Gwangjin ramen restaurant for spicy shio ramen: Mentsuru

Ramen near Children’s Grand Park Station on a rainy day

Today, thanks to Super Members! I came out for ramen! I get ramen cravings sometimes, and this rainy, overcast day is just perfect for it!

Come out of Exit 3 at Children’s Grand Park Station, cross the street, and it’s right there! It seems perfect for eating alone!

Beer is discounted late at night too... hot tip! 🤗🤗🤗

First, a gulp of beer!! Ahhh!!

I ordered ramen and gyudon (Japanese beef rice bowl)!!

Ta-da!! The menu is below!!

Spicy shio ramen and gyudon

Gyudon is delicious whenever you eat it! This time, I tried ordering the shio ramen in its spicy version!!

This is the gyudon!!

So good!! If you love ramen, you may have heard the saying, “Ramen is science and devotion,” at least once! The heart of ramen is undeniably the broth (soup). When pork bones are used, as in tonkotsu, they are boiled furiously for more than 10 hours in an intense battle with the heat, emulsifying the collagen from the bones into a milky broth.

On the other hand, making a clear chingtang-style broth means controlling the temperature precisely to draw out only a clean flavor without any off smell. A whole day in the kitchen is basically melted into one bowl of soup.

Then there is the noodle thickness and cooking time—degrees of firmness such as katame and barikata—which completely change the bite and how much broth the noodles hold. The real charm of ramen is calculating even the blend of tare, the seasoning sauce at the bottom of the bowl, and a drop of aromatic oil that really boosts the flavor. It is not just noodles you slurp down; it is a finished dish intricately woven from a chef’s dedication and know-how :)

I love traveling in Japan, so I sometimes go on running trips there... and I eat Ichiran ramen every time, you know? But honestly... I think the flavor is pretty much on par, haha. Ramen that pops into my mind now and then!!

Mentsuru Children’s Grand Park Branch’s strong point is the bottled beer, I think! It gives you that Asahi feeling! I love starting with a bottle!! The spicy version is a little hotter than Shin Ramyun!!

A dachi-style ramen spot that is great for solo dining

It is right in front of Exit 4 at Children’s Grand Park Station, so it is a ramen spot you can dash to as soon as you come out of the subway! Inside, it is cozy and mostly set up with dachi-style bar tables, making it totally ideal for a quiet solo meal near Konkuk University or Sejong University, or for enjoying a drink alone with a cold draft beer after work. There is an ordering tablet at every seat, so it is really easy to take your time looking through the menu and choosing.

Location: 394 Gwangnaru-ro, 1st floor, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, South Korea (서울 광진구 광나루로 394 1층) — the station-area location makes it super accessible! Hours: Open daily from 11:00 to 21:30, so it is great for a filling meal at either lunch or dinner.

Recommended menu items introduced in the original post

• The spicy motsu ramen, packed with rich, chewy beef small intestine, is a real specialty!
• The tori paitan, with chicken broth simmered for a long time until it is milky and deeply flavored, is hugely popular too!
• You cannot go wrong with salty tsukemen (dipping ramen) tailored to your taste, or hormon-don, a rice bowl of grilled beef offal full of smoky flavor. 🤭
• Add crispy house-made karaage (Japanese fried chicken) on the side, and the combination is truly perfect.

They use fresh noodles that are not fried, so they are wonderfully chewy and springy, while the broth is rich and deeply flavorful—one bite and your fatigue just melts away. If you are a ramen lover, this is definitely an authentic ramen gem you have to visit!

Before or after a trip to Children’s Grand Park

Oh! Children’s Grand Park is right in front of here, so it is great to stop by after coming out to play! Children’s Grand Park is a representative urban healing park, bringing together a zoo, botanical garden, amusement park, and broad walking paths! It is open every day from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., and admission is free, so it is totally perfect for a light walk or picnic. It really is a lovely outing spot to wander around before or after your meal and enjoy a little downtime!