Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen ***

Ikkoryu was one ramen place which opened at the right time when the ramen craze was picking up.
Established in Japan on 1970, Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen specializes in Chikuho noodles, Tonkotsu soup, Gyoza (Dumplings) and Chashu roast pork.

Now with 6 branches, Ikkoryu's a very dependable place for that ramen fix.Their ramen is constantly innovated to keep up with the evolving taste of the consumers.

Their signature ramen is the Original Tonkotsu Ramen
With the pork broth boiled for hours, the bowl is adorned with hefty slice of Chashu, green onion, bamboo shoots, wood ear and dried seaweed. It is a light and flavorful ramen you'll enjoy sipping.
The pork broth is rich and thick, and the lingering taste and the fragrant aroma of the ramen packs a mean punch.

A variation is the chasyu ramen wherein they add more chasyu slices.

Yuzutama Tonkotsu Php 380
This one's a spicier version of the Tonkotsu, comes with Ajitama (half-boiled egg), spring onions, bamboo shoots and seaweeds. The spiciness of Yuzu can be an acquired taste for some but it works well for this ramen.

Black Garlic Tonkotsu
This is Tonkotsu ramen plus special garlic oil, resulting in a more fragrant ramen that rocks.
Definitely my favorite of the lot.

Panfried Gyoza. Done well, although these are elongated rather than the plump
gyoza shape we're familiar with. Best paired with ramen. 

Chasyu Rice
This is just sliced chasyu on steamed white rice. A bit of a disappointment because not only is the bowl is small,  the chasyu was also bland, needs some sauce to perk up a very boring rice topping.


Noticed that Ikkoryu only uses one soup base (Tonkotsu) and just uses variations on the flavor.
Very satisfied with the ramen, but others options would be great. In a sea of new ramen places, it pays to be the ahead of the pack. Glad Ikkoryu is taking bold steps by coming up with innovations on their ramen.

Ikkoryu Branches:

Level 5, Shangri-la Plaza East Wing
Shaw Boulevard corner EDSA, Mandaluyong City

Telephone Number 477-8333

Level 2, SM Aura,  The Fort,  478 8333
Level 3, Century Mall, Makati Avenue, 811 0333
LGF, The Garden, Alabang Town Center: 8033333
P1 Concourse Level, Powerplant Mall, Rockwell Center: 8978088
G/L, Building 7, Bonifacio High Street, The Fort: 8090333

Return to Ippudo or how to dodge the long line for ramen.

Went back to Ippudo after I felt that the first review didn't do the place justice, given that they were really, really hectic on day 1.

Was here on a weekday, and again I went queued about 2:30 pm. The line was shorter since it was downtime.  When the server checked and I said "for one" I was immediately seated by the bar. The place felt different the second time, no TV crews so far (but the ABS-CBN guys arrived at 3:00), the ambiance, somber, and it was toned down from the last time, yet the crews still howl Nihonggo gibberish here and there, which irritates me to death. Perfect time to enjoy a bowl of ramen.

Shiromaru Motoaji (P375)

Ippudo's menu has three types of ramen -  Shiromaru Motoaji (basic tonkatsu noodles), Akamaru Shinaji (miso paste, garlic oil) and Karaka Ramen(super hot). These ramen you can put add-ons like ajitama/ soft-boiled egg, extra seaweed, or the works. 

Akamaru Shin-aji or "Red Sea Ramen" Php 390

Ordered the Akamaru Shinaji- this one has Hakata-style thin noodles with garlic oil and miso paste. Served with spring onions, kikurage and a lice of pork belly. The ramen is very fragrant and looks very enticing. Akamaru when translated means "red sea", this is probably the red miso paste that gives this ramen a slightly spicy kick. Noodles are firm and al-dente. Order this if you love a more flavorful ramen with a twist. Add some crushed garlic and a bit of sesame seeds and you have a winner! My new go-to ramen. Yummy!

Ippudo Pork Bun (P 100)  This is a simple cuapao, using a slice of chasyu and Japanese mayo.
One order is not enough and it was slightly "bitin"

Gyoza The gyoza skin is thin and light, the pan-fried gyoza is not tasty and not swimming in oil. 5 small pieces is P 210.

Was able to talk Chef Lee Jose after my meal, yes, the place was excellent and the first day jitters were gone, and so was the super kulit server from last time. Had a great experience and will be back.

