Ramen Nagi Experience

As the ramen craze continue to go big in the Philippines, I had my fair share of experiences in a couple of restaurants and of course, you my dear readers will get a taste or should I say a glimpse of my experience. 

 

Hello my fellow foodies, I'm back with another review and this time we go to Ramen Nagi in SM Aura.  I know I'm a little late in dining here but hey better late than never right.  I heard a lot of good things about this and I feel it's finally time and since me and my buddies are hungry let's get it on.

For starters the place looks like all Japanese inspired places I have gone and it's like the typical ramen houses I also see in pictures or movies.  It's the improved "karinderia" in my opinion.  Not that I'm saying the place is cheap or anything but the feels of the one stop and go restaurant.  It also looked like anime to me. :)

 

As I explained in my last blog, they said that ramen houses are typical workers fill-up when hungry station.  After a long day of work; maybe after a cool drinking session or just simply looking for a good noodle soup.

So much for my lengthy opening.  Now on to it, the restaurant offers 4 varieties of the basic ramen. For beginners, they offer "Butao" which is their signature tonkotsu ramen with pork broth.  They also have the "Akao" The Red King their ultimate savory spicy flavor.  They also have the Green King "Midorio" which is the one's with pesto on the broth.  Lastly, they have the "Kuroo" Black King which is the one's made with squid ink flavors.  The menu is plain and simple which is good. Other places may have tons of food offered but only a few a good.

All of their dishes is complete with a slice of pork, veggies and other toppings.  You may opt to add extra toppings if you wish.  But as a big eater just the big bowl is enough for me.

The condiments selection of sesame seeds, vinegar, fresh garlic and beansprouts on the table if you want to add some.

For appetizer, we got the Curry Spring Roll (php 150), if I remember it right we had 5-6 pieces and we had ketchup for the sauce.  This dish is yummy as the curry wasn't overpowering and just right to start up your taste buds for the dish ahead.  This has mean, vermicelli, veggies and all the good stuffs inside.  Definitely a must try. 5/5 rating.

  

Of course a visit to a typical noodle house will not end without tasting their "Gyoza" (php190).  It has the meat inside, veggies and spices wrapped in dumplings and the super awesome sauce.  This was a good try apart from the others I've tried but nothing so fancy. 4/5.

  

We now dig in deeper for the type of ramen we've tried.  Let's start with the Black King "Kuroo" (php 410). So basically the lady told me it's Butao base with squid ink sauce and you have ground meat "the ball" with your veggies and the slice of pork.  Mind you they will ask you how hard you want the noodle is, how spicy (the rating) you want for the soup and what kind of pork you want (mind you I told her the belly).

It was said to have fragrant blackened garlic and calamari ink in a silky broth with succulent chashu; finished with a ball of minced pork, black sesame and Nagi spices.  Yey, almost the same description as mine right. :)
 This dish ranked 1st on the other places I've tried.  This is love.  The soup itself was a winner as it's super tasty and it will certainly make you feel full.  The squid is not fishy and you can really feel that yeah it's authentic.  This has been my favorite and I give it a big 5/5.
 

Next in line is what they call the Red King "Akao" said to be a striking blend of garlic, chili oil and cayenne pepper in a velvety broth.  This again comes with a ball of miso-infused minced pork and special nagi goodness.  It's offered to all spicy eaters out there.  This has a good balance where you'll not just burn your tongues and not taste it's goodness. 5/5 for this oh so good dish.

Something out of the box pick is the Green King -Midorio (php 410) it's the one infused with basil and olive oil "pesto" with the delectable tonkotsu broth this was really a different approach with Parmesan cheese. This was for persons who doesn't like it spicy.  It's very earthy due to the basil and refreshing at the same time.  It's not my favorite but it's not bad.  4/5 rating for me.

We didn't try the "Butao" King as this is the base of all of the varieties of these ramen we had.  One con though I had is that they don't allow take-out.  I understand that these dishes are not good served hot but if you can't go take-out if you haven't finished a meal isn't very customer friendly.  But I think it's also a marketing strategy to keep you coming back for more.

My overall thoughts is that I still give them a 5/5 rating for restaurant appearance, friendly staff and awesome dishes.  I will definitely come back to this place, specially on a cold rainy night before ending a long day at work or wherever.  

Right now I'm salivating while writing, I better eat now, lol. Until next time my dearests.  Tell me your experience below if you have tried this place or any thoughts about it. 

Likewise, let me know what you want to see next here in my blog. 

To know more about Ramen Nagi, please visit their FB page at https://www.facebook.com/RamenNagiManila

xoxo, 
Julienne/Jelly