The Yummy List: Ramen and more

We've come up with a list featuring the best and most delicious dishes in Manila.
Because there's nothing like good food worth visiting and revisiting.
For this article, the theme is Japanese food classics.

RAMEN - the food of the moment. There's nothing like a hot bowl of noodles in flavorful soup to stir up the soul.

Our picks:

#1 Ramen Yushoken's Shio Ramen

What we love: Simply delicious and worth the long drive. This ramen place in Molito, Alabang has the secret ramen recipe of Japan's ramen god -Yamagishi Kazuo. Hear the hearty slurps of the patrons, this bowl is an umami bomb of deliciousness, the soup has a milky white texture, the noodles are al dente with the flavors that scream...eat me loud!

Budget: P320 per bowl
Location: Molito Mall, Alabang

#2 Ramen Nagi's Black King

What we love: The image is a contrast to Shio Ramen, instead of milky white, the soup is pitch black and garlicky because of all the squid ink. Unlike other places, you can customize your bowl at Ramen Nagi, choosing from the hardness of the noodles, richness of the taste, level of spiciness, etc. This place is known in other parts of the world as Butao. Expect long lines, sharing tables, and noisy patrons but the gooey, black bowl is worth slurping for.

Budget: P 410 per bowl.
Location: SM Aura, 5th Level

TSUKEMEN - deconstructed ramen
The way you eat this ramen is to dip the al dente noodles into the thick soup, then eat. Enjoy!




#1 Mitsuyado Seimen's Cheese Tsukemen

What we love: If you're fond of cheese, this bowl is extremely addictive. Comes in two sizes, we suggest you go for the large one. They give you a plate of al dente noodles, then a small bowl of cheese you can pour over the noodles, then you dip into the thick gooey soup. The soup is thick glob, that reminds us of adobo with hints of citrus. When you dig in, there are pieces of meat that say "Open up". This is a more modern way to enjoy ramen.

Budget: P310 small bowl, P 350 big bowl
Location: Jupiter, Makati














#2 Ramen Yushoken's Gyokai Tsukemen

What we love: Yushoken's version of the Tsukemen is a seafood lover's dream. The soup has hints of flavors of shrimp and seaweed, although it is not as thick as Mitsuyado's. But dip the noodles into it and you can taste heavenly bonito flakes dancing in your mouth.

Budget: Php 390
Location: Molito Mall, Alabang

GYOZA - Pan-fried dumplings that are sidekicks to every ramen lover's meal.

#1 Shinjuku Ramen House's Gyoza

What we love: Yep, the grandaddy of ramen houses does the gyoza best, pan-fried to perfection, these will tickle your taste buds as you dip in its sauce.  

Budget: Php 185 Big plate: P 270
Location: Makati Avenue

Gyoza   image is from tripadvisor.uk

#2 Kenji Tei's Cheese Gyoza

What we love: Proudly born in BF, Paranaque's Kenji Tei's Cheese Gyoza may not be as thin as the gyozas in Shinjuku or Yushoken, but this dish gets our thumbs up for innovation. The cheese just makes the taste of the gyoza richer, and the SB Hot sauce on mayo dip and could also pass for a good spring roll dip.

Budget: Php 198
Location: Greenbelt 5, Makati

SUKIYAKI - Slow-cooked soup of thinly-sliced beef and vegetables with soy sauce and mirin



Mangetsu's Beef Sukiyaki in HotPot

What we love: We can't get over this dish. This sukiyaki is light and flavorful, shunning the sugary sweetness of other versions. Comes in a weird-shaped iron pot, and with strips and strips of beef that say "hello" with every scoop of the ladle. Good for 4.

Budget: Php 470
Location: Jupiter, Makati






















TONKATSU - a breaded pork cutlet using panko or bread crumbs, the pork may come in lean parts or with fat



Yabu's Oroshi Katsu

What we love: Yabu has perfected the Tonkatsu to an artform, but how do you outdo yourself when you're on top of the game? Add citrus!  Yabu's Oroshi Katsu adds radish and piece of grapefruit you can squeeze on top of the fried katsu giving it a zing. More rice, please!

Budget:  Php 395
Location: SM MOA, Megamall, Robinson's Magnolia, SM Aura



















DONBURI

You can never go wrong with rice toppings. It's the ultimate cop-out way of enjoying a good meal without destroying your budget. Yoshinoya is an example of famous Japanese donburi chain.


















#1 Ryu Ramen and Curry's Toridon

What we love: There's a perfectly good reason to smile when you come in Ryu because there's a bit of something for everyone. The Toridon is strips of chicken teriyaki and mixed vegetables on rice. The chicken was grilled perfectly, the rice was generous. This also comes as a set meal with drink.

Budget:Php 230
Location: SM Jazz, Makati and UP Town Center




#2 Mitsuyado Seimen's Black Pepper Chicken Don

What we love: It's chunks and chunks and chunks of seasoned chicken over rice.
Our tip: eat them while they're hot.

Budget: Php 260
Location: Jupiter, Makati

 
















#3  Komoro Soba
What we love: It's delicious donburi insanely priced at P 99 each. This hidden treasure in Megamall serves Japanese food that is both tummy and wallet-friendly. We just can't get enough of their Oyako don, Gyudon and all those dons that we will make our mouths water. Add a side dish of Kara-age (Php 22 per piece) or Kaki-age (Php32 per piece) and you've got a winner! 

Budget: Php 99
Location: UGL, Building A, SM Megamall


LUNCH SETS/ BENTO BOXES

Kaizen Gozen Photo courtesy of Seryna's FB page

Seryna
What we love: Probably one of the best Japanese restaurants in Makati, Seryna's luncboxes are a treasure trove of Japanese delights. The best time to visit this place is during lunchtime, where you get a menu of only 7 - 8 items, each a specialty worth trying.  The Kaizen Gozen is seafood lovers delight with different kinds of sashimi, tuna, salmon, shrimp, uni, It also comes with 2 pcs. Chicken Kara-age, Rice, Salad, Fruit, Miso soup and side dish.

Budget: P 380
Location: Little Tokyo, Makati

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