Ramen lunch date by Children's Grand Park: fully topped shio, Mentsuru

Deep but mild shio ramen broth, gyudon (beef rice bowl) loaded with tender meat, and crispy-outside, juicy-inside karaage (Japanese fried chicken), all in one place near Children's Grand Park: Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch!

Where is Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch, and what are its hours?

Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch is at 394 Gwangnaru-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, on the first floor, 57m from Exit 4 of Children's Grand Park Station. It's open daily 11:00-21:30, with last order at 21:00.

It's a one-minute walk from Exit 4, right next to the KFC building, so it's easy to find~ It's good for a quick meal for Konkuk or Sejong University students and also great for couples on a date, so go check it out~

No break time: is it still busy at off-hours?

There's no break time, so you can come any time! It's such a popular spot that we deliberately went at an awkward hour!! And still there were quite a few people, and more kept coming in after us?? I guess people come at all hours for this crazy-good ramen.

Solo, date and group seating, plus the restroom

There's a long row of bar seats and separate table seats, so it's perfect for eating alone without feeling awkward, and also great for couples on a date or a group.

The restroom is inside too!! It's kept clean, so feel free to use it ⁽⁽ପ( •ु﹃ •ु) .⑅*♡

There are ramen pictures with descriptions, and somehow they look even tastier, haha. Next time I have to try the motsu ramen (offal ramen). Beef intestine ramen..! Doesn't it sound rich and hearty and so good~

How to order at Mentsuru, and what we ordered with prices

You order at the kiosk to the left as you walk in, or on the tablet at your seat!! It looks like every seat except the bar has a tablet, so grab a seat first and order at ease. There are many kinds of ramen and sides, so order to your taste~ It'd feel great with a drink in the evening too, haha.

• Shio ramen ₩11,000
• + extra pork-belly chashu ₩2,500
• + extra noodles ₩1,500
• + extra egg ₩1,000
• Gyudon ₩11,000
• Handmade chicken karaage ₩7,000
• Drinks ₩2,000 × 2

At the seats there's yuzu pickled radish and black pepper. Eating the yuzu radish between bites of ramen is clean and refreshing. Sprinkling pepper on the ramen is pretty great too??

Here come the ramen, gyudon and karaage~ Don't they look so tempting?? With extra chashu, noodles and egg, the ramen is a full two servings, lol. The karaage portion is generous too, so you can really stuff yourself, haha.

My very first shio ramen!! Yay~! I really wanted to try it, and I'm so so glad I got to at Mentsuru near Children's Grand Park ₍՞◌′ᵕ‵ू◌₎♡ It even comes with onions like that, which felt new and made my heart flutter, haha.

Gyudon with an egg on top and crispy-looking karaage~ Thinking about it again, so good, lol. You can add Cheongyang chili to the gyudon for a spicy kick.

How are Mentsuru's shio ramen broth and chashu?

The shio ramen broth is so, so clear!! Is it made with chicken? It tastes a bit like samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) and feels restorative, lol. Both the sous-vide chashu and the pork-belly chashu are great~

The broth is really good~ The more I ate, the warmer my stomach got, and it felt like a hangover cure even though I hadn't been drinking, lol. The menma (bamboo shoots), which ramen can't go without, is tasty too, and wrapping noodles in the sous-vide chashu is even better.

Gyudon: mix it or scoop it?

Break the egg on the gyudon and it gets moist. My companion said they mix it all together and I was so shocked I stopped them, lolol. Mixed would surely be tasty too, of course, but I bet scooping is better, lol.

How were the extra egg, noodles and pork-belly chashu?

I added an egg to the shio ramen and ate to my heart's content. The egg was dense inside and slightly sweet, so good, haha. The noodles were soft and went down easily. The pork-belly chashu had a smoky char flavor and was totally my type, lol. It's definitely a ramen spot near Children's Grand Park, lol.

Mentsuru's handmade chicken karaage and its sauce

The handmade chicken karaage (₩7,000) is of course crazy good too~ It's on a different level from store-bought karaage. The inside is so juicy, so good, lol. Dipped in mayo and shichimi (Japanese chili powder, I think?), it's smooth and nutty and tasty, haha.

More than three servings for two: did we finish it all?

With the extra noodles in the shio ramen, it was a huge amount even for two, lol. With gyudon and karaage too, it seems like more than three servings, but we finished it all ^_^ Sprinkling pepper adds aroma and makes it even cleaner!! Lunch done, and so delicious~!

Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch, a spot near Children's Grand Park where you can enjoy a variety of authentic Japanese ramen with deep, rich broth!