Menya Musashi • 1 Utama — Restaurant in Petaling Jaya

Hands down my favourite Ramen place in PJ.

If I have to use one word to describe their ramen, that word is addictive.

The broth is rich in flavour (my favourite being the garlic oil broth) and the ramen gives a good mouthfeel when chewed on (chewy!). Remember to add the fried garlic toppings for the best experience. Their ajitama egg and charsiu are all spot on - perfect.

Be sure not to miss their 'Teriyaki Pork Rice' that is absolutely appetitising - cooked in soy sauce gravy which is amazing when consumed with white rice.

Price is on the high side but then again, this is a shop located inside One Utama so high price is the norm here. Time your visit because there aren't many tables so you may have to wait for a one.

Parking tips (^_^ )v

If you are coming from inside Bandar Utama heading towards the LDP, you'd pass through Sri Pentas on your left and Hotel Avante on your right.

Notice a humble left turn right before the exit towards LDP - turning in here will bring you into a small alley connecting the One Utama Old Wing to the new building where Menya Musashi (and Manhattan Fish Market) is located. You can park in this alley via the vallet and the vallet booth is right infront of Menya Musashi. Perfect for dropping off or if you just want to park super near for a quick bite without the hassle of spiralling up or down the endless One Utama parking ramp.

Summing it up: Great ramen! Teriyaki Pork Rice is a must try Limited dining space so time your visit Pricey but worth every penny. Parking tips...

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Ramen, but immediately as soon as the bowl of Musashi Ramen that I had ordered landed on my table, I lost interest in it.

Visually, despite the nicely patterned Japanese bowl that my Ramen came in, the culinary content was a passionlessly-cooked, ugly, unappealing, sacrilegiously lukewarm bowl of slob.

For near RM 30 for each type of Ramen on the menu, I was expecting authenticity, not mediocrity. The noodles aren't Ramen-noodles - more like a cross between the local yellow noodles and local Pan Mee; and overcooked. The Ajitama (egg) was dull. The Negi (spring onions) was of the local more pungent variety, and not the milder Japanese Welsh scallion.

The quintessential Tonkotsu broth was lacklustre on the palate at 60°C or less, and the Unami-esque Tare punch that usually seeps through the rich creamy pork-bone stock was disappointingly absent.

Sadly, the Karaage (fried chicken pieces) and Gyoza (pan-fried dumplings) accompaniments fared no better.

Overall, personally, it was a really disappointing first-time visit to this Ramen joint. (Oh... Menya Musashi also automatically slapped on an undeserving 10% service charge on top of the overall bill, given I left the Ramen joint...

Menu-5⭐ ✅Ramen specialist, variety of ramen dishes with 3 types of broth to choose, tsukemen and mazesoba like others. Their donburi set are different with others.

Food-3.5⭐ ❌Saw the pork chop ramen on the table, interested on the big pork chop. But, the pork is actually half fat and lean meat, with big size and deep fried, it make me felt greasy. Added the strong flavour of the broth, I end up need lot of green tea to cleanse it. ✅Noodle on the other hand is nice, feel like hand made and not hard even ordered thick noodle.

Price-3⭐ 🟰Top M40 price as usual, considers the location. RM25-50 per dish, RM16 and above for a side dish. Refillable green tea is only worth for low budget. Portion wise is common medium size.

Atmosphere-4⭐ ✅Japan style design, spacious but mostly 4 person per table. Service is good, qr ordering system to save your time. ❌Food serving speed, wait for 20min, I don't know maybe because my pork chop need time to deep fried.

2nd tier on my list, recommendable but won't come often due to the price, but will try the donburi if got chance. Previously after 6pm, you need to queue, now seem not too crowded, but...