Bar-seat lemon-seaweed vinegar on chilled prawn ramen: Menya Seoul

Coming at you with a lunch or quick dinner recommendation for before catching a train or while browsing I'Park Mall! My go-to spot, Menya Seoul Yongsan I'Park Mall Branch! From the chilled giant prawn ramen I'd been eyeing on the summer seasonal menu to the spicy broth dongpo pork ramen I fell for the moment I tasted its kick — I devoured both properly this time. Here's the report, complete with the lemon-seaweed vinegar tip and umami so crazy good I emptied the broth clean!

Where is Menya Seoul Yongsan I'Park Mall Branch

Menya Seoul is a ramen restaurant on the 7th floor food court of Yongsan I'Park Mall. Since Yongsan Station is on the 3rd floor, if you've got some time before your train, I'd recommend coming up to I'Park Mall for something delicious instead of eating at the station.

Location & store

Menya Seoul is near Living Park, right around the escalator in the I'Park Mall food court.

Seating runs along two sides to the right of the counter. I visited around 6:30pm on a Friday and it was pretty crowded!

Best ramen to eat with Coca-Cola…? Not sure how it won that title, but the cola sure is tasty haha ~

Apparently it's their 1st anniversary! They're handing out thank-you coupons, so if you're grabbing lunch or a quick dinner at I'Park Mall, be sure to grab a free side-menu coupon too!

The menu board has numbers printed on it, and ordering by number is a bit faster. If you order a set, you choose one of three sides: crispy gyoza, karaage, or sweet soy chicken rice bowl.

Don't forget I'Park Mall points and parking. Got a buzzer and went off to find a seat.

The seats right next to the store were all full, so I thought about sitting at the nearby bar seat. If you need water, there's water provided by the food court.

Menya Seoul menu and how to order

The menu board has photos, which made choosing much easier. Pick your broth type, toppings, whether you want extra noodles, and set or à la carte, and your Menya Seoul order is done ~ not hard at all!

There's also a guide on how to order at Menya Seoul, worth checking out! Though honestly, just looking at the photo above might be the fastest way to pick ~ haha

Trying the chilled giant prawn ramen and spicy broth dongpo pork

Not long after moving to the empty bar seat next to the store, tonight's dinner arrived ~ ♥ Great colors, right ~ I'd had the regular broth before, but for the record, this time's cold ramen and spicy broth were even tastier ,,!!

Chilled giant prawn ramen, ₩12,900

The season was nearly over so the cold ramen wasn't even on the menu board anymore, but it looked so good last time that I asked for it anyway. Actually ,,!! This isn't my first time here — this is a Yongsan I'Park Mall ramen spot I'd already come to with my own money before.

Looking at it again, I totally get why I wanted to order it ★ The colors are gorgeous and it tastes just as good.

Giant prawn, seasoned soft-boiled egg, jambon (ham-like pork topping). Basically everything I love in one bowl ♥ I'm a huge soft-boiled egg lover, and it was cooked so perfectly ㅠㅜㅠㅠ The jambon wasn't tough at all, so tender, not too salty and delicious! You know that plump, big, crispy fried prawn texture? Anyway, every single thing on top was amazing ㅠㅜㅠ

The ramen noodles went really well with the salty broth. And wrapping it all up with a bite of jambon — that's happiness right there ♥

Why I moved to the bar seat: lemon-seaweed vinegar

The reason I moved to the bar seat by the store ★ It's because of this vinegar!! ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ It wasn't at the regular food court seats ㅠ Anyone who likes adding vinegar to naengmyeon (cold noodles)? Then you absolutely have to add this lemon-seaweed vinegar. It's seriously, seriously, seriously delicious ~ ♥ It gives that tangy cold-noodle feel with a Japanese touch, and it was so good ㅠㅠ Once summer's over the seasonal menu will end T,T I'm already looking forward to next summer ㅠㅠㅠ

Spicy broth dongpo pork set, ₩17,900

Spicy broth + dongpo pork topping + regular + set (rice bowl, zero-sugar cola). My husband's pick since he loves spicy food ~

After one sip of this broth I promised myself I'd order it next time ★ The broth is seriously incredible ; you have to try it. Like, it's spicy but rich at the same time, exactly the flavor Koreans love !!! It was totally my style, so I ended up finishing all the broth my husband left ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

The chashu was seriously melt-in-your-mouth tender ; just insane. Honestly the owner could run this as a standalone dongpo pork Chinese restaurant and make bank. This place nails the ramen broth but somehow also nails the meat ; chilled ramen in summer, spicy ramen in winter — this is genuinely a can't-go-wrong recommendation.

The mini karaage rice bowl we ordered as a side

This one's drizzled generously with sauce too, so it's full of umami. There's also gyoza and karaage on the side menu, but if you're thinking 'I want to fill up more,' this is highly recommended. The karaage was pretty plump too, good bite and tasty.

Genuinely such a delicious dinner tonight ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I finished off both my husband's broth and my own ^^ Ah, it was really that good.

Bussing is self-serve so my husband did that ~ ^^ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ The keyring girl hanging in front has a lot of questions haha. Came for a quick dinner and ended up enjoying a great meal at this Yongsan I'Park Mall ramen spot ㅎㅎ

To sum up

If you're looking for a can't-go-wrong ramen restaurant at Yongsan I'Park Mall, I highly, highly recommend Menya Seoul. The chilled giant prawn ramen, loaded with plump fried prawn, jambon, and a perfect soft-boiled egg, gets an explosion of tangy umami when you drizzle on the lemon-seaweed vinegar found at the bar seat. The spicy broth dongpo pork ramen, with its rich, spicy broth that any Korean would love paired with melt-in-your-mouth chashu, is insane! With I'Park Mall parking support, point earning, and right now a free 1st-anniversary thank-you coupon on top, anyone passing through Yongsan Station should definitely give it a try!

• If you're Korean, go for the spicy broth
• Chilled ramen recommended in summer
• Highly recommend adding the lemon-seaweed vinegar
• My go-to spot ♥