Gwangjin ramen restaurant for late lunch: Mentsuru

Late-lunch ramen by Children's Grand Park Station

After working as a pedicure model, my toenails have been breaking, so I was on my way back from getting treatment at a place that handles problem nails well. Once my big toenail, which had been uncomfortable since morning, felt better, I started getting hungry. After wondering what to have for a late lunch, I headed to a ramen place near Konkuk University.

Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch is directly in front of Exit 4 of Children's Grand Park Station, so it is easy to reach by public transit. If you drive, parking is not available in the building. You can use the paid Gwangjin Square Public Parking Lot across the street.

Gwangjin Square Public Parking Lot is not especially large, but somehow there always seem to be one or two spaces left when I visit on a weekday. There were two spaces today too, so I parked easily. It costs ₩250 per five minutes, and I received a 50% discount for my low-emission vehicle, so it was inexpensive.

Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch menu

• Shoyu ramen ₩11,000
• Spicy shoyu ramen ₩11,000
• Shio ramen ₩11,000
• Tori paitan ₩12,000
• Motsu ramen ₩15,000
• Abura soba ₩12,000
• Horumon-don ₩15,000
• Gyudon ₩11,000
• Fried gyoza, 6 pieces ₩5,000
• House-made chicken karaage ₩7,000
• Takoyaki, 5 pieces ₩5,000

As you would expect from a Japanese ramen specialist, there is a wide variety of ramen. Choose according to your taste, from sweet soy sauce flavor and clean salt flavor to rich broth.

There is a good variety of drinks and alcohol too. Not being able to have beer at a ramen place! Next time, I should come without driving.

You can add toppings to each menu item, with up to 10 choices available.

Take part in the Naver receipt-review event and receive a soft drink or fried gyoza. I hear the fried gyoza are good, so I should join the review event and try them next time.

You can order once seated, but you can also order at the entrance.

Comfortable solo seats with no break time

I arrived a little after 2 p.m. on a weekday and was surprised by how many people were eating. Since the restaurant operates without a break time, I think many people can drop in comfortably like I did. Lots of ramen places are cramped, but the interior did not feel stuffy, and there were plenty of good seats for eating alone.

Water, pepper, and danmuji (pickled yellow radish) are set out for self-service at every table, and they even thoughtfully provide a phone stand. It is so nice for solo diners. The sweet, refreshing danmuji can be served in however much you want.

Ordering spicy shio ramen and gyudon

At Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch, I ordered shio ramen and gyudon. The food came out quite quickly after ordering, and all the staff were very kind, which I liked.

Shio ramen with extra pork belly chashu and menma

Shio ramen is ramen with a clear, clean chicken broth seasoned with salt. They say it has a light, pure flavor that lets the ingredients' natural taste shine. I made it spicy and added pork belly chashu and menma.

Since it was spicy, the broth had a gentle kick. The chicken broth was extremely clean-tasting, and because Japanese ramen should be eaten quickly to enjoy it properly, the noodles were cooked just right. With the extra chashu, it almost felt like a meat noodle soup, and I liked the chewy texture of the menma too. Next time, I should add seaweed and an egg as well.

Gyudon mixed with egg yolk

Gyudon is a Japanese beef rice bowl topped with thinly sliced beef short plate simmered in a special sauce. They describe it as a hearty meal in which the sweet-and-savory sauce blends with the rice.

You pop the egg yolk and mix it with the meat and rice before scooping it up. I worried it might be too salty, but it was seasoned just right, and a few shakes of pepper brought out even more flavor. The sharp Cheongyang chili cuts through what could be a rich taste, so adding extra chili would be nice too. I love Japanese ramen so much that I always order both rice and noodles; today too, I had a really filling lunch.