MANILA, Philippines – After a long, tiring day of furniture shopping, doesn’t a warm bowl of comforting ramen sound really good to you? If it does, you’re in luck, because Makati’s famous ramen joint Mendokoro Ramenba is set to open its newest branch in IKEA Pasay City, the biggest IKEA branch in the world.

Rumors about Mendokoro’s newest location started after the restaurant posted a Facebook teaser on November 4, sharing a photo of a boarded-up storefront with the sign “Great Ramen Experience.”

On Friday, December 3, Nippon Hasha, the company behind Mendokoro and Ramen Yushoken, confirmed to Rappler that it would be opening on the ground floor of IKEA Pasay City’s building in the third quarter of 2022.

Customers can expect Chef Hideaki Aoyama’s signature ramen menu here, which includes Mendokoro and Ramen Yushoken favorites like shio, shoyu, tantanmen, ebi tonkotsu, super chashu, bonito, tokusei, karai tokusei, gyoza, and a variety of sobas, too. Mendokoro’s take-home ramen kits will also be available at the branch.

Nippon Hasha also said that it is “only fitting that [they] start capturing the market in the south,” saying that they wanted this new branch to cater to the casual strollers visiting MOA Square and employees who work in the area.

Mendokoro’s IKEA Pasay City branch will be the brand’s fourth Metro Manila location so far; the other three are located in Molito, Alabang; Bonifacio Global City; and Salcedo Village, Makati City.

Mendokoro currently has a roving ramen food truck that pops up in various locations around the Metro. The ramen-on-wheels concept first visited the Capitol Commons Park in September.

Another local brand, Auro Chocolate, will also be opening its first physical chocolate cafe in IKEA Pasay City in December. – Rappler.com