Menya Kokoro, which has been hailed the best dry ramen of Tokyo, opens in the Philippines

It's been hailed as the best mazesoba — a.k.a. dry ramen — in all of Tokyo, and it's now in the Philippines.

Everybody, meet Menya Kokoro, a Japanese restaurant offering a unique take on the mazesoba. The brainchild of Chef Takuma Ishikawa, Menya Kokoro opened in Tokyo in 2013. There are 18 stores in Japan and six around the world, including Manila, and we have Malvin Ang, the guy who brought in Brotzeit, to thank.

It was a serendipitous meeting that brought Malvin and Japanese franchise director Akihiko Koga together. Several weeks later, they found themselves in Tokyo, hunting for the best restaurant concept to bring to Manila.

Menya Kokoro just opened its first restaurant in Uptown Mall in BGC. The 32-seater restaurant is a bit smaller than its counterparts in Japan, but Malvin — confident in the Japanese’ dedication to impeccable quality and consistency — plans to open at least five more restaurants by 2020.

For now, they only offer six kinds of mazesoba: Classic a.k.a. Tokyo Mazesoba, Spicy, Vegan, Zenbu (with pork cooked two ways), Cheese (with Mozzarella), and Curry. According to Koga-san and Malvin, they still have more kinds of mazesoba in Japan that they plan to bring to the Philippines very soon.

Here’s the best way to enjoy your mazesoba and how to have three uniquely flavorful experiences in one bowl.

Step One: Mix
Mazesoba literally means “mix noodles”, so the first thing to do is to mix all the contents of the bowl together as soon as it’s placed in front of you. Get all those flavors to mingle with each other and their specially made noodles straight from Japan.

Pro-Tip: Order a mazesoba with a soft boiled egg, just like the classic Tokyo Mazesoba. It will give you an extra rich and creamy mazesoba experience.

Step Two: Add Vinegar

About halfway through your noodles, sprinkle some of Menya Kokoro’s Special Vinegar with Kombu (Japanese seaweed). It’ll give a certain complexity to your noodles, making it a bit chewier than before.

This is the second level of flavor: rich, savory, a bit of saltiness and acidity but with depth — thanks to the kombu.

Step Three: Slurp

Never be ashamed to slurp as loud as you can when you’re at Menya Kokoro. A hungry slurp is music to the chef’s ears — proof that the diner is having the time of his/her life. The slurping action also brings in air, which cools the noodles a bit, so you won’t burn your tongue while eating.

Step Four: Add Rice

When the noodles are gone, there’s a good chance you’ll still have quite a lot of sauce and meat (and if you're having the vegan option, the soy-based crumble called mamenosoboro) left in your bowl.

Ask your server for a small scoop of Japanese rice and mix it with the leftover sauce. This is the third flavor experience: the rice acts as a blank canvas for the sauce to shine. Without the chewy soba, you’ll appreciate the sauce and its myriad of flavors even more.

If you’re hungry for more, we highly recommend their Takoyaki (extremely hot and stuffed with octopus, the creamy Japanese mayonnaise and bonito flakes makes every bite burst with umami). — LA, GMA News

Level 3 Terrace, Uptown Mall, BGC