Japanese
culture undeniably has a great impact on Filipinos especially when it comes to
foods that have been native to our taste buds. Although there have been a lot
of Japanese restaurants in the country for quite long now, the ramen craze
officially started a few years back. During this time, many ramen houses have
open to cater to the growing demands for this mouth-watering Japanese broth.
Maybe I just don't like noodles, or maybe I'm a certified non-conformist, but
either way, I have never seen myself going to ramen houses and comparing every
ramen bowl with the hope of finding the best ramen in town. It was my Japanese
boss who introduced me to ramen. During my first day, he said he's going to
treat me for lunch. And yes, for a delicious ramen!
That afternoon changed my perception with the famous
Japanese ramen. We arrived at Mendokoro Ramenba at 12:00 Noon and the lines
were crazy. Is this still because of the ramen craze? Or is there something
special with their ramen? That I have to find out. So after my boss ordered
from the counter, we waited for roughly 30 minutes before we were finally given
a seat. As soon as you entered, you will hear their chanting rituals as they
greet their guests.
Mendokoro Ramenba is situated in Salcedo village, Makati
City. The place is relatively small and can only accommodate 21 hungry people.
Guests were seated in such a way that everyone has a view of their open
kitchen. So it's like watching a live cooking show, waiting to be served with
your order. Your official waiting time will start as soon as you have your sit.
This is the only time that they will cook your food. So be extra patient.
After another 20-30 minutes, we finally got our order. I ordered
Shoyu ramen (as recommended by my boss) and I'm telling you, it was love at
first slurp! How can I not love this ramen? I mean the noodles were not
overcooked but won't give you a hard time chewing either. It comes with a
generous amount of thick and creamy soup with overflowing flavors, topped with
spring onions, sesame seeds, and black garlic oil. The meat or Chasu is the
bomb! It was cooked for 16 hours so you can just imagine how tender the meat
is. It literally melts in your mouth, no muscles to be used during mastication.
We ordered extra Tamago to complete this ramen experience. Mendokoro Also
serves gyoza which is also very good.
Shoyu Ramen-Php390
Tamago PHP90, 3 pices
Chasu PHP140, 3 pieces Gyoza PHP120
When they were still starting, Mendokoro only serves 80-100
ramen bowls a day so you have to be early or else, you will have to go back
some other time. It’s a good thing that Mendokoro is now serving unlimited
bowls daily.
After my ramen experience with Mendokoro, I would drive all
the way from QC to Makati just to have my ramen fix during weekends. As always,
the waiting game is worth it. I would not mind going through a heavy traffic,
so long as I have my Shoyu ramen.
Just a reminder, Mendokoro does not accept reservations so
you really have to go through all the hassle of waiting before getting serve. And to preserve the taste and overall
appearance of the food, no take outs allowed. Everything must be consumed
inside the ramen house. They also do not offer any beverage except for water.
This is to make sure that guests will get to taste the real the goodness of
their authentic Japanese foods, no more, no less.
Just a trivia, Mendokoro Ramenba has the same owner with a
famous ramen house in the South, Ramen Yoshuken.
Location:
Ground Floor, V Corporate Center, Soliman Street, Salcedo
Village,
Makati.
Telephone: +632 215-1751
Operating Hours: Opens Daily Monday to Sunday
11.00am to 11.00pm
