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Manila Bulletin devider Drive devider Bespoke ramen anyone?

Bespoke ramen anyone?

Published Sep 15, 2022 02:00 pm

The latest revelations from Ramen Nagi: New branches and limited king

By Jules Vivas

MEATLESS The Mushroom King, the ramen house’s limited-edition bowl for this month, has an array of sautéed mushrooms including a special king oyster mushroom

The ramen scene in the Philippines is thriving. When you ask Manileños about their favorite ramen house, they would easily respond with a handful of brands. Top of mind are Mendokoro, Marudori, Yushoken (which is the same as Mendokoro), Ippudo, Kuroda, and Ramen Nagi. The last, a personal favorite, is unique from the rest of the restaurants for its customizability. Each bowl can be made exactly in the customer’s liking—call it bespoke ramen, if you will.

From the kind of broth to the doneness of the noodles as well as ingredients and other add-ons, patrons are in complete control. Of course, there’s the chef’s recommendation for those who are unable to or choose not to personalize their ramen.

MORE RAMEN, MORE FUN From left: Ribbon cutting of the Sta. Rosa branch with founder of Ramen
Nagi Chef Satoshi Ikuta, CEO and president of Noodlerama Group Inc. Erickson Farillas, and SM
Regional Leasing manager Countess Kristin M. Lagumen

And this is only half of the story. Everything about a bowl of Ramen Nagi is special. The ramen is made with a traditional noodle-making technique from the hometown of the founder, Chef Satoshi Ikuta. The famous soup base, meanwhile, consists of pig heads, bones, and feet, boiled over 20 hours, constantly stirred with a secret method, never left idle. Completing the broth is a “fire sauce” composed of eight spices from Japan, South Korea, Mexico, and other countries.

The bowl is a self-contained planet, part sea and earth, with a lasting, lip-smacking buttery truffle aftertaste.

These are just some of the various reasons the ramen chain is so popular in the Philippines. An ever-changing “ramen of the month” and the store’s aggressive expansion are other grounds to its continued success.

AUTHENTIC NOODLES You know it’s good ramen when the recipes are from a real Japanese chef. Portrait of master ramen chef Satoshi

Early this month, the establishment opened its 29th and 30th branch in the country, at SM stores in Batangas—Sta. Rosa and Lipa. Six more branches are opening this year.

Proprietor of Ramen Nagi, Chef Satoshi, visited the Philippines for the grand launch of its Sta. Rosa branch on Aug. 30. The Japanese ramen genius has had training in classic Hakata ramen shops for over a decade and decided to establish a tiny restaurant in Fukuoka, Japan in 2006. Now, the ramen shop has 47 branches worldwide, spread across Japan, Taiwan, US, Hong Kong, and the Philippines.

LIMITED KING The light, meaty, but umami-filled Mushroom King

The Limited King, or what the restaurant calls its limited-edition ramen that changes monthly, is the Mushroom King. The light soup is just as filling and umami-rich as the other ramen variants, with the same piping hot oily goodness.

Sautéed mixed mushrooms with butter is topped with thinly sliced king oyster bedding and egg yolk, itokiri togarashi garnishings, fried kale leaves, onion leeks, and fire sauce to meld with the signature tonkotsu broth infused with special mushroom sauce creating an earthy and rich savory flavor. The bowl is a self-contained planet, part sea and earth, with a lasting, lip-smacking buttery truffle aftertaste.

Available dine-in or via ready-to-eat Hot Nagi To Go for take out and delivery.ramennagi.com.ph

Related Tags

mushroom Ramen Nagi Chef Satoshi Ikuta Philippines Japanese
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