Feb 6, 2013
Just a couple of nights ago, I met up with an old friend to catch up on personal matters, post-college life, and work. We needed a place to eat, and place came to mind. So we took a drive to Molito Lifestyle Center. The complex is known for its great food and lifestyle choices at Soderno. But on any other day, Molito Center is a hub for great fine dining choices. Since we craved for one great bowl of ramen, we went to a really special place called Yushoken.
Yushoken is quite the unique ramen place. The food choices from their menu is limited to around 7-8 ramen choices, around 4 side dishes, and some bottled or canned drinks. This what makes Yushoken a cut above the rest. Because of their limited ramen selection, the chefs can focus on their specialty, and diners are assured of a constantly-great tasting bowl!
For my first foray into Yoshuken, I ordered a shio tonkotsu ramen with a side dish of gyoza. My friend took a bowl of tantanmen tonkotsu ramen and a side of aji tamago. I wasn’t able to taste the tantanmen and the aji tamago, but I’ll get to that next time.
Shio Ramen
Tantanmen ramen
The shio ramen’s broth was both creamy and salty. Sesame seeds, bamboo shoots, and jelly mushrooms were littered elegantly on the bowl, and is finally topped with 2-3 slices of pork. This is actually my first time eating bamboo shoots and jelly mushrooms, and I was not disappointed! Having been bathed in the creamy broth, the bamboo and mushroom had no undesirable aftertaste, but instead was as delectable as the ramen broth itself. The pork was juicy and tender. It took little effort for me to slice the pork into pieces with just a pinch of my chopsticks. Moreover, the meat slices gently melted in my mouth and also had that creamy, salty taste from the ramen soup. The ramen itself was hand-pulled, and was cooked to perfection. It was slightly chewy (in an enjoyable way) and really tender, laced with great flavor. The overall taste of the shio ramen was the best bowl I’ve ever had! It certainly felt like I was eating in a ramen stand in the streets of Japan (or something like that).
The gyoza had a light taste, and had less of the tangy, onion-like punch than the other potstickers I’ve tried. The 5-piece serving was just right for a large bowl of ramen too.
With it’s great flavor and traditional Japanese flair, a bowl of Yushoken ramen will set you back at least 300 pesos (or roughly 7 USD / 600 YEN). It’s a bit more costly than your usual ramen-ya, but it’s the taste you’ll be craving for. Right now, I can’t wait to return to Yoshuken, and I don’t mind spending that much for a bowl that tastes so divine.
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Yushoken Ramen can be found at the Molito Lifestyle Center, Madrigal cor. Commerce Avenue, Muntinlupa City. The complex is beside Alabang Town Center, and the restaurant is in the building across Puregold Shopping Center.
