Ramen Yushoken is Crazy Awesome. Srsly.

I never considered myself a ramen person. I never really liked ramen noodles (except for that phase back in college when my room mates and I would eat instant ramen after we've burned through our weekly allowance, and that doesn't count). All that changed when I tasted Yushoken's ramen. I kid you not, their ramen is amazing.

Their menu is really basic. When I first saw it, I was kind of doubtful that it would be good because the menu was really short. For the ramen, they only had shiyo, shoyu, miso and tantamen; it was simple, straightforward and no frills. For their side dishes, they had aji tamago, gyoza and karaage. Even the place itself was kind of simple and no frills.

My favorite is the shoyu ramen. I've only been here twice and I have not yet moved on to their other ramen because I'm still in love with shoyu. On the very few times that I actually eat ramen in a Japanese restaurant, I always order shoyu ramen because I like the taste of the broth. When I tried Yushoken's shoyu ramen, I was simply amazed. The broth was really great. It was more than great, it's stellar. It was rich and complex and I appreciated the flavors of soy sauce and sesame seeds. It's the kind of ramen you don't easily forget.

Their gyoza was seared just right and it had just the right amount of ginger in the mixture inside to make it a pleasant mouthful.

Their aji tamago was also surprisingly delightful. The delicate umami taste accentuated the soft yolk and paired very nicely with the ramen. Their karaage (fried boneless chicken) is also pretty awesome.

Next time, I'm thinking of trying other kinds of ramen, like the shio ramen (light, milky broth) or the miso ramen.

Their menu may not be extensive or complicated, but everything we've ordered so far has been wonderful. If you're planning to try them out, head on over to Molito (beside Alabang Town Center). It's best to arrive around 11am to beat the busy lunch crowd. They only make a limited number of bowls everyday so it's best to come before 7pm so that they don't run out of noodles. Yes, they run out of noodles.

Also, they don't allow take out orders. This is to make sure the quality of their ramen is not compromised. If you love ramen, this ramen house is a must try.