Kichitora of Tokyo- A New Authentic Japanese Ramen Place in SM Megamall

After attending Chalife Milk Tea's launch at Nail It Salon last week, we met up with D in SM Megamall and decided to have dinner at this newly opened Japanese ramen place owned by his former schoolmate Mr. Larson Chan.

Kichitora of Tokyo is located in SM Megamall Atrium right in front of Yabu: House of Katsu.

Mr. Larson enthusiastically welcomed us as he thoroughly explained their menu and recommended some of their specialties. We were told that Kichitora actually means "lucky tiger" which explains the tiger prints on the walls. On the right side of the restaurant is their open kitchen wherein diners could get a sight of Japanese chefs preparing the orders.

They were still on soft opening when we visited, but quite a number of guest were already dining in on a Thursday night.

We ordered for their Set Menu which includes a bowl of their signature Paitan (white soup) Chicken Ramen + Gyoza.

Gyoza (P150/5 pcs.)

I must say that this is one of the best gyozas I've tried aside from the ones we had in Kokoro Ramenya. We were told that their Gyoza were machine made and so the meat fillings were uniform in size. It also gave the dumplings a nice toasted covering yet making the meat filling moist and oozing with juices inside. Just add a little more soup inside and it could pass as a pan-fried xaio long bao gyoza.

Paitan (White Soup) Chicken Ramen (P360)

Moving on with the noodles, the Paitan Chicken Ramen, as Mr. Larson explained is the ladies' favorite. A light, creamy and tasty broth coupled with a perfect thin and chewy ramen noodles was already enough to win me over. But as soon as I bit into the tender chicken breast, I was completely sold. How I wish there were more pieces of chicken meat in every bowl though. 

Special Miso Chasu Ramen w/ Ma Oil (P395)

Now for the guys, here's a recommended "macho" ramen for you. Dubbed as the "Burger of Ramen" by Mr. Larson, the Special Miso Chasu Ramen w/ Ma Oil is a menu specialty made with grilled pork chasu slices and very crunchy bamboo shoots. The noodles for this mighty ramen were a bit thicker than the Paitan Chicken while the broth was also tastier with an intense meaty flavor.

Spicy Mabo Tofu w/ Pork Tsukemen (P395)

For the Tsukemen, we ordered for the Spicy Mabo Tofu w/ Pork Tsukemen. For those who are not familiar with tsukemen, tsukemen actually means "dipping noodles" wherein the noodles is served separately with a dipping sauce.

The sauce was very thick and meaty right enough to coat the noodles after every dip. It was spicy but not overbearing and the noodles were very firm and chewy as well.

Jajamen (Japanese Pork Sauce with Dry Noodles) w/ Soft-Boiled Egg (P395)

Lastly, we ordered for the cold dry noodles called Jajamen topped with Japanese pork sauce, bamboo shoots and soft-boiled egg. 

It was somewhat similar to the Spicy Mabo Tofu Tsukemen less the spice. The runny egg topping made the noodles saucy and moist and but somehow it fell short of our expectations.

Kichitora Menu:

It's Beryllicious Top Picks:
Paitan Chicken Ramen
Special Miso Chasu Ramen w/ Ma Oil
Gyoza

Overall, I was quite happy with our Kichitora experience. The restaurant was still on its soft opening but service and food was superb! It was also nice to see how Mr. Larson Chan personally attends to every table and initiate small talks with the customers. Sad that we missed on desserts, but hopefully we could try it out on our next visit. 

Kichitora of Tokyo

2/F Mega Atrium, SM Megamall, 

J. Vargas Ave. cor EDSA, Mandaluyong City

Contact Num: 451-2218

Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/KichitoraPH