Not falling in line for ramen, of course. 

Ippudo Ramen
3rd Level, Mega Fashion Hall
SM Megamall
(beside Sports Central)
(02) 470-1837

They don't allow reservations.
No takeouts. And everyone must
fall in line :)

Ramen Nagi SM MOA, the good, the bad and the ugly *****

Gone are the days that you pay P 100 - P 200 for a good bowl of ramen.
With the advent "ramenification" and new places opening up,
good ramen bowls have shot up to almost P 500.
And people are lapping it up.

Among the ramen places that opened, Ramen Nagi stands out.
I remember the crazy long lines at Central in HK. (known as Butao Ramen there) It was such a tiny place, sometimes the line would stretch to the streets.

Here in the Manila, I'm glad that the one in Aura isn't so cramped.
The new one in MOA that opened a few months ago was smaller, so expect to share tables.
Ramen Nagi is at the South Area along the line of restaurants near SM Department Store.
Lines are long, but they have a tedious procedure giving you the order slip only when your name is called. (Why don't they just give you the slip while you're in line? ) So the procedure is they call your name and you're allowed to order. Gyoza is ordered orally thru the server. And they call you again if your table or shared table is ready.

We came here for the Black King.
The soup base has squid ink. A ball of squid ink is also added. And it has lots of garlic.
Not really a good-looking bowl at but this is one of best-tasting ramen I've tried.
The pork shoulder is tender and large. The bowl is big and can be shared.
An order costs 410 (+ tax) A bit steep, but the novelty of drinking good-tasting soup
that looked like it came from the swamp is horrifying and satisfying at the same time.
One sip and it's umami overload! Delicious! Worth the sweaty wait.

We also ordered the Green King.
The soup base is pork bones and they add olive oil to the base.
Parmesan is added last, so it feels like eating a soupy pasta.
The taste is a bit overwhelming, and I feel this bowl should be either shared or you should add a bit of spice to it to balance the burst of strong flavors.

Gyoza, The gyoza is made of a thin wrapper and it was done right.
There was an ample amount of chives and pork. This is also a winner especially when
dipped into the sauce. And it came in a sizlling plate!

Overall,
What I love:
Very very good ramen, especially the Black King. ( a must-try)
Orders are done upon your liking, noodle hardness, spice level, etc.
(Quick tip: Just check Chef reco)

What I hate:
Lack of privacy, since you're sharing a table with others, but the tables are small
and its just hard to move around.

Worse, they don't allow leftovers to be taken home or takeouts.
What a waste of good food if you can't finish the whole bowl.
I understand if the soup recipe is a secret and I'm fine if they don't allow takeouts.
But as a customer I have paid 450 pesos for the ramen,
and  have the right to take the leftovers home as I want to.

I suggest for them to make smaller bowls if they want to keep this policy.
Just imagine how much food is just being thrown away.


Ramen Nagi
SM Mall of Asia
Ground Floor, South Wing 
550-2394

SM Aura Premiere
5th Level Sky Park
8286793

Ryu Ramen and Curry at SM Jazz, Makati (updated photos)

Ramen is like the new sosy version of lechon manok. New places are sprouting up every month.

Ryu Ramen and Curry is still on soft opening at SM Jazz, at Belair Makati.
Judging from the looks of the restaurant and the full tables during one Friday lunchbreak, I'm sure this place will pack them in like the T. Morato branch.
 
They have different ramen but at first glance these noodles are expensive, almost 400 for a bowl of ramen? Their signature is the Ryu Ramen Curry P380). The other bestseller is Tantanmen.
 I'm not a big fan of curry and I just had Ukkokei's Tantanmen so I settled for something lighter - the Shoyu Ramen P 345 and I didn't keep my expectations high.

Their Shoyu Ramen uses a pork-based broth with slices of Chasyu, kamaboko, green onions, special ingredients like Menma (bamboo shoots) and Konbu (dashi for that umami flavor) When the ramen came out and I tasted it... It was ramen heaven. Delicious! The broth was very tasty, it has hints of garlic. The Chasyu was tender and delicious. Everything was perfect. It was ramen that can compete with my favorites like Santouka and way tastier than Ukkokei's version. And best of all, the bowl is big enough to be shared.

