Mitsuyado sei-men - Tsukemen Ramen

Mitsuyado sei-men in Makati city have been open for quite while, this Japanese style theme restaurant have been a mainstay favorite in a lot culinary article in magazines and newspapers.

They specialize in thick tsukemen style Ramen, or dipping style noodles.

 Check out some the these theme decor, trying to replicate some semblance of an era long since gone in Japan

It's like a very small section of Ramen museum in  Yokohama.

Love that thick chewy noodles that they serve, whether it's hot or cold. The hearty but mildly flavoured dipping sauce goes well with it.

The Beni-shoga that they use tend to be too sour and lacks the right balance of salty/sweetness to it. Taste like those one get's cheaply at your local Yoshinoya. Wish that they get a better supplier or better yet the serving should come a slice of a good lemon. That might give better fresh astringent taste to the dish.

If your gonna dine here I would suggest that you should stick to the Tsuke-men dipping noodles. Their bowl of ramen noodle soup are quite disappointing. Not that they're bad per se, it's just when taken in it's entirety is rather bland and quite lacking in punch from other Ramen. I notice quite more than a few costumers only eating it half-way.

The noodles are excellent of course, as I numerously tried it as a Tsuki-men, but mixed in with the pork soup that taste suspiciously like the diluted version of the dipping sauce, the marriage is disappointing. I would prefer just taking the noodles plainly without the starchy tasteless broth.The pork slices are nothing to write about either.

Again just stick to the Tsuki-men dipping noodles. You'll love it.

They have a very conventional but tasty Gyoza. They should try what's fashionable nowadays, lessen the filling but make the skirt and underside of the wrapper a lot crispier while the other side is moist and chewy.

Make sure you come in very very early, 'cause it always get very crowded during peak hours. I suggest dining in during lean hours like late lunch or a very late supper time, and remember always try it with a nice Aji-tama or half-boiled eggs.



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Ajisen Ramen

I've been one of the first to savor Ajisen ramen since during their soft opening. That was a long time now, since then It's been my favorite place to get my ramen fix.

I came upon it when North east square had just open and there seems to three Japanese themed restaurants there, besides Ajisen there is also another store that serves Udon and Soba which had closed since then, and there Aomori cafe, a quiet and pretty place with cake and tea's

Ajisen ramen's specialty is their creamy pork tonkotsu ramen. It's delicious flavorful soup, which are dripped with special oil and seasonings, is something to fully savor and ingest with sheer delight. The soup alone could cover the price one pays. It's pork flavour is fully present and spices used are there mainly to enhance it's creamy sweet taste.

The bit's floating on the soup are herbs and spices. I could guess that there are garlic and onions in it, but their taste are so subtle as not to mask the essence of the broth. I might even speculate that there might be orange peels  with herbs, to get slight zest.

In the menu its say that use some special salt from Okinawa in their soup. Anyway, whatever dope they may be putting in it, this bowl is my special poison.

Tasty slices of Chasu pork, thinly slices of black ear mushroom along with cabbage and seasoned egg tops the bowl. The ramen noodle is straight and smooth. Not starchy, they go well with soup and feels light to the stomach.

Their bowl of ramen is quite filling by themselves, but I also like to order their Chahan fried rice. Another tasty dish. One of the best Japanese style fried rice in the city. Cooked piping hot, pan seared with the right seasoning of ingredients, it has that right fluffy texture to each grain, not broken by careless ladling. Searing technique brings the flavor out, without being salty.

A lot of ramen eater, usually in the states find Ajisen to be too flavourful and salty, from my taste it doesn't seem so in this local franchise, I for one have a low tolerance to MSG. Think of this ramen as a bowl of noodles with a very light tasty sauce.

Ramen lovers should never miss Ajisen's franchise here in this country. Seeing from ones eyes is better than a thousand tale. Try it and you decide if it tops.

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Ukokkie ramen ron

Ukokkie Ramen ron at Pasay road Makati seems a like a very good place for some authentic ramen adventure. There is line of patrons lined up front and the atmosphere inside is like one can find at any ramen shops at Japan. Though I must stress that I said 'seems'...

The place is crowded but not too packed and yet the servers , attentive and pleasant they may be, are disorganized and lacks proper coordination. I've seen and heard costumers complaining about their late, missing order or getting the wrong one. Many a times they have gone back and forth with the wrong order to a costumer beside me in the counter. 

Anyway all can be forgiven just to a have a good bowl of ramen.

A rather unimpressive bowl I must say. Boring could easily describe it.

The soup is good, the noodles are fine and are cooked just right, the braised pork slices are passable. It has all the bells and whistles for a good Shoyu ramen, it's just that it's just too typical of a bowl for the price one has to pay and the hassle of driving into the place.

I also ordered a side of Gyoza.

I think the picture speaks for itself. Their much smaller in life than in the picture, if you're reading this in a I-pad, they're still much smaller. You wouldn't believe how much I paid for such a depressing plate. I was searching for the meat from the wrapper while eating it.

They have in their menu a side dish of grilled steak strips. It's delicious and I would recommend it over the gyoza.


Except for the gyoza, the shop do delivers with what it advertise. I just wish that there is a little excitement to their bowl or at the very least a much lower price for it's rather plain but decent one. 



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Menya Genki ramen

Menya Genki ramen is one of those places that you have to purposely go into try their menu.

Along Diosdado Macapagal Blvd., it's quite hidden by billboards and such, that you tend to not notice the shop if your cruising by the high-way

As you can see in the menu this is a Ramen specific kind of restaurant. You come here to order Ramen and just ramen, no sushi, thank you.

