Dining Review: Hakata Ikkousha

hakata ikkousha ramen at festival mall alabang muntinlupa
When the staff greeted us with a loud, “Irasshaimase!”, my former weeb self resurfaced.  Not a lot, mind you, but enough for me to think, “Hey, I know what that meant without the need for subtitles!” (I mean, yeah, it’s a very common phrase and its meaning is pretty obvious, but you get the point.)
Anyway, if that says anything of Hakata Ikkousha, it is that their service staff are very attentive.
Even if it was already after lunch, people are still coming over to eat. And despite that, the staff were all friendly and willing to answer some of our questions and were even within our line of sight when we ate in case we needed something.

chairs for customer queue
Chairs for customers' queue
The place itself had a good ambiance. There wasn’t much in the way of decorations, just enough that you wouldn’t mistake it for anything other than a Japanese restaurant. But overall the atmosphere would allow you to relax and enjoy your food.



I’ve never been to Japan so I can’t speak of the “authenticity” of the ramen. I can and will say, though, that it was good. We had the option of how the texture of the noodles would be like, as well as the option for the ramen’s saltiness for which we chose “normal” for both. I have to say, we got what we asked for.

Order sheet to customize your ramen

The noodles were just the right amount of soft and chewy, neither labsak nor like gum. The broth was heavenly. I just had it as is and didn’t bother adding anything in it to change the flavour. In fact, I only bothered to put some pepper in because I was curious how it would it affect the taste, and not because there’s anything that needed to be adjusted.

Ajitama Black ₱380. Ikkousha's signature broth matched with grilled garlic and black sesame. Ready to receive a punch from this rich aromatic broth.


Ajitama Black Ramen
Ajitama Black Ramen

I finished the toppings immediately. Not to say that there were few, but more because I just devoured everything. The meat was cooked well, and the egg was boiled just enough that the yolk was somewhere between hard- and soft-boiled.  The kikurage complemented the dish as well, bringing the right texture of hard and chewy to the fore.

Ajitama Tonkotsu ₱360. Hailing from Hakata in Southern Japan. Ikkousha original pork broth which is perfect vessels for the full-bodied and collagen-rich pork bone soup, served with thin noodles.


ajitama tonkotsu
Ajitama Tonkotsu Ramen
The serving was big enough that even if I was hungry, in the end I couldn’t finish it all. We also had gyoza and chicken karaage for side dishes.


hakata ikkousha one-bite gyoza
One-bite Gyoza (₱120/5pcs; ₱200/10pcs)
Oh my goodness, the gyoza! We ordered the five pieces, but we wished we ordered the ten pieces instead.  The chewiness of the wrapper is a good contrast to the soft filling.

Special Fried Chicken Karaage
Special Fried Chicken Karaage ₱150/3pcs.
We had a bit of a problem with the chicken karaage because the inside was a bit pink when it was served. When we pointed it out, the staff was quick to serve us a new batch, all properly cooked this time (again, props to their excellent service). I enjoyed the chicken. It wasn’t oily nor was it hard to eat. The skin was crispy and the meat was juicy. Personally, I think it would go well with rice as well.

A peek of their kitchen area
Pricewise, Japanese food has always been pricey, so the fact that the food was on the expensive side wasn’t really a surprise. Would I wish they could have had lower prices? Yes. Would I complain because they didn’t? Not really.
All in all it was a good lunch.

Taste: 4/5
Price: 4/5
Service: 5/5
Ambiance: 4/5


Hakata Ikkousha's food and drink menu


Hakata Ikkousha's food and drink menu

Hakata Ikkousha's food and drink menu

Hakata Ikkousha's food and drink menu
Hakata Ikkousha's food and drink menu


NINA APPROVES!

Hakata Ikkousha is located at the Upper Ground Floor, Expansion Wing, Festival Mall, Filinvest City, Muntinlupa City

BONUS: Check out how the ramen fared against Vice Ganda's Phenomenal Liquid Lipsticks.

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