Hanam ramen restaurant for deep chicken broth: Menji Hanam Misa

The day I craved rich Japanese ramen in Misa

Last weekend, I went to Menji Hanam Misa Branch with my boyfriend for lunch :) I love ramen and go out for it now and then, and this time I wanted a bowl of Japanese ramen with a rich broth around Misa, so we decided to visit.

Menji is a Japanese ramen specialist that uses its own simmered chicken broth. There were lots of ramen options, but I especially liked how many filling set meals there were, pairing ramen with tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) or karaage (Japanese fried chicken).

That day, we ordered the Handmade Ramen + Mini Pork Loin Tonkatsu Set and the Tori Paitan Ramen + Chicken Karaage Set, then shared them between the two of us. To give you the conclusion first, the broth was seriously rich and deep, so both of us ramen lovers enjoyed it so much!

When I visited, the notice said there was a break time from 3 to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, while weekends operated without a separate break. We visited at weekend lunchtime too, and it felt like a nice place for a lunch date.

There are so many cafés and restaurants around Misa that I end up coming here often on dates, but that day I was craving something warm and rich rather than my usual choices, so we picked Menji.

A comfortable setting for solo meals and dates

It did not have an overpowering rich-broth smell or greasy feel that ramen shops can sometimes have, and everything was neatly kept, so I had a good first impression right away. It felt easy enough for a date, and I think you could also comfortably come alone for ramen.

My personal favorite detail was the convenience items prepared at every seat. There was a wireless phone charger, so I could place my phone down to charge while eating, and they even had hair ties.

Long hair can be surprisingly annoying when you are eating ramen, haha. Especially with brothy food, strands fall forward and get in the way, so it felt thoughtful that they had considered even this little thing. It gave me the sense that they had thought not only about the food, but also about things that might make guests uncomfortable while dining.

We even found a jumbo tori naengmyeon challenge

There was also a four-serving jumbo tori naengmyeon (cold noodle) challenge, haha. While looking over the menu, we found something fun: the Jumbo Tori Naengmyeon Challenge!

The challenge was to finish a jumbo tori naengmyeon, said to be about four servings, within 20 minutes, haha. It is the kind of event you do not often see at a typical ramen shop, so my boyfriend and I talked about it for quite a while while browsing the menu.

When I imagined eating four servings alone in 20 minutes, I could not even bring myself to start, haha. But I think it would be a pretty fun challenge for big eaters or people who enjoy food challenges. We had only come for ramen, but finding this event gave us something extra to enjoy while looking around the restaurant.

Handmade Ramen with a mini pork loin tonkatsu set

The bowl of ramen came with a mini pork loin tonkatsu, so it looked quite filling even at a glance. The ramen broth was especially memorable.

From the very first spoonful, the broth was incredibly rich and deep. It was not rich simply because it was salty or aggressively seasoned; it had the nutty, weighty flavor that comes from a broth simmered for a long time. Menji uses chicken broth simmered for hours, and perhaps because of that, the broth itself had a very clear presence.

Taking a sip of the warm broth first and then eating the noodles was really delicious. The broth clung well to the noodles, so the noodles and soup never felt separate. Adding chashu (braised pork), egg, and bamboo shoots here and there also gave one bowl a nice variety of textures. I think anyone who loves rich broth would really enjoy it.

Nutty, full-bodied tori paitan ramen

Even though the broth was on the full-bodied side, perhaps because it was chicken-based, it felt more deeply nutty than overwhelmingly greasy. It was especially good with the noodles.

As the broth naturally coated the noodles, its rich chicken-broth flavor lingered in my mouth, and I could see why ramen fans seek out tori paitan. It also came topped with chashu, so a bite of noodles, broth, and pork felt quite abundant. Personally, I would recommend the tori paitan ramen if you like rich, nutty ramen.

There were plenty of dishes to have alongside ramen too, including tonkatsu and karaage, so it would be a good option for anyone who finds one bowl of ramen a little insufficient. I also liked that the restaurant was clean overall and thoughtfully prepared with conveniences such as wireless phone chargers and hair ties.

We went for a simple ramen lunch one weekend and ended up having a more filling meal than expected, haha. If you are looking for rich chicken-broth ramen or tori paitan ramen in Hanam Misa, I think it is worth a visit :) Next time, I would like to try the other ramen options and side dishes one by one!