After we tasted defeat at the hands of the De La Salle Green Archers last night, we decided that we deserved to taste something nice. This brought us to Mugen Ramenya along Maginhawa Street. We figured we didn’t get lucky during the finals, so surely we might get lucky with parking and seats … ?
Mugen Ramenya, the creation of Chef Jorge Mendez, stands where Ohayo Ramen Bar once stood. It’s a small 10-seater restaurant, so there was a line of people outside. While we were waiting, the host handed us pencils and the menu on a small clipboard so we can place our orders and then get them much faster the moment we’re seated.
We waited around 20 minutes, which was fine because it was a cool night. A group of fellow UP supporters passed by; we recognized each other’s maroon shirts and exchanged words of commiseration. Maginhawa was bustling as always, and we had a nice time people-watching.
Soon, we were led to our individual stations, which featured condiments, tissues, our own drinking water faucet piped through the counter, and signs talking about ramen, tsukemen, and instructions on how to best enjoy your ramen. Diners could watch the crew at work in the open kitchen, and seeing all the dishes being served up already gave us an idea what we’ll be ordering on our next visit.
It took only a few minutes for our order to arrive. We had gyoza (lovely, flavorful), tonkotsu ramen (creamy broth, tender and almost sweet chashu), and tantanmen (packed with heat, rich broth). I have no food critic-level descriptions to share, just that the vibes of the place were impeccable, it was nice seeing everyone engrossed in their food, and the food was so delightful it made me forget the sting of UP’s loss. We’ll be back (to Mugen and the UAAP basketball finals).
