Nhà Hàng Tori Soba Mutahiro

foodholicvn

Here's the Japanese block in Saigon again, but today, I'm not going for coffee or bubble tea, but will enjoy a distinctly Japanese dish - Ramen. The place is small like many others in the area, so they make use of the bar on the first floor for customers to dine, with the kitchen on the other side, allowing diners to watch the chefs swiftly shape my bowl of noodles, all while the fragrance of the spices wafts over, so intoxicating you'd want to inhale it all. The standout difference of this Ramen shop is their use of chicken instead of pork. The slow-cooked white meat is juicy and tender, intermingled with just the right amount of fat for a lighter taste compared to pork. Of course, the indispensable sides include Crunchy Pickled Bamboo Shoots - Dried Seaweed - Spring Onions - half a Soy-infused Egg. The most important part is the noodles and the broth, using soba noodles that maintain a chewy texture and just the right amount of saltiness, the broth is incredibly rich, a challenge to describe in words alone, you only know once you taste that first spoonful, and your body feels revitalized with a hard-to-describe happiness. And the broth will be quite salty, I've found most Ramen in Saigon have this distinct salty broth, hence there's always a bottle of white vinegar nearby, I tend to add a lot to adjust to my taste, whereas the Japanese guests don't seem to add anything, the person sitting next to me after enjoying his meal said something very loudly in Japanese, that seemed to signify it was very, very delicious, to which all the staff responded in a heartwarming thank you. Besides Chicken, they also have Crab Ramen, my friend chose this, so I sneaked a taste of the broth, and it was supremely delicious, the crab aroma was richly lacing each sip, truly divine! The price for a bowl of Ramen here ranges from 120-160k, an average price in Saigon, for such a cooking art, hence I still find it satisfying and would want to return for a hot bowl of Ramen, especially on rainy nights in Saigon. 📍 Mutahiro - 8A/G8B Thai Van Lung, District 1, Saigon. 🕐 18:00 - 02:00