Moshi Koshi: The Noodle Boss of The Metro

Like a puzzle piece, a hot bowl of noodle soup fits perfectly during rainy days. But whether it's raining cats and dogs or extremely sunny, no one can take away the noodle boss title from a happy urban diner along Shaw Boulevard -- Moshi Koshi.

You all know my love for Japanese food. And as much as I love my fresh pieces of sashimi, Japanese noodles can happily warm not just my tummy but also my soul. At Moshi Koshi, they give utmost importance not just on the flavors of their noodle dishes, but also in giving diners a koshi experience -- a distinctly sweet state of the noodle where it's tender, chewy and firm but not hard, quite similar to the Italians' al dente pasta state.

The noodle boss's space is well-lit and drenched with clean whites and warm wooden fixtures that give off a Japanese ramen house feel. At the right most portion of the room is a wall-posted copy of Moshi Koshi's menu, along with the counter, kitchen and a special area where they make the noodles fresh, in-store, every single day.

The Food

Moshi Koshi may be a noodle boss, but it also houses a few side dishes perfect both as a hot noodle accompaniment or a meal starter.

Among the sidings, we got to try the Gyoza (P80) -- 4 pieces of beautifully pan-fried Japanese dumplings generously filled with a ground pork and vegetable mixture. And although I'm not a big gyoza fan, I enjoyed munching on these delightful treats which were quite crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.

For main course, we sampled the Shoyu Ramen (P185) -- yellow-tinted thin wheat noodles in a hot soy sauce-based broth also filled with pork slices, vegetables, nori (dried seaweed) and narutomaki (Japanese fish cake). Although I have a bias on miso ramen, I love how flavorful, quite salty yet clean-tasting the shoyu broth is as it provided a tasty base for the noodle toppings. And as promised by the noodle boss, the ramen noodle strands were firm and chewy when eaten within 6 minutes.

Next we had was the Tempura Soba (P160), a bowl of really thin gray-tinted healthy buckwheat noodles, shironegi (leeks) and carrots in a soy sauce-based broth with a separate serving of 2 large pieces of chunky ebi tempura.

Although I usually enjoy my soba cold, this warm hearty bowl is a delight to eat. The soba noodles are firmer with a nice hint of an earthy and nutty flavor that goes perfectly with the tasty shoyu broth. As suggested at Moshi Koshi, eat the noodles within 5 minutes and I'm sure you'll enjoy its koshi state as much as I did.

We also tried the Niku Udon (P160) -- thick wheat noodles and beef slices in a flavorful shoyu broth topped with negi (onion) whites. As a big fan of udon, this bowl brought me to noodle heaven. Albeit simpler in taste than ramen and soba, the udon strands were so chewy and firm, perfectly koshi when eaten within 8 minutes. The marinated beef slices also made the broth sweeter like sukiyaki's, making this bowl so delectable.

Moshi Koshi specializes in noodles, but it also has a selection of rice meals such as donburi (rice bowl). For the trip, we got to try the Katsudon (P170) -- chunky pieces of pork cutlets coated with egg and sweet onion slices atop a hot serving of sticky rice drenched with some tonkatsu sauce. Although I'm not a big fan of this Japanese-western classic, I was quite impressed at how tasty and generous the portion was.

We also got to sample the Kara-age Bento (P220), a boxed set of Japanese fried chicken and 4 kinds of side dishes -- steamed vegetables, chicken salad, kinpira and spinach gomae (if I'm not mistaken), that comes with a bowl of steamed rice and hot miso soup. Being a kara-age lover, this set meal definitely satisfied my craving. Each chicken piece was tender, succulent and oozing with garlicky flavors. The side dishes were quite good, but only the spinach gomae left a lasting impression.

We had the Coffee Ice Cream (P55) and Green Tea Ice Cream (P55) to end our late lunch on a sweet note. While I don't go gaga for coffee-flavored ice creams, I love how smooth and creamy Moshi Koshi's was. It also had a hint of caramel without being overly sweet. The green tea-flavored one on the other hand, was another winner with its blend of rich green tea bitterness and silky creamy goodness.

The Takeaways

After a filling and palate-satisfying meal, I decided to bring home some noodle items -- Shoyu Ramen for my mom, Kara-age Soba (P150) for the little sis and a serving-for-later of Kaki-age Udon (P140) for myself.

I live way up north and I was quite worried that the noodles might get mushy and inedible. However, Moshi Koshi doesn't only serve the noodles, dry toppings and the broth separately, but also places the takeaways in a neat plastic and paper layered container.

Even after an hour of traveling, my mom, sis and I all got to enjoy a koshi noodle experience even at the comforts of our home. Oh, and I can't wait to grab a free Yakisoba (P140) on my next visit -- a promo for every P500 single-receipt purchase.

THE VERDICT

After this trip to Moshi Koshi Noodle Boss, I now have a fave noodle place. And with varieties of ramen, soba and udon, as well as a selection of rice dishes, sidings and even desserts all at reasonable prices, I can't help but plan my next visit to the area to try their other offerings. True to their words, Moshi Koshi is indeed a noodle boss worthy of a visit not only during the rainy days, but also when a noodle craving kicks in.

Taste - 4/5
Ambiance - 4/5
Service - 4/5
Price - 4/5
Overall Value - 4/5

Moshi Koshi Noodle Boss, Shaw
431 Shaw Blvd. cor. Ideal St.,
Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila
Philippines
(02) 726-0575
Official Website
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