김평냉(455 reviews)Lunch・Visited 2026/11(1 visits)3.5010Ichiran vibes found in Jinju.Visited Mennokami (멘노카미) in Jinju Innovation City to try their mazesoba. They serve a variety of Japanese noodle dishes, from tonkotsu ramen to tsukemen and mazesoba. I ordered the doniku mazesoba. First off, the space grabbed my attention more than the food. Unlike typical ramen shops with tables facing each other, it has individual booths with partitions, reminiscent of Ichiran Ramen in Japan. It's a setup where you can focus on your meal without worrying about the people around you even when dining alone, which felt quite unique. I especially liked how the partitions between seats can be opened or closed. It was interesting to experience the vibe of a Japanese ramen specialty shop right here in Jinju. The doniku mazesoba I ordered is a Japanese-style noodle dish eaten by mixing noodles, sauce, and various toppings without broth. Since it's brothless, I think the balance between noodle texture and seasoning is crucial for mazesoba. If the sauce is too strong, it gets tiring, and if it lacks umami, it can taste a bit bland. Personally, I enjoyed the doniku mazesoba quite a bit. The salty umami blended well once I mixed the noodles and sauce thoroughly, and the meat topping made for a hearty bowl. The fun part of mazesoba is pairing the toppings with the noodles as you eat. Even though it's a dish where you mix everything at once, I liked that you get slightly different flavors depending on which ingredients you pick up. Also, what I liked about this place was the complimentary bowl of rice. Mixing rice into the leftover sauce after eating mazesoba is my favorite way to finish the meal. It has a different appeal compared to eating it with noodles, as the sauce soaks into the grains, allowing you to enjoy the salty umami until the very end. I was especially glad that they provide rice at no extra cost. It's great for filling up if the mazesoba leaves you wanting more, and you get to make use of the remaining sauce, so I was satisfied. Overall, while I enjoyed the food at Mennokami, the unique space is what I remember more. From the seating structure that brings Ichiran to mind, to the way you finish with rice after the mazesoba, the whole dining process offered little bits of fun. Of course, a unique space doesn't automatically make a great ramen shop, but since the doniku mazesoba was delicious enough, my satisfaction was high. A place worth visiting once if you're craving mazesoba in Jinju. I'd like to try other ramen menu items next time.
