Kichitora of Tokyo Ramen House -- Home of the Must-Try Paitan!

Kichitora of Tokyo Ramen House in Glorietta Complex

The ramen craze may be toning down a bit for the past few months, but for a late bloomer like me, I'm still definitely hot for it. In fact, just 2 weeks ago, I got to try something that might be considered as an underdog in the world of ramen. It goes by the name Kichitora of Tokyo Ramen House.

It was through the recommendation of my good old friend, Myles, that I learned about this ramen place, and what got my curiosity stirred was when he told me about how great some of the ramen are here especially the Paitan.

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Fast forwording to the moment when we eventually reached the place, I soon stumbled upon a fairly modernized interior with moderate Japanese touches.

The wide space inside Kichitora makes it comfy to dine with friends or family. However, the sad part is, the staff assigned to us seemed to have drained most of the good vibes of the place by her lack of enthusiasm. You might say I'm just over-reacting, but even my colleagues had the same observation. This set us a little off but soon recovered as we got to try the ramen! Let's get on it by going to the appetizer first.

Chicken Karaage || P150 - Single Portion || P250 - Family Portion

Japanese-style boneless fried chicken. 

The Chicken Karaage of Kichitora

The chicken karaage was fresh, crunchy and rightly spiced. It is so good I can't help but liken it to the awesome karaage of other ramen houses!

Shio Ramen

Shio Ramen - try to avoid this and go for the miso or Paitan

Unlike the next two ramen dishes, this Shio Ramen was totally a buzz-kill. It was bland and lacks character. Trust me, you are better off with any of the two dishes below.

Hokkaido Spicy Miso Ramen || P395 

This version of Hokkaido miso ramen is made using a spicy miso base and topped with chopped pork chashu, mixed vegetables, bamboo shoots, spring onions and spicy oil

The Hokkaido Spicy Miso Ramen at its finest!

The Spicy Hokkaido Mido was truly a winner with its tasty and well-blended broth. Most of the playful flavor came from the fatty essesnce as well as the miso, but the greatest thing I love about this ramen was how the broth was refreshingly smooth and suave.

Paitan Ramen Zenbu no Se || P420 

Kichitora's #1 bestselling ramen! This variation of the famous Paitan Chicken ramen is topped with pork or chicken chashu, dried seawood, molten lava egg, and given a dash of flavorful fried garlic

The best-selling Paitan Ramen Zenbu no Se!

This Paitan Ramen Zenbu no Se is really a killer swiftly knocking me down off my feet. It got this bewildering combination of interestingly distinct flavors that hit the right spots of my taste buds. Umami abounds in this dish from all the ingredients heightened by the fat content of the soup.

Also, what I would consider lovely about this Paitan is how balanced the taste was in such a way that you can finish all the ramen all by yourself without reaching the point of satiation. This characteristic of the dish scores high in my book, making this ramen place 2nd in my incomplete top ramen list.

A Not-So-Popular Kid in Kichitora, Glorietta Complex Branch

I'm really fond of including a photo of me (and those who I was with) at the end of the blog post in order to immortalize great memories with awesome people. Hopefully, you don't mind me sharing them.

Kichitora - Overall Ratings and Summary

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Note: Unshaded stars are equivalents of half-stars. The ratings apply solely to this dining experience.
Place ★★★☆
Taste  ★★★★☆
Service  ★★★
Value for Money ★★★★
Budget: At least P460 for the best-selling Paitan. However, you may decided to add extra noodles (P70) in your ramen, so it becomes share-able, splitting the cost at about P270 each.

Kichitora unexpected caught me off guard with both its Hokkaido Spicy Miso Ramen and Paitan Ramen Zenbu no Se. They may not be as famous as the ramen of Ramen Nagi, Mendokoro, Yushoken and the like, but these dishes were extremely amazing. You may want to argue about this, but I'm ranking Kichitora #2 in my personal list of ramen favorites!


How about you - do you recommend this place?

Kichitora Tokyo
Location: Second Floor, Glorietta 5, Ayala Center, Glorietta Complex, Makati City
Contact No.: (02) 555 1288
Service Charge: 10% before VAT
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