Gwangjin ramen open to 11pm with no break time: abura soba, Mentsuru

So, how about some noodle slurping today?

A restaurant that's always open. In the never-sleeping Seoul metropolitan area it's bound to be welcome, and it feels like it's always by our side, which makes me like it even more. I stopped by Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch (멘츠루 어린이대공원점), long known as a distinctive ramen spot around Children's Grand Park, and slurped down a bowl. The weather had just turned cool, so more people are craving something hot and soupy.

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

Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch is near Exit 4 of Children's Grand Park Station on Subway Line 7, and it's open from 11:00 to 23:00. There's no break time and no closed day.

It's right by the subway station, so it was easy to find. Sejong University is nearby, so quite a few college students come here, and perhaps with their light wallets in mind, lots of meals are around ₩10,000 or a bit more per bowl, which was easy on my budget too.

Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch: atmosphere and seating

Inside, Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch has bar tables and is pretty clean all around. Bar seats are the main thing. Two people sitting shoulder to shoulder, eating ramen facing a wall, that has its own charm, right? Even on a weekday afternoon, nearby students and couples were dropping in for a relaxed late lunch.

What I ordered and the prices

• Abura soba (oil-based brothless noodles) ₩12,000
• Pork belly chashu ₩2,500
• Bamboo shoots ₩1,500
• Seaweed ₩500
• Extra egg ₩1,000
• Coke Zero ₩2,500
• Homemade karaage (Japanese-style fried chicken) ₩7,000

The cozy wood-toned interior put me at ease. It stays open until 11pm, later than other branches, so it's also a good place for a second round.

With autumn and winter bringing colder weather, it also looked like a good option for office workers to have a bowl of noodles at Mentsuru after working late. Among ramen places near Children's Grand Park, it's one that always welcomes us late into the night.

Mentsuru abura soba: which toppings to add?

I added toppings, including pork belly chashu and a soft-boiled egg, to the brothless abura soba (₩12,000). I prefer mixed-style, brothless noodles over soupy dishes, so today I again ordered an oil-based ramen. In this case, adding meat or egg makes things easier in many ways, so that's my preference.

I eagerly piled on everything from the chashu to the egg, extra nutty because its center is just barely soft-boiled. You get more protein this way, so I always add toppings when I eat noodles. Protein is a must. It's love.

The free side was sweet and sour white pickled radish (danmuji), made with sliced yuzu peel mixed in. Add a drink, from draft beer to a cold cola, and this is heaven.

How did the abura soba taste?

Mentsuru's abura soba had a sauce that wasn't salty, and the torch-cooked meat was chewy. They boil the noodles to order and lightly sear the meat with a torch for that chew before putting it all in one bowl, so of course it's delicious. Sprinkled with chopped scallions, and with the soft-boiled yolk popped on top, how could it not be good?

You can also add extra noodles, which is nice. Mentsuru's popular menu item is also a beef intestine ramen you rarely see elsewhere, but I'll save that for next time. Overall the seasoning wasn't that strong.

What's Mentsuru's homemade karaage like?

Mentsuru's homemade karaage (₩7,000) isn't store-bought; it's hand-battered and fried crisp, so it went down endlessly without feeling greasy.

Crispy fried chicken like this is truly draft beer food. But it was daytime, so I held back. Once the weather gets a bit colder, places like this get hugely popular.

Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch: overall verdict

Among ramen shops near Children's Grand Park, Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch has good quality, and it tops bowls with quite generous ingredients, so the portions were ample. There are a few Mentsuru branches in Seoul, and each has subtle differences. Personally, I rank the Children's Grand Park branch among the top.