Japanoodles #1 Noodles

December 19, 2017

Japanoodles #1 Noodles

Or Noodles Touched my Soul and here’s how

Ramen Nagi is one of those restaurants or establishments which seem to take over the world one store at a time. Like Pablo before it, it’s original opening had been met with waves of hungry Filipinos ready to taste the world. Maybe they’re social climbers using this opportunity to boost their social standing, or maybe they just like the food but one thing can be for certain and that’s the Filipino affinity to noodles. Think about it, most Filipinos had been exposed to noodles at almost every point in their life whether it be their first Spaghetti from fast food establishments like Jollibee and McDonald’s to the Palabok you’d find right across the street. Face it you’ve probably even had instant noodles recently and at this point haven’t we all?

Thanks for bringing me here btw Kevz

Surprisingly enough, I haven’t tried Ramen Nagi up until recently and I somewhat regret that decision. I had been blind to the realization that Japanese ramen and Korean ramen are immensely different from the first whiff of ramen in the air to that first slurp to even the culture that you partake in when eating at its respective establishment. That’s where my Korean ramen bias came from but considering that I had been situated at Taft for the longest time recently, and Samgyupsalamat is just lurking around the corner, it’s hard to really not be biased (Samgyupsalamat is still great btw <3).

Going into Ramen Nagi was an experience all in itself. It could probably be due to the branch I visited being a standalone branch, but the atmosphere really raised my expectations quite a bit. People buzzing around slurping their noodles not minding anybody else, it was if you could see the patrons conversing with their food. My friend came and we ordered our food with the price a bit steep but not really that bad. Before getting into the details though, let’s talk a bit about what you would see in Ramen Nagi and an introduction to what the fuss is about. Ramen Nagi has 4 main kinds of Ramen namely Butao, Kuroo, Akao and Midorio or the Original King, Black King, Red King and Green King. The Original King is what I’d recommend after my experience but you could also just check chef’s recommendation in the order list given beforehand. In Ramen Nagi, you have full control over your Ramen picking the thickness of the broth, the spice you’ll be getting and almost everything in between but the ramen will still be within the realms of the mentioned kings. Whereas Butao gives you a taste of culture, authenticity and an explosion of flavor, Akao will scar you like an oppressed beast but surprisingly will still love you in the end. Why the analogy? It’s because the Red King gets its name from the amount of spice you’ll be ingesting. Never have I felt a burn be as good as it was and I’ll definitely be ordering it on my next visit. As for the Green King and Black King though, I can’t really comment much about it but from the descriptions given the Green King uses a variety of ingredients to supplant its uniqueness while the Black King will entrance you with its “Sumptuous jet-black aroma” (as advertised).

The Ramen Nagi Kings


It's making my mouth water just thinking about it again

Let me be frank. For around 400 pesos of ramen, the food should be worth it, and the Butao was way more than it was worth. You’re not paying 400 for just some noodles. You’re paying 400 to be brought to Japan, have your soul cleansed and be brought back to the physical realm all for JUST 400 pesos. Like I was mentioning earlier, the aroma was just great blowing all those instant options away. There were definitely layers when it came to consuming this bowl so let’s start with the bottom. The base was hot and heavy having all the savory goodness that you would expect from Japanese Ramen and if you don’t know what to expect, just let your tastebuds take you for a ride. The pork was like cotton candy with how soft it was. Just thinking about it again is making my mouth water as I type this. The noodles were on a whole nother level. They were definitely something you could tell weren’t just manufactured but made from scratch. The whole dish had this sense of Japan that places like Tokyo-tokyo and Karate Kid couldn’t really replicate because unlike the Japanese fast food restaurants we’re accustomed to, Ramen Nagi is how you translate a country’s culture and share it to the world the same way how Jollibee is surprisingly all around the world and you would always feel the Philippines there.

Is it pricey yes but at the end of the day there wasn’t a peso wasted with ramen as great as it is