Silent Take 2 in Mendokoro

One visit 

to this restaurant on September 14 was not enough. 

I felt that I needed to go back and validate that their food, especially their shoyu tonkotsu ramen, would be another addicting Japanese dish for me after my sister Cristy, my son and I had dined in Mendokoro Ramenba before we attended Atom Araullo's book launch at SMX Convention Center Manila. This time though it would be solo dining for me. 

Mendokoro was my second destination following a visit to a sports shop at MOA. 

I decided to eat in this ramen resto before my last stop. 

A weekday, I wasn’t surprised to see that the benches outside the diner were empty unlike that Sunday. I was ushered inside by a female staff at once. 

Feeling the hunger pangs, I ordered and paid for the same ramen and chashu burger at the cashier. Then, I was led to my chair at the counter. This seating arrangement plus the open kitchen gave an authentic Japanese dining experience. 

That day my waiting time was shorter. I liked it!

I know the small number of customers was a factor. That’s why I’d rather eat in my chosen resto not on weekends. 

With a paper bib and no other diners either at my side, I was now ready to undergo my self-care dining. 

Silently I took my first sip of the creamy, collagen-rich pork broth. Its hot temperature was perfect for the rainy weather. A bite of my burger after three sips of the broth became the pattern. Hmmmm…I noticed that my ramen didn’t have the same tastiness as that of my first. Was it because a different chef prepared it? This I have to answer possibly on my third visit with another new chef. Ha-ha! 

Surprise! Surprise! I failed to finish everything in my bowl. Maybe the creaminess was too much for my gustatory cells unlike Botejyu pork tankotsu ramen which I have stuck to in this Japanese diner in Southmall, Las Piñas City. This discovery had me acknowledging the vital role chefs do play in the food quality they serve. 

With this thought plus a postscript that Mendoko Ramenba in Molito may not be welcoming me in its branch for my third, I left to explore another shop in the area and start burning whatever ingested calories I’ve had.