Ramen, etc.
If a dining table could hold memories the way a journal holds ink, my corner of Molito in Alabang would tell a 14-year story of growing up, showing up, and staying loyal to a single bowl of soup.
When Ramen Yushoken, whose name translates to “House of Champions,” first opened in Alabang back in 2012, I was among the early believers. It brought to local shores the culinary heritage of Japanese ramen masters Koji Tashiro and the late legend Kazuo Yamagishi, revered globally as “the God of Ramen.” In those days, long before the crowds rushed in and before sister concepts like Mendokoro Ramenba expanded across Metro Manila, Molito possessed a gentle atmosphere all day, especially during off-peak hours. You could sit with your thoughts, watch the steam rise from the kitchen, and take that first restorative sip of broth. I considered Molito my me-time place.
Across more than three decades in lifestyle media, food has always been one of my favorite creative spaces. Yet in 14 years of visiting Yushoken, I never once leveraged my profession for special treatment, nor was I ever invited to cover the restaurant, which has been fully booked, if not overbooked, since day one. I would queue outside like every other patron. Standing in line under the hot sun or the afternoon rain, I often asked myself why I was willing to wait so patiently for a table. The answer was always found inside a steaming bowl of the rich, uncompromising shoyu tonkotsu.
But my connection to the establishment reaches far beyond my own appetite. I have no family of my own, but I have effectively raised three generations inside those four walls. My niece Rafa was barely three years old when I first introduced her to the ramen house, and today she is a 19-year-old young woman. Her sister Georges used to join us tucked inside a bassinet, and now she is 16. Then came Aldi, who visited before he could even form complete words. He is now eight years old. Most recently, little Adree joined the family tradition at under two years old. Yushoken has provided a backdrop to some of our family milestones, serving as a sanctuary where we gathered to celebrate the simple joy of sharing a hot meal together.
Even as far back as 14 years ago, when I would bring tiny toddlers there, Yushoken had always welcomed them with training chopsticks. That small gesture of hospitality made a lasting impression on me. On our recent visit with my family, Adree was even served a toddler dish with a sticky base that kept it anchored to the table.
Once, at a Japanese restaurant at Alabang West, I told the manager, who denied my request for training chopsticks, that if they knew better, they would consider it their duty to train young diners in the art of Japanese eating, as those children are their future customers.
Yushoken understood this truth from the very beginning. Because they learned their chops at that table when they were little, Rafa and Georges have developed a deep affinity for the place. Now as teenagers, when in the mood for ramen, they confidently head to Molito on their own with their friends in tow.
That is why my recent return felt genuinely historic. For the first time since 2012, I walked through the doors not as a patient diner waiting in line, but as an invited guest for Yushoken’s first ever official media gathering hosted by chief executive officer Ryan Cruz.
For 14 years, I had strictly ordered the shoyu every single time, matching the steadfast preference that Rafa maintains to this day. On this afternoon, I broke my long-standing rule. I sampled the shio ramen, which Georges and my sister Lea have always favored, along with the tantanmen and miso varieties, dishes our table usually skipped. The kitchen, guided by the high standards of executive chefs Kazunori Kuramochi and Hideaki Aoyama, continues to execute those core broths with exacting mastery.
Yet, those classic dishes were not the main reason for the gathering. We were there to witness a thoughtful expansion designed for what Ryan describes as “the fourth chair” at the table. Every regular understands the difficulty of organizing a group meal, whether you have the dedicated noodle lover, the companion who ate ramen yesterday, the grandmother who craves a hot bowl of rice, or the toddler who is far too small to finish an entire portion of heavy tonkotsu. Rather than chasing fleeting food trends or expanding its menu without purpose, Yushoken created the Chibi Yudon sets to welcome those exact guests without compromising its culinary soul.
The new additions bring serious donburi rice bowls into the spotlight. The Kakuni Don features tender pork belly braised in a sweet soy glaze, served over Japanese rice with a soft-boiled egg, shredded leeks, minced garlic, and a touch of mustard. For chicken lovers, the Titan Don pairs grilled yakitori chicken with a soy-marinated egg and pickled ginger, while the Ebi Tendon delivers crispy tempura prawns and tamago tempura over rice with a sweet tendon sauce. There is also a deeply comforting Beef Curry simmered with Japanese spices and served with fukujinzuke pickles and bird’s eye chili for a subtle kick.
Looking around the room, I found myself thinking of the young ones in my family and how much easier those early dining years would have been with the new Okosama sets. Served in charming Daruma doll-themed dinnerware, these children’s meals combine a manageable bowl of shio or shoyu ramen with chicken karaage, cheesy fries, steamed buns, and orange juice.
To close the afternoon, the kitchen introduced a selection of Japanese-inspired desserts that feel aligned with its identity. The Sesame Panna Cotta offers a delicate roasted finish, the Yuzu Tiramisu lifts mascarpone cream with a bright citrus note, and the Yaki Imo Mochi wraps sweet potato, caramel miso, and Biscoff inside grilled mochi.
Sitting there as an invited guest after 14 years of earning my place in line, I realized that this menu expansion changes nothing about what made the establishment great in the first place. It simply opens the door wider. Ryan and his team did not create these sets to turn Yushoken into something else, but rather to ensure that those of us who have loved it for over a decade never have to leave anyone behind when we make our way back to Molito.
