Ramen was developed in the late 17th century Japan and is thought to have originated in China. It’s worldwide success came about after World War II. Now there are a hundreds of thousands of different kinds of ramen restaurants around the globe. Some claim to be authentic, some claim that they are serving fusion or something that would fit the local palate to which they are located.
But of course, most of us always go search for the authentic ones, after all, nothing beats the real deal. Many will make it their life goal to travel to Japan just to taste the ramen from where it was birthed or try the local places that serves authentic ones even though the prices might be a little steep. As for someone who’s an OK fan of ramen, and has no plans of going to Japan soon, to find a place where ramen is authentic and affordable would be awesome. And recently, that thought became a surprising reality.
Fried Gyoza - fried dumplings stuffed with pork and chicken, cabbage, and served with Ponzu sauce. I’ve always loved gyoza, whether they are authentically cooked or not. Like you know, I’ve never met a gyoza that I didn’t like. I love how juicy on the inside, crispy and golden brown on the outside, these Japanese pan-fried dumplings are. They are such great appetizer before engulfing a bowl full of ramen.
Chicken Karaage - house marinated chicken fried to perfection with lemon. This is the ala carte version but this also comes in a bento box. Ok, don’t let me get started with these karaage. They’re like miracles sent from heaven, they are so damn good! The coating itself tasted so good, they’re incredibly airy and crispy. The chicken meat was also very flavorful and super tender. Every piece will give you a good contrast of tastes and textures that are just sublime. This was my top 1 among all the dishes that we tried.
Chicken Nanban - this chicken Nanban is a Kyusyu region take on popular Karaage chicken soaked in sweet and sour Nanban sauce topped with tartar sauce. This is like the karaage, it also has that crisp, light, fluffy egg coating and the chicken is tender as well. The Nanban sauce is a pool of flavor as the egg coating dissolves in your mouth. The tartar sauce is on the tangy side.
Chasu Bun - buns filled with barbecue-flavored chasu pork. This is your best accompaniment to your ramen. The slow-braised chasu (pork cutlet) is tucked into fluffy white buns. This folded over steamed buns are definitely worth obsessing over.
Tsukemen - 10-hour pork bone dipping broth, signature noodles, pork chashu. This is my first time to eat Tsukemen and my foodie colleagues taught me how to eat it. The noodles are separated from the broth and you have to dip the noodles into the broth and then put them in your mouth. It was quite good and very savoury. But when I tried just the broth, it was quite salty in my opinion. Perhaps it is the way it is, that’s why the noodles aren’t mixed into the soup.
Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen - spicy broth, Menya tonkotsu ramen, red chili paste. I’m not fond of spicy food as I have very low tolerance to it. I also hate how chili stays too long in my tongue that’s why I favor wasabi over chili. Good thing that this wasn’t super spicy and doesn’t give too much of a punch which I like. Surprisingly, this spicy ramen took a place on my top 3 Menya dishes.
Chicken Karaage Bento - chicken karaage, Japanese rice, salad, croquettes. If you want a rice meal with the chicken karaage this is your best bet. Please refer to my review of the karaage above. J
Pork Chasu Bento - pork chasu, Japanese rice, salad, croquettes. I like that Menya doesn’t scrimp on quality as they use real Japanese rice for their bentos. The croquettes are made from mashed potato and mince pork which are very tatsty and fun to eat. The chasu (pork cutlet) was super tender and almost melts-in-your-mouth. The sweet and savory sauce that it came with was too savoury that it was just perfect for it to be paired with rice or else you’ll get over-satiated with the flavor.
Pork Tonkatsu Bento - pork tonkatsu, Japanese rice, salad, croquettes. If I’m not a fan of ramen, well, this I’m gonna tell you, katsus are my fave! I loved the crispy and light coating. The pork was tender and with fat trimmings. They are definitely slices of heaven if I must say. Definitely up my alley!
MENYA NOODLE & BENTO BAR
Food Court, G/F, Promenade, Greenhills
Shopping Centre, Greenhills, San Juan City
Contact Nos: 02 2469069 ext:889
Food Court, G/F, Promenade, Greenhills
Shopping Centre, Greenhills, San Juan City
Contact Nos: 02 2469069 ext:889
Facebook: facebook.com/pg/menyaph
For more information, complete menu and restaurant reviews, check out their Zomato profile:

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