Inosho Ramen: The Newest Ramen Shop in Salcedo Village (Makati City), Serving Ramen Deep in Umami Flavors
For the longest time, there’s only one ramen king in Salcedo Village (Makati City), which is Mendokoro Ramenba. Its ramen is composed of creamy broth and chewy noodles, and is still the best for me.
But recently, a new ramen shop opened in the area—Inosho Ramen. Originating from Japan, this ramen joint was founded by ramen master Nakamura in 2006. It has recently opened in Makati, offering ramen, izakaya (Japanese pub) -style dishes, and alcoholic beverages.
I like that there is a bar, giving izakaya feels:
I’m curious if their ramen is good and can dethrone Mendokoro’s. So I tried their Special Inosho Ramen, which is made with their signature Tonkotsu-Gyokai broth, a blend of pork and seafood flavors.
The broth is intense in flavor and rich in umami (I can certainly tell that it’s also made with fish). It’s also rightly thick and has a sour flavor, which counters the richness. But honestly, it’s too flavorful for me (I can just imagine their tsukemen or dipping ramen, which has a more intense broth).
The noodles are thick and chewy, which I like, though I wish it is chewier.
I underestimated the chashu (pork belly), which is 210 grams of porky goodness! It has a nice balance of melt-in-the-mouth fat and tender meat.
Other ingredients in the ramen are ajitama (soy-marinated soft-boiled egg), menma (bamboo shoots), naruto maki (Japanese fish cake), and nori (seaweed wrapper).
The ramen, I think, lacks some textures. Thankfully, I ordered their Jiro-Veggie, which is a medley of bean sprouts and cabbage. While it’s on the plain side which I think is intentional, it definitely adds some crunch to the ramen.
I don’t remember seeing gyoza (Japanese dumplings) in the menu. So for my side, I ordered their Kara Karaage (Japanese fried chicken). It’s crisp, tender, juicy, and on the spicy side.
To finish my meal, I got their Burnt Basque Cheesecake, which is served with matcha cream and amaretto liqueur.
The cheesecake is creamy, the liqueur adds kick, and the match whipped cream has a subtle matcha taste. This is a good dessert!
Inosho Ramen makes good ramen and good food in general. But honestly, it’s not for me. Call me a ramen noob, but I’m still for tonkotsu broth or still on my way to embrace fish- or seafood-based broth (be patient with me!). So for me, it hasn’t dethroned the reigning ramen king in Salcedo Village.
Still, I’m happy that more and more ramen concepts are opening up in the Metro and even in the entire country. And I don’t see a problem recommending that you give Inosho Ramen a try.
Address: 129 Bautista St. cor. Tordesillas St., Salcedo Village, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines | Operating Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 11AM-11PM; Friday & Saturday, 11AM-12AM | Contact No.: 0917-1560368 | Instagram