Don’t be put off by Yushoken’s dining rules, because the ramen is excellent
Perhaps the most peculiar meal I’ve had in recent memory was at Mitsuyado Sei-Men, a ramen restaurant on Jupiter Street in Makati.
How much can one really say about ramen? As it turns out, a lot: There are people like David Chang, impresario and owner of Momofuku, who are obsessed with it. Ippudo, probably the most famous brand in the ramen franchise world, has been drawing crowds in the East Village since it opened, and is soon to open in Manila. There was a movie about it, “Tampopo,” in 1985.
You can’t go wrong with a cuisine that has evolved through 2,000 years. If anyone has truly mastered the culinary arts—fancy as the French may be—I’d have to place my bet on the Japanese, who have mastered the art not only of cooking but also of developing ingredients from their source, taking freshness and flavor to a different level.
In the past few years, traveling to Japan has become affordable, with more flights on low-cost carriers and the rise in popularity of Airbnb.
It’s said that you can tell a good Japanese ramen from an average one by its broth. Rich and full-flavored is always better, whether it’s bone- or miso-based.
For a rarified experience and a respite from the usual fare, check out Rikuseki An in Legazpi Village
This week I did something that I usually try very hard not to do: I went to a restaurant not because it was new and promised to be interesting, but because it was new and popular.
Japanese food has become part of our culinary landscape, and I love it.
I’ve driven alone as far as Mindoro and back, sleeping in the car aboard a boat that also had a truck of noisy pigs screeching for their lives beside me. So I understand how, like the drivers in the avant-garde Japanese foodie movie “Tampopo,” you can be so tired and hungry that you can consume an entire bowl of ramen.
