Restaurant Review: Ramen Kuroda at Lucky Chinatown Mall

I finally set foot in Lucky Chinatown for the first time a couple of weeks ago. My husband and I found ourselves to be on that side of the city to scout for some materials to be used for Zayne’s first birthday party. I remember trying to go to Lucky Chinatown with my husband when I was still pregnant, but we had to back out after spending almost half an hour trying to get inside the mall’s parking area. Being first-timers, we were both surprised to see quite a number of nice restaurants, some of which we’ve seen for the first time primarily because we always frequent Robinsons Manila. Hahaha! We wanted to have lunch as quickly as possible because we left Zayne with a babysitter at home. And since we’re both ramen lovers, we decided to give Ramen Kuroda a try.


Ramen Kuroda looks unassuming at first glance, but its minimalistic interiors - with the colors limited to black, white and beige, somehow gave me a refreshing vibe. I don’t remember passing through a door to get to the restaurant so its semi-exposed setting is perfect for people-watching while sipping a bowl of hot ramen. Hahaha!

Aside from the restaurant’s simplicity, the next thing that caught our attention and probably the “thing” that would make us identify Ramen Kuroda with is ITS PRICE! The price for their ramen starts at PHP180. It’s one of the cheapest we’ve seen in all our years of ramen-hunting. Given their prices, we weren’t expecting to be wowed by what we were supposed to eat for lunch that day.

With our expectations set to the lowest, we just looked forward to a bowl of ramen that would fuel us to hours of walking in Divisoria. I know, I know. Pessimism can kill! Hahaha! Baka naman sabihin niyo ang echosera ko! :p I’ve been to tons of restaurants that serve delicious food at reasonable prices. And believe me, I raved for those places here in my blog. But our ramen addiction is quite a pricey vice. With a bowl of ramen usually starting at PHP300, this place absolutely came as a surprise to us. Because we were a bit hesitant that the one-hundred-eighty-pesos-worth of ramen would not be filling, we decided to go with the bowl with a larger serving of chashu. This costs PHP230. It’s definitely not bad at all!!!


Boyet tried Shiro Chashumen. It may not be the best ramen out there, but its rich and milky broth was enough to satisfy my husband’s craving for ramen. It has the perfect blend of subtlety and richness – a perfect contrast for my taste buds.

I would have wanted to try their Aka Ramen mainly because I’m a sucker for spicy food. But because spicy dishes make me want to drink more water, and more water means more frequent visits to the restrooms, I had to change my mind. I didn’t want to waste more time going to and from the restroom. Plus, you probably know the kind of restrooms we have in Divs. Hihi. Anyway, I’m glad that I went with Kuro Chashumen.

With Tonkotsu broth spiced up with garlic oil, this ramen definitely exceeded my expectations. It has a pungent flavor which is perfect for the more adventurous foodies who find Shiro too mild for their senses.

The ramen we got already comes with half egg so I didn’t feel the need to get another serving of tamago. I would have wanted the yolk to be on the softer side, but I stopped minding when I tasted the chashu. Its smoky flavor is another reason to love our bowl of ramen.

My husband and I shared a plate of gyoza. Again, there are a lot of tastier gyoza we’ve had in the past, but this one is not bad at all. Plus, we only had to shell out an additional of PHP100 for this one.

I love the ambiance of Ramen Kuroda. Their ramen was good enough to fix our ramen cravings. We were actually quite surprised that we went home satisfied with our ramen fix. Service was also very efficient because our food arrived just a few minutes after we placed our orders. Ramen Kuroda also has set meals. If ever I find myself back in Lucky Chinatown or SM Manila (I think they’ll be opening a branch there soon), I’ll definitely devour over their set meals.


Ramen Kuroda
Level 3 Lucky Chinatown Mall
Binondo, Manila

* All photos were taken with an Asus Zenfone Selfie