The First Noodle Shop – 제일제면소

One of my key itineraries whenever I visit Seoul is a trip to the Lotte Mart at Seoul station to load in on all Korean snacks, food and fruits to bring home as gifts. The reason why I like this outlet is due to the size, availability of items as well as the variety of restaurants in the area

This time around, we arrived at Seoul station around dinner time and most of the restaurants were packed I found this restaurant on the 2nd storey called The first noodle shop which specialises in noodles and other Korean dishes

The restaurant is huge and spacious and many tables are available for guests. The environment is bright and has no frills with a simple decoration of grey and light wood color tones. The restaurant also has some tables with a nice view of the surroundings of the train station

My friend ordered a cold noodles set which came with dumplings and a spam rice roll. The cold noodle broth was clear, refreshing and sweet according to my friend since I did not taste it as it was topped with beef slices. The broth was good on itself without the need to add vinegar or mustard to add flavour and the noodles also had great texture

I ordered the stir-fried squid and pork belly with noodles which was served with a side of leaves to help balance the spiciness of the noodles. The dish tasted a lot like spicy Tteokbokki which you can get from the streets and while the noodles were supposed to come with squid and pork belly, there were also rice cake and fish cake. Lovers of Tteokbokki would love this dish but personally, I found it slightly heavy to finish by myself

We also ordered the mung bean pancake as we craved it quite badly and surprisingly, the pancake was crispy yet not greasy with a soft and tender inside. Although the price is much higher than those you can get from the markets, the dish is still considered delicious especially when you add on the vinaigrette chilli sauce

We ordered the snowflakes pork cutlet for sharing which came with a side of coleslaw with sesame sauce, tonkatsu dip, pickled garlic and an ice-cream ball of rice. The pork cutlet was topped generously with creamy cheese sauce as well as shredded cheese for extra cheesiness. The pork cutlet was crispy on the outside and tender inside and not too dry with the milky cheese providing another layer of creamy savoury flavour. This dish is quite heavy on its own and I would recommend ordering it for sharing

My friend who did not want a full meal went for a spam rice ball with a rolled omelette. The rice ball was well seasoned with sesame oil, pepper and salt and it generally cannot be a fail since omelette and spam are perfect when paired together. My only complaint is the cost of the rice ball which is slightly high since this dish can be achieved at home easily

Overall, the food at The First Noodle Shop is more of a modern Korean fusion cuisine while retaining traditional flavours. The environment to dine is comfortable and spacious and service is also prompt and helpful. The dishes are interesting although slightly on the pricier side but if you are around Seoul station, the restaurant is a good choice

Address: 405 Hangang-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Operating hours: 11 am to 10 pm ( 10am on Sat and Sun)