Spices: Kichitora of Tokyo

It has been a while back since we went here to dine, I can still remember that it was a holiday and almost every restaurant was packed. We ended up in Kichitora, I haven't read or hear anything about this place thus I had no expectations with the resto.

We started with the Banbanji, slices of chicken on a bed of greens with sesame dressing. There is nothing not to like about the salad, it was beautifully presented, the greens were all fresh, the chicken was moist and tender and it had just the right amount of sesame dressing. The addition of the crispy fried wanton skin was a nice touch, we enjoyed the added crunchiness in the salad.

Ban Ban Ji Salad - Php295

We ate the salad with the resto's version of the Gyoza, flavor wise it tasted good but I felt that the skin was too thick and it was missing that slightly crunchy bottom.

Gyoza - Php150

If there is one dish that is worth coming back for, it is the Chicken Karaage. The thickness of the breading was just right, it was enough to instill a super crispy outside and not overpower the chicken pops. Inside, the chicken was so moist and tender, it had that melt in your mouth feel. I instantly fell in love with this upon first bite, this dish is to die for!!!

Chicken Karaage (Family Portion) - Php295

We were choosing among the ramen choices and decided to go for the resto's specials. The first of which is the Paitan Ramen Zenbu no Se. Most ramen places offer pork based broth but this one is made of chicken. The ramen was topped with chasu, boiled egg, vegetables and dried seaweed. We picked the pork chasu instead of the chicken, the pork slices were moist, tender and flavorful. Noodles weren't soggy and it still has a good bite to it which we like. The broth was thick, rich and packed with so much flavors, I enjoyed the first spoonfuls but it came to a point that I got satiated. It was too thick and rich for me, I suddenly felt like I was eating noodles with sauce instead of soup.

Paitan Ramen Zenbu no Se - Php420

Next up was the Hokkaido Spicy Miso Ramen. Just like the Paitan ramen, the pork chasu and noodles were excellent. Feeling satiated with the previous Ramen, I only got to take a few sips of the the Spicy Miso Ramen broth as it was richer, thicker and more flavorful.

Hokkaido Spicy Miso Ramen - Php395

I ate more of the Mabo Tofu Tsukemen. It wasn't as thick and rich compared to the other Ramen dishes we ordered. Plus with this type of Ramen dish, I was able to adjust on how much flavors I wanted as the noodles are served separately and are meant to be dipped in the soup.

Mabo Tofu Tsukemen - Php395

Kichitora's Ramen is definitely of excellent quality, you can taste  how extensive the broth of each Ramen dish are made. It just wasn't my cup of tea, I prefer my broth to be simpler and lighter. If I would come back here, I would order a whole plate of Chicken Karaage for myslef and maybe just share a bowl of Ramen with somebody.

Kichitora of Tokyo
Address: 2nd Floor Atrium, SM Megamall,  Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong
Tel. No.: 775 1100
Webpage: www.kichitora.com