and its spicy kick, it felt like it melted away some of the fatigue built up after a Friday of work. If you like ramen loaded with big chunks of meat, I'd recommend the dongpo pork char siu ramen over the jambon.

Comparing bites of my husband's dish with mine, the jambon had a soft, clean appeal, while the dongpo pork had a heavier, more filling character. Even though we ordered the same spicy broth, the vibe changed depending on the meat, which made it easy to pick based on personal preference.

The sides our 5-year-old actually ate at Menya Seoul

Since we were eating with our five-year-old son, what he'd eat mattered too. We chose karaage (Japanese-style fried chicken) and the sweet soy chicken rice bowl as our set sides. Since we ordered our ramen spicy, we gave our son the non-spicy side. The karaage was easy to eat in bite-sized pieces and simple to cut up for him. In particular, thanks to its sweet, salty soy sauce seasoning, the sweet soy chicken rice bowl went down really well with our son, with zero resistance. When you visit a ramen restaurant with kids, it can be a struggle figuring out what to feed them because of the spicy broth.

Menya Seoul has kid-friendly side options like karaage and chicken rice bowl, which made picking a family dinner menu easy. My husband and I ate spicy ramen while our son had the chicken rice bowl and karaage, so everyone could enjoy the meal according to their own taste.

Is the Menya Seoul set menu filling enough for dinner?

With ramen, a side, and cola all coming together, it was plenty filling for a dinner. My husband and I each ate the ramen we liked, and shared the side dishes with our son, so the three of us got to try a variety of things. Being inside the department store, where you can handle shopping and dining in one place regardless of the weather, is also a plus for families visiting with kids.

Especially for families like us who visited Lotte Department Store Incheon after work on a Friday to buy things for our kid and then needed to eat dinner too, this is a restaurant with a convenient flow inside the mall. If you're craving ramen with tender jambon or generous dongpo pork in a spicy broth, and need a side to share with your kid too, Menya Seoul could be worth a visit.

The Coca-Cola keycaps that came with our set order

They're currently running a promotion giving out Coca-Cola keycaps with set menu orders, so since we ordered two sets, we got two keycaps. Our son loved them so much that it turned into a fun little event, just as enjoyable as the meal itself. My husband and I got to enjoy each other's different flavors, spicy jambon char siu ramen for him and spicy dongpo pork char siu ramen for me, and our five-year-old ate his karaage and sweet soy chicken rice bowl well too, so the whole family finished the meal satisfied.

If you're shopping at Lotte Department Store Incheon and looking for a simple but hearty dinner, I'd recommend Menya Seoul's ramen sets.

Menya Seoul Lotte Department Store Incheon Branch: hours, parking and address

• Address: B1 food court, Lotte Department Store Incheon, 35 Yeonnam-ro, Michuhol-gu, Incheon, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 10:30–20:00 (not open on department store holidays, so check before visiting)
• Parking: Lotte Department Store Incheon parking lot available, free parking depending on purchase amount