A rather Unimpressive looking bowl to say the least, but it a has the necessary requirements for a good bowl and a slight air of authenticity in it.

The soup is rather tepid but has indeed that substantial tonkatsu flavor that we're expecting. The Chasu pork is tender and juicy and has a delightful mild flavor.

The noodle is the thin and straight variety that is cooked just right. It absorbs the soup in it perfectly and is perfect to each other.

The toppings are boiled stewed eggs, slightly mushy raw, which is quite good. Some onion greens and black fungi and nori. Simple but direct in it's presentation.

There is a Bikkuri ramen challenge that they have. For 1000 pesos you can try one large order of their special ramen. Finish it in less than 20 mins and you get your picture up in their wall of fame. I think the record to beat is 14 minutes.

I might try it someday, if my tummy allows me to.

Genki ramen is in the same row of shops that has another Ramen shop that is more visible. but from the look of it, the other shop seems to be more into selling local sea food and beer than real ramen, I've yet to confirm my suspicions on it.

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Moshi Koshi Noodle Boss - ramen shop

Moshi Koshi Noodle Boss is one those new Ramen specialty shops that have been popping around the city. There had always been numerous Japanese food restaurants in the country for years. There are those catering to hi-end expensive ones and there those oh so dozens of Japanese fast-food chains with cheap good eats. Most of these had the standard menu with various popular Japanese food like Sushi, Tempura and Teriyaki meat dishes. Dishes that the Filipino palate found comforting that most have been taken in and absorbed to the Filipino cuisine, much like Chinese foods.

Ramen are available in these standard restaurants, but their quality tend to be much to be desired, some can't even hold against to instant ramen. Nowadays with these Ramen specialty stores coming out, Filipinos are slowly being reared to the rich ramen culture that is prevalent in Japan. Each of these store vying  for the Filipino market with each trying to present the real "authentic" Ramen taste.

I ordered a Shoyu ramen as sort of test case comparative menu, since Shoyu is the most common ramen type in Tokyo.

The soup is quite clear and clean, with a very respectable taste. Though the soy sauce base they use makes it quite pungent. The bamboo shoots they used isn't pickled right that it is soggy to bite and it's odor, though not unpleasant, conflicted with the broth.

The noodles are made in-house, that they are fresh and are cooked just right. Straight and smooth, they have that nice chewiness. I can't taste the wheat flavor that much but they go really well in soup that they get soaked on. Again there is a problem with the odor. The smell of kansui is slightly noticeable, especially to ramen connoisseur.  Perhaps letting the fresh noodles rest a lot longer before cooking will help remedy it.

Overall, they still have a very good bowl as a start. It is rather cheap than most specialty Ramen store. I sure would like to try their other menu.

I also ordered a plate of Gyoza. Again they're fresh with good filling. It's pan-fried with sesame oil like those done in Japan.


The shop is bright and had that nice modern minimalist design to give Japanese air, with that straight flat wooden benches and utilitarian setup. The Shop is partly self-service. that is you order in the counter that is right by the door, with the help of that large menu plastered besides it. The food will be served to your table by the staff.

 I should point out that this is specifically a Japanese Noodle shop, so it's not just ramen that they specialize but also Udon and Soba.

 The restaurant is quite close to the Studio that I'm connected to, so it is a must that I should try it.I ordered the Shoyu ramen as a trail order. It's not they're specialty ramen flavour so I must return to try their other dishes. I have high hopes for this store. I'll post on the other ramen, udon and soba when I got around to trying them.

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Moshi Koshi noodle boss
Shaw Blvd cor Ideal st, Mandaluyong City, Philippines

Konbini Store - ramen shop and Japanese grocery

Konbini Store is an aptly named Japanese products grocery that is conveniently located  just a few minutes walk from Greenhills shopping center and much closer to other Japanese themed restaurants in Connecticut st.

As stated, the place is were one can buy essential Japanese food product. From instant ramen to real Wagyu beef, you can buy it here for any Japanese expats to local Japanophile who wanted some real cool products from the Land of the rising sun.

The store has in it's corner a dinning area that one can order delicious Japanese food. Their specialty is their Ramen and fried chicken. I haven't tried they're chicken yet, but it is very popular to most eaters that I'll it make a point to try them sometime.

I ordered there their Chasu tonkatsu ramen and gyoza combo. For a grocery they do serve a very decent ramen. The noodles, straight thin variety, are not in-house made but are fresh and has good chewy texture with a right neutral taste.

It goes really well the Tonkatsu soup broth. The broth itself has that clean but tasty flavor that is ideal for that pork based soup. It has the right thickness but never being too heavy or fatty on the mouth, nor is it heavily seasoned or salty. The combination makes a very refreshing noodle soup that ones yearn on a rainy cold night.

 
My toppings consist of extra pork chasu that are thinly sliced lean cuts of pork. The hard-boiled egg is rightly half-cooked, though not stewed. The use of light green leeks and roasted sesame accent the dish quite well.


The shops gyoza are quite good and are freshly cooked. To local shoppers will find the products on display as being quite pricey for  even for imported items, but the price for the food being served in the store's restaurant is quite reasonable and and of very good authentic quality.

I quite recommend this store to any ramen enthusiast or to those who definitely want to have that little Japanese experience without leaving the county.




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Konbini store - ramen shop
Connecticut St, San Juan, Philippines