Food Buzz

On my last few days in Tokyo last year, my cousin Jean (who so love Japan that she’s my go-to when it comes to where to eat, shop, and sightsee) reminded me not to forget to eat at Ichiran Ramen. Piqued by what the fuss is all about, I went to their branch near my hotel in Shinjuku. Long story short, that was one of the best meals I had in Japan (believe me, I had a lot of really good meals during the whole Tokyo and Kyoto trips).

Back in Manila, my newfound love for Japanese food had brought me to different Japanese restaurants. There’s my all-time fave Inagiku for those who love all-Japanese buffet. There’s Kimpura for teppan (the prawn and oyster teppan are my faves). Zaifu and Akira are my go-to’s for sashimi (though there was one time where the salmon sashimi of the former wasn’t fresh that probably gave me the bugs and what comes with it). I’m not really a fan of sushi so nothing to suggest for that one. As for Kobe and Wagyu beef sirloins as well as unagi, I haven’t discovered any restos in the metro yet having these as specialties (any suggestions?). For ebi tempura, you won’t believe what I’m about to say: G Squared in Dampa is my choice (do I hear whaaa?). Then the iconic ramen. Ippudo was my initial No.1 ramen. I would go there for their tantanmen, gyoza and iced tea (very good and unlimited). Until that fateful evening when a staff sprayed some cleaning agent on the table next to mine where I got some of the mist. I’m not really fussy about being sprayed on, but what I find disgusting is that some of the mist may have landed on my food and drinks. That really ruined the whole dining experience (so note to resto staff, I understand that you are just doing your job, but do your job well: spray on the cleaning cloth and then wipe the table instead of spraying on the table followed with a wipe).

My friends know me as a loyal foodie. When I really like something, I keep coming back. This is true with restos where I go for my daily lunch. Tim Ho Wan was one of those where I would spend my lunchtime everyday having the same hakao, spareribs, and jasmine rice combination. Same goes for UCC for their meatballs spaghetti and iced tea plus ‘dessert of the day’ (50% off) until similar incident turned me off (different type of ‘spraying’ in UCC’s case). So that unfortunate event at Ippudo led me into exploring alternative ramen restos. Here comes Mendokoro to the rescue. It’s the only ramen I have discovered that comes close to Ichiran. Their ebi tonkutso (which is not in the menu and they only have a limited 25-serving a day) is my favorite (tantanmen is my second choice every time they ran out of ebi) and they have the best gyoza I had so far. What is tempting is that its proximity to where I live makes me crave and go there 2-3 times a week. Heavy on the pocket and the waiting time is horrendous (due to long queues every day up ’til midnight), but very worth the price and the wait.

(Note to customers: Mendokoro’s dining concept, just like any ramen house in Japan, is not your usual hang out place. It is more of an eat-and-run concept where after you are done, you have to give up your seat for the next customer without the attendants asking you if you’re done. That’s why in Japan, some ramen houses’ seating looks like mini cubicles with dividers not so much for privacy’s sake but more to minimize hanging out. It is just plain rude to hang on to your seat after you’ve finished your food, chatting, tinkering with your phone, and/or the never ending drinking of tap water coupled with any of the aforementioned when there are a lot of customers waiting, some already in line for 2 or more hours.)