Then came my other order, Tamanegi Php 175, deep fried veggie tempura with squid and shrimps. This one is very good, too. The batter is light, its fried just right, and not oily. A must for every Tempura lover, and I love it they serve the sauce hot. Other restos don't even bother to do this, so its plus points for Ryu.

Tamanegi  P175

I got a haduken punch by Ryu. Theirs is a ramen worth lining up for. But if you're not into ramen they serve other dishes like Katsudon and more.

We came back last Saturday March 15, and tried the other stuff on the menu.
So we we had the gyoza, which was ok. Nothing special but it was done well. Still better than Ukkokei's. We also tried the Toridon and Katsudon, these also did the job and were inexpensive.
The Toridon particularly was tender and there were generous chunks of chicken breast. For the ramens, we tried the Tantanmen, which came in mild, hot and extra hot versions. Check out the red chili oil  in the soup. Their tantanmen version was earthy and flavorful and like the Shoyu Ramen had generous toppings of minced meat and soft-boiled egg. But I didn't like the Negi Butter Corn Ramen, this was too rich and the umay factor was very high. The soup had hints of peanut butter, it felt like I was eating a dessert soup. The bowl was also big and good enough to be shared. But I'll stick with the Shoyu Ramen.

Gyoza

Katsudon - Pork Cutlet

Tantanmen

Toridon - Grilled Chicken on Rice

Negi Butter Corn Ramen

Heard that Ryu is partly owned by singer/actor Ogie Alcasid. More power to Ryu, At least the high prices were justified. Their ramen is visit worthy.

Spoon Rating
4 out of 5 (first visit)
3 out of 5 (second visit)

Getting there:
Ground Floor
SM Jazz
N Garcia St (formerly Reposo)
Bel-air, Makati

Have you tried Ukkokei's Tantanmen?

Tantalizing flavors of Tantanmen

According to the servers at Ukkokei, total of 40 Tantanmen bowls are only served per day.
That's quite a small volume compared to the oodles of ramen served elsewhere.
Tantanmen is a spicy, earthy ramen made with minced pork. Tasting it reminds me of the Chinese dish Mapo Tofu. Ukkokei's version is pretty good, the spiciness dows not overpower the flavor of the noodles, but you have to finish this early because the soup might turn into film-like good after a while (its that deadly oily) At 360 pesos a bowl, its good enough to satisfy one's hunger pangs.
Best paired with a cold soda or tea.

I was lucky enough to try the Tantanmen one Sunday night because we did make sure to go there early for dinner so my sister won't miss her ramen fix. I suggest you try one too to discover what the fuss is all about. This is not ramen I would like to eat everyday but I do get to enjoy every once in a while.

 My Ramen Ranking: 3rd place

Ramen Diaries: Mitsuyado Sei-men

There are ramen. And there's tsukemen.
Tsukemen are dipping noodles, just like the Chinese toast noodles that you dip into the soup before eating. The difference? While the Chinese variety merely separate the noodles from the soup, the tsukemen's soup base is thicker, having a sauce-like consistency.

Mitsuyado Seimen's bestseller is the Cheese Tsukemen.

At first you would think it's spaghetti with thick noodles cooked al dente.
But then you pour in the cheese (the cheese is like cheez whiz) and start dipping it into the soup, the magic happens...an exceptionally tasty and gooey ramen you can slurp.

 

Delicious whether you're a ramen lover or not. I was expecting to be overwhelmed by the cheese although I kept adding in moderation and the slight tartness of the ramen soup somehow balances things out, making it a ramen experience worth going back to

Other stuff we ordered: Gyoza , 5 pcs. pan-fried and definitely better than Ukkokei's ho-hum gyoza.

Gyoza P 180

Black Pepper Chicken Don Php 260

I loved the Black Pepper Chicken, they were very generous with the chunks of chicken
and the taste of pepper wasn't too overwhelming. For those who are not in the mood for ramen, this one's good.

Stuff that didn't make it in the pics: Chasyu Ramen

Check out  the place! It feels like you're dining in a movie set of war time Tokyo. Great concept. And by the way they also have a bakery next door named Yamato.
Thank you Mitsuyado I'm now a fan.

Mitsuyado Sei-men
22 Jupiter St Belair Makati
Thier menu: http://www.zomato.com/manila/mitsuyado-sei-men-bel-air-makati-city/menu#tabtop

Spoon Rating: 4 out of 5
Really good tsukemen, nice interiors, price a bit on the high side