Chef Jorge Mendez’s New Ramen Joint in Maginhawa Hits the Spot

Back when I was living in the Scout area of Quezon City, I used to frequent a streetside food stall along Timog Avenue near the GMA Network building. Ohayo was a small kiosk that served sushi and ramen that was dirt cheap but big on flavor. An eight-piece serving of Salmon Torched Maki, for instance, went for just P159 and was made-to-order by the lone itamae (sushi-maker) who manned the counter. It was tasty and filling, and I liked it so much I remember walking over there to get my Japanese fix at least once or twice a week.

The food stall disappeared a few months later, but I soon found out that it had eventually become a full-service outlet that had expanded to several branches around the city, including one in Maginhawa Street.

This is the sign

On Monday (August 11), however, I discovered that the old Ohayo in Maginhawa is now a dedicated ramen joint called Mugen, which is owned and operated by Chef Jorge Mendez and his partners. Mendez invited a small group of “taste testers” to sample his take on authentic Japanese ramen before its official opening on Thursday (August 14).

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Mugen, which means “unlimited” or “infinity” in Nihongo, is tiny: only 10 counter-style seats facing the open kitchen. Of course, this is modeled after the typical “ramen-ya” shops in Japan, or those little streetside shops that often serve just one type of dish, and one that they do really well.

Wagyu ramen

“Over the years, I've had the chance to go back and forth to Japan, learning different things from different chefs, trying different traditional dishes, and then sitting in a quiet ramen bar, some place that you don't have to speak, but to religiously observe and, of course, drink,” Mendez said by way of introducing his guests to his latest enterprise.

Mendez is, of course, the culinary genius behind critical and commercial favorites like Modan, Tadeo, the aforementioned Ohayo, and the soon-to-open Makanai in BGC. He is also the executive chef and creative director of Cibo, the restaurant empire founded by the late, great Margarita Forés. While he juggles a lot in his still-burgeoning career, the young chef clearly has a soft spot for Japanese cuisine. 

Gyoza

“Through the years, I've been searching for the best ramen,” he said. “And then I just realized that every ramen is quite unique. Every goal is a work of art. Every chef's hand is different. Every story is different, and every chef has their own different ways of expressing flavors.”

This realization led Mendez to create Mugen.

“Instead of comparing different types of ramen to one another, I wanted to create something that's influential, something unique, and something that's really awesome. So that's what Mugen is.”

Crab ramen

Typical of the ramen-yas of Japan, Mugen has just a few items on its menu: three appetizers, three chahan or fried rice dishes, three choices for Tsukemen (chewy noodles dipped into a broth), a couple of sobas, and a few desserts.

And, of course, the ramen dishes, of which there are only four to choose from: tonkotsu, tantanmen, wagyu, and crab.

After a serving of karaage, gyoza, and ebi nugget, I chose to have the wagyu ramen. Busy cooks, including Chef Jorge himself, worked behind the counter, operating equipment that included what looked like an automatic noodle boiler. In my own counter, there were the essentials: napkins, chopsticks, some condiments, and a nifty water dispenser so I didn’t have to call the waiter for a refill.

Chef Jorge Mendez

The ramen appeared piping hot after a few minutes, with garlic chips, chopped green onions, and a golden egg yolk quietly sizzling in the fine tan broth. The wagyu strips were deliberately left rare, leaving it to marinate in the hot oily soup. It had rained just before I made it to the restaurant, which inevitably caused a massive traffic jam but had also dropped the temperature down a few degrees. A sip of ramen at that wet hour was just what I needed, and the one I had was silky, full-bodied and packed with flavor. For a brief moment I was transported to an actual ramen-ya in a dim alleyway in Tokyo, sipping my ramen on a rainy night with strangers for company.

Mugen is clear-cut in its idea and no-nonsense in its execution: to serve ramen the way it’s supposed to be done in a setting that closely resembles the original in the land of the dish’s birth. It’s apparent Mendez spent considerable time smoothing out the concept in order to deliver the best version of the Japanese staple that he can. And while there’s no shortage of great food finds in this corner of Quezon City, a ramen joint serving authentic flavors that satisfies cravings is always a welcome addition to the nieghborhood.

Mugen is now open. It is located at 108-B Maginhawa Street, Quezon City.