Ramen Yushoken launched its new Chibi Yudon Sets at Molito, Alabang branch on Wednesday, adding donburi rice bowls, desserts and children's meals aimed at diners who may not want ramen while dining with family and friends.
The new menu includes four donburi options: Kakuni Don, Titan Don, Ebi Tendon, and Beef Curry, as well as Japanese-inspired desserts like Sesame Panna Cotta, Yuzu Tiramisu, and Yaki Imo Mochi. Donations are available at the Yushoken area of Alabang.
“The ramen bar format may not always have people coming in who are obsessed and really want our dishes,” Nippon Hasha, Inc. said. President and Chief Executive Officer Ryan K. Cruz during the launch.
“It's an extra third or fourth seat at the table when we want to build something for someone and friends who like that obsession,” he added.
Mr. Cruz said the new offerings come from dishes already served by Nippon Hasha's portfolio, which includes Mendokoro Ramenba, Marudori, Kazunori, Kazu Cafe,
“Most of these dishes are part of our skills and things we are good at,” he said.
“We've come to know over the years what people like and what we're going to be able to do and deliver.”
He noted that the company intentionally kept the expansion focused rather than dramatically increasing the size of the menu.
“We come up with dishes that we think people will like and we know people tend to gravitate towards,” said Mr. Cruz. “And the dishes we know we can use properly as we have done this in other restaurants.”
Established in 2012, Ramen Yushoken built its reputation on a focused menu of ramen, tsukemen, and maze soba developed in collaboration with Japanese ramen masters Koji Tashiro and the late Kazuo Yamagishi, popularly known as the “Ramen God.” The name of this restaurant translates to “House of Ramen Champions.”
Although Nippon Hasha has no immediate plans to expand its existing products, Mr. Cruz said it continues to develop new concepts.
“We're always working on something,” he said. “The concept we are working on at the moment is still in the beginning, so it's too far to talk about it because I don't even know what the final form will look like.”
Asked what made the company able to stay active for more than ten years in the highly competitive restaurant industry, Mr. Cruz highlighted its strong culinary foundation and commitment to continuous improvement.
“The need and desire to constantly improve is something that I can say makes us different from everyone else,” he said.
“If there is a customer complaint, I will call them and apologize. I will look into all the incidents that happen. We are always looking for ways to improve our business.”
He added that the company has been refining its products over the years rather than relying on its reputation alone.
“When I see pictures of our dishes 15 years ago, I already know just by looking at the picture that it was probably 70% of what we serve now,” said Mr. Cruz. “We've improved it a lot since then.” – Kaizzer Angela Marie V. Manuba
