noodles, wheat flour
麪 centers on wheat flour and the noodles made from it. The two given meanings are closely linked: wheat flour is the base ingredient, and noodles are its most common product.
麪 combines 麥 (wheat) with 丏, which likely contributes the sound and helps express the idea of wheat flour or noodles. The exact historical role of 丏 is uncertain.
The left side 麥 shows wheat, and the right side 丏 looks like a tangled mass of noodles. Together they make wheat flour turned into noodles.
For メン, imagine a bowl of noodles being served to men: men -> メン, and they are eating wheat flour noodles.