Gwangjin Japanese restaurant: seaweed-wrapped abura soba at Mentsuru

Looking for broth-free Japanese noodles near Children's Grand Park?

Sometimes you just want something a little different from regular soup ramen, you know? Especially near Children's Grand Park, there are so many food options that it's actually hard to decide what to pick. This time, while hunting for good ramen near Children's Grand Park, I went to Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch, right in front of Children's Grand Park Station.

What caught my eye at Mentsuru was the abura soba. Unlike regular soup ramen, it's a style where you toss the noodles with oil and sauce, so you can enjoy the noodles' texture and topping combos a lot more clearly. Adding homemade chicken karaage and takoyaki 5P on top made the table pretty packed. Wow, especially the abura soba came out with seaweed piled high over a big bowl, and the visual alone grabbed my attention the moment it arrived.

Even in photos you can see the abura soba loaded with chashu, finely chopped meat, half-boiled egg, scallion, seaweed and more, so there were plenty of combinations to try over the course of one bowl. With the sides added on, it felt less like eating one bowl of noodles and more like enjoying a full spread of Japanese-style noodles and small plates.

Where Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch is and how to get there

One of the perks of Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch is definitely accessibility. Being right in front of Children's Grand Park Station made it easy to get to by subway, which I liked. It also seemed like a solid meal spot if you're meeting someone near Children's Grand Park or Sejong University.

From outside, the English sign reading 'MENCHURU Ramen bar' catches your eye even from a distance. The wood-frame front design carries a bit of that Japanese ramen shop vibe while still looking clean and tidy overall. Even first-timers shouldn't have trouble spotting the store.

Especially if you need a filling meal after playing at Children's Grand Park, or you're searching for good ramen near Children's Grand Park, being close to the station is a real plus. Not having to walk far while hungry made the whole experience more satisfying than I expected.

Inside Mentsuru: open kitchen and bar seating

The open kitchen right in front of you

The first thing that catches your eye walking in is the open kitchen. The kitchen runs along the long bar table, so you feel the energy of the cooking space directly. This layout suits dishes like ramen or abura soba, which taste best eaten right after cooking.

If you're dining alone, sitting at the bar and enjoying a bowl comfortably looked good, and there's also the fun of watching the kitchen while you wait for your food. The space feels lively rather than closed off, which was impressive too.

Bar seats and table seats at Mentsuru

On one side there's a long row of bar seats, and on the other there are tables that can seat multiple people. So it looked good for anything from solo dining to meals with friends, dates, or family meals depending on the situation.

The overall vibe wasn't overly formal or heavy, so it felt easy to walk in and eat comfortably. Keeping that ramen-bar atmosphere while still having table space was a nice touch.

What comes on top of the abura soba

My first thought when the abura soba arrived was, 'whoa, that's a lot of toppings.' The seaweed almost covered the whole bowl, plus big pieces of chashu, half-boiled egg, scallion, and meat toppings, so I actually had to think about where to start.

What was especially fun was being able to wrap the noodles in seaweed and eat them together. Rather than just eating noodles straight through, mixing in seaweed, meat, and egg along the way gave the bowl a real change of flavor from bite to bite.

What does Mentsuru's abura soba taste like?

The main event of this meal was of course the abura soba, the oil-tossed noodles. After mixing well so the sauce and oil underneath coats the noodles evenly, the noodles came out glossy with a salty, savory flavor clinging to them. With no broth, the noodles' chewy presence stood out even more clearly.

Piling noodles onto seaweed and picking them up together with scallion and meat was a good combo too. The crispy crunch of the seaweed followed by the springy noodles and then the heavier flavor of the meat was pretty addictive.

Mixing in the half-boiled egg added the yolk's softness, and the flavor felt rounder overall.

Picking up a big piece of chashu together with the noodles has its own charm. It adds more meaty aroma and texture than eating the noodles alone, making each bite noticeably richer. If you're searching for good ramen near Children's Grand Park and also like broth-free Japanese noodle styles, this dish is worth checking out.

Sides: homemade chicken karaage and takoyaki 5P

Homemade chicken karaage

The homemade chicken karaage I ordered as a side was great to snack on between bites of abura soba. The bite-sized chicken pieces had batter that was crispy outside and juicy inside.

Especially with a little of the accompanying sauce on top, the savory flavor and the rich sauce blended together so well that my chopsticks kept going back for more.

Adding a squeeze of lemon cut through the heaviness of the fried batter nicely, making it easy to move on to the next piece. Wow, I'm glad I ordered this as a side with the abura soba.

Takoyaki 5P

Takoyaki 5P was a nice light side to add on. Topped with sauce and mayonnaise, and covered generously with bonito flakes, it had a familiar yet appetizing look.

Lifting one up with chopsticks brings the bonito flakes, sauce, and mayo all along with it — that combo is hard to mess up, honestly.

Taking a bite of the pickled ginger served alongside refreshed my palate nicely, making it easy to go back to the abura soba or karaage.

Ordering by screen: is Mentsuru good for solo diners?

With an order screen set up at every bar table, it seemed easy to take your time browsing the menu and choosing. Not having to keep asking staff about the menu made it feel less pressured, especially when dining solo.

The items you might need while eating were neatly arranged around the table, making the whole flow feel clean. With the open kitchen and bar seats close together, the fast, lively atmosphere typical of a ramen specialty shop came through naturally.

Above all, even a dish like abura soba, which can feel a bit unfamiliar the first time, was easy to enjoy comfortably by mixing in the toppings one at a time. Personally, I felt like it wouldn't feel awkward to visit alone, which is a pretty big plus.

What is the atmosphere like at Mentsuru?

The interior combined wood-colored bar tables and chairs with a black-toned ceiling and warm lighting. It brought in that Japanese ramen bar feel while staying clean and not too dark or cramped, which made it comfortable.

The unique wooden structure above the kitchen especially stood out. Rather than just a place to eat quickly and leave, it felt like an interior touch that gives Mentsuru its own atmosphere. Thanks to the warm wood tones, food photos also came out looking pretty appetizing.

The bar seats are good for quietly enjoying ramen or abura soba alone, while the tables looked good for two or more people ordering several sides to share. It seemed to work well for a date near Children's Grand Park, meeting friends, or even a casual family visit.

Is Mentsuru's abura soba worth a visit?

If you're near Children's Grand Park craving something a little different from an ordinary meal, the abura soba at Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch is worth keeping in mind. Personally, I was already intrigued by the fact that it's broth-free oil-tossed noodles, and once it arrived, the generous topping lineup of seaweed, chashu, meat, scallion, and half-boiled egg made it fun to mix and match all the way to the last bite.

I especially liked wrapping the noodles in seaweed, adding a big piece of chashu, and mixing in the half-boiled egg midway to adjust the intensity of the flavor. Rather than tasting the same from start to finish, the bowl seemed to change expression a little depending on which toppings I picked up together. Adding the crispy homemade chicken karaage and the takoyaki 5P loaded with sauce, mayo, and bonito flakes made the meal feel quite hearty.

What stuck with me most was the accessibility of being right in front of Children's Grand Park Station, the lively atmosphere of the open kitchen, and having both bar seats for solo dining and tables for dining together. If you're searching for good ramen near Children's Grand Park and looking beyond soup ramen to dishes like abura soba, Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch is worth adding to your list. For noodle lovers, that moment of piling on toppings and taking a big bite seems like it would stay pretty satisfying in memory.