Mu Noodle Bar in Wilson St. San Juan City

There's a lot to do, see and eat here in my beloved hometown, San Juan City. Go straight ahead to P. Guevarra Street, you'll see from left to right restaurants of different cuisine and some are considered hidden gems; turn left to Wilson Street and you shall behold this noodle bar which was introduced to me recently and there I learned that this place puts forward its specialty Chinese Style Noodle Soups. Open daily from 11AM until 2AM. It is called Mu Noodle Bar. "mu" is a Japanese word alleged to mean "Your question cannot be answered because it depends on incorrect assumptions." However, in Chinese language it means "nothing". One would really wonder what is so special about this food establishment and together with selected foodies we came to discover the truth one fine afternoon.

The interior and decor have qualities of being modern and minimalistic. Majority of the materials used are woods especially those that are having black discoloration. The dark walls coupled with strong white light resulted in strong statement, which therefore is a big come on for guests.

Established on July 28, 2012, you would never know how good-looking it is inside as oppose to the size of the facade. You'll find peace inside and I mean order in eating and. And it is a good accomplishment for them that just recently they opened their 2nd branch in Glorietta 1.

Iced Tea PhP40 (right) and Lemon Tea (left) PhP40

Both are cold beverages. Normally, in Chinese/Japanese restaurants, hot tea is served to begin your meal but for Mu Noodle bar waitstaff served us with a glass of cold iced tea first followed by your choice of drink from their list of beverages. Since I was too  thirsty I gulped it down and found how aromatic yet bland it was, but not as refreshing as the Lemon Tea.

Dong Bo Buns PhP240

We started with these soy glazed pork served on the side with fried mantou bread, mustard, crushed peanuts and coriander. The melt-in-your mouth goodness of pork belly was incomparable for its excellence. That's the main ingredient that made the dish very desirable. Make sure to blend it with mustard, peanuts and coriander for a complete package. One is not enough!

Beef with Tendon Noodle Soup PhP260

For noodles soups, we started off with the special one- Beef with Tendon! When ordering noodle soup, you will be given an option whether to have thick or thin noodles (Udon or Hong Kong style) and miso or soy stock. Be careful with the extremely hot stone bowl for it might burn your fingers. This beef noodles soup (as shown above) was made with braised beef, flavorful beef broth, some vegetables, egg, and last but not the least, thin noodles. I especially love the tough and fibrous pieces of tendons which are actually what connects muscle to bone. On rare occasions that I eat this sumptuous part of beef coupled with brisket on a relaxing soup, it's just so amazing that I finally have discovered another soup bowl worth raving.

Char Siu Pork Noodle Soup PhP240

Char Siu is the best tasting meat that I ever tried. Add few pieces of this meat on a bowl of ramen or noodle and that will simply take your breath away. Have some to believe! Should you want additional soup, egg or extra pieces of beef or char siu, the restaurant staff would be very glad to accommodate your request but be ready to pay for additional cost.

Beef Fried Rice PhP200
A beefy rice dish that will certainly suit every Asian palate and perfect for any viand from the menu.

Prawn Omelette PhP220

Omelette is not just for breakfast as it is a great hearty viand too. It is made with eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, milk, onion, green pepper and prawns. Now, I cannot recall if this light dish is served with sauce but all I remember is is slightly sweet and savoury note served Asian-style.

3 Cup Chicken PhP240

Chicken fried with ginger, garlic and spinach. This is a popular dish in Chinese?Taiwanese dish because of its simplicity and easy to do recipe. Best if it is cooked with soy sauce, rice wine, and sesame oil. From the moment this bowl landed our table, I can easily detect how fragrant it is and when I started having some spoonfuls, the flavor was just immensely flavorful and goes well with the beef rice.

For desserts, we insanely finished the following. The wooden dessert spoon perched on top of each goblet caught my interest. So perfectly perfect. 

Frozen Fruit PhP80

A goblet filled with refreshingly assorted chunks of fruit such as watermelon, melon, mango and pineapple frozen to cool you down.

Milk Tea Ice Cream PhP70

First time to encounter such a heavenly dessert. Milk Tea is so in demand and this ice cream must be included in the roster of popular desserts as well. But I fall short on the serving size. I bet guests deserve better that a scoop or two of milk tea ice cream.

MU Milky Cup PhP80

My hunger for sweets regained at the usual energy level. A cup of coconut milky goodness topped with crunchy frosted flakes will surely left you craving for more. It is more than like eating cereals for breakfast. The ice cream is way better than what I regularly dig in.

Cua Pao Custard PhP120

Heavenly! I actually cannot grope for the right description on my first bite of this cua pao custard except that it feels like I'm in heaven in every bite. Golden brown in color filled with salted egg custard and malted chocolate stuffed inside a fried bun. I opted to wipe my bun with some drizzles of chocolate beneath it. And the explosion of flavor is guranteed to happen.

I still want more from MU Noodle Bar. This is worth a food trip! Gotta try all the dishes slowly. If you needed some Asian fix, this place is one of the best on this part of San Juan City.

MU NOODLE BAR
197 Wilson St., 1600 San Juan, Philippines
0917-8074057/(02)4512681 
munoodlebar@gmail.com
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