Let’s face it — we don’t really need the monsoon breeze as an excuse to crave ramen. Whether it’s a ritzy noodle restaurant or a hole-in-a-wall ramen house, your source for the Japanese delicacy is plenty when you’re in Metro Manila. Let’s trim down the top ramen choices to just a handful.
Mendokoro Ramen-Ba
Spot this ramen joint by the snaking queue along Soliman Street in Salcedo Village — Mendokoro Ramenba, for its consistency and efficiency in serving the Japanese dish, draws a mob day in, day out.
A consistent crowd favorite is their Karai Tokusei Tsukemen, a combination of thick cold noodles and a bowl of broth that is both spicy and tangy.
Ramen Yushoken
Further down south is Ramen Yushoken, Mendokoro Ramenba’s prized elder sister, as both were conceived by executives Ryan Cruz and Elbert Cuenca.
The difference is distinct, though as Ramen Yushoken has more room for diners who would want to enjoy a piping-hot bowl of Ebi Shio Tonkotsu ramen over lunch. Complete the savory meal with a bottle of Sapporo or Asahi beer to boot.
Mitsuyado Sei-Men
Mitsuyado Sei-Men, the rustic little ramen join along Jupiter Street, is also known as The House of Tsukemen. They specialize in tsukemen, or cold noodles that you first dip in hot broth before eating.
The experience is particularly pleasing through their famous Double Cheese Tsukemen: thick noodles which come with a creamy bowl of tonkotsu and a plentiful topping of melted parmesan cheese.
Hanamaruken Ramen
This Osaka original has been over with Filipino foodies the minute it hit our shores.
For one, Hanamaruken Ramen’s famous ramen, dubbed Signature Happiness Ramen, features every ramen lover’s favorite ingredients: slick egg noodles, a succulent slab of pork rib slow-cooked to perfection, narutomaki, Japanese onion, and a nori sheet, all stewing in a big bowl of creamy broth. Complete the ensemble with a generous serving of their gyoza.
Ramen Kuroda
Any shortlist of the best shoyu ramen wouldn’t be complete without a mention of Ramen Kuroda. The ramen joint’s appeal comes from serving hearty and creamy homemade ramen at an affordable price.
Diners will only have three ramen base options, but loyal patrons will dig right into a bowl of their red Aka Ramen, doused with a deep chilli-flavoured broth.
That one can dig into a bowl of ramen at any day in the year means that the quest for the best Japanese noodle joint is far from over.
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