So this is my honest review of Ramen Nagi. And nope, this isn't sponsored. We bought these with our own hard-earned money.
If you're looking for authentic ramen, Ramen Nagi is the place to be. It's one of the most popular restaurants in and outside of Japan, with branches in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and of course, the Philippines. It's also the home of "the great boiled ramen."
Truth be told, legit good food doesn't come cheap. It comes with a price tag, but as they say, you get what you pay for. And that is really the case with Ramen Nagi.
And then after ordering, wait for a couple of minutes for your ramen to arrive.
For our first meal of the day, the husband and I ordered the Butao King (mine) and the Black King (his). I ordered tamago (medium-boiled egg) for P60. Kind of expensive, but it's cooked perfectly, just how I like it.
So like the Foodie-Instagrammer that I am, picture muna bago kain!
The Black King ramen is a mix of pepper, black sesame, and squid ink which makes the soup dark. The black ball is a combination of miso, flavor oil, and ground meat.
I tried the husband's choice of ramen. It's savory, and despite the squid ink, it does not taste that fishy. I also love that it has a generous serving of roasted garlic.
The Butao King, also known as the Original King ramen is the award-winning tonkotsu pork bone broth. It has a thick and flavorful soup with the classic Nagi pork chashu.
This, for me, is the best choice if you want simple but straight-forward ramen. And oh, don't forget to order a tamago as it tastes much much better with it. Ramen for me isn't complete without a medium-boiled egg. However, it is worth noting that not all ramen flavors are best paired with a boiled egg.
And here's us, after finishing our own bowls of authentic and flavorful ramen!
Just a little backstory: the husband and I are not breakfast people. And by that, I mean we don't usually wake up and enjoy breakfast right after. We usually eat during brunch-time and dinner time. So after a heavy meal, we went on finishing our errands, until it was time for our next meal of the day—dinner time.
The Ramen Nagi branch in Ayala Malls The 30th is quite different because it's two restaurants in one. The first is Ramen Nagi, and the other one is Hokkaido Tempura.
Instead, we opted to try the other two remaining regular flavors: the Green King and the Red King.
I actually loved the colors of these two. They pretty much complement each other.
The Green King is surprisingly different. (For ramen, at least.) It doesn't taste like your usual ramen because it's where Japanese meets Italian. The soup is made from a mix of pesto, olive oil, and basil. It's also garnished with grated parmesan cheese and marbled chashu, therefore giving a distinct taste to it. The one you will definitely remember.
When I tried it, I felt like I was eating pesto pasta with soup. It kinda confused my tastebuds to be honest, which is why I said once you've tried it, you will remember it. In a good way though.
The Red King is Ramen Nagi's spicy offering. It promises the ultimate savory spiciness. With the mixture of chili oil and cayenne pepper, don't bother trying if your tolerance of spicy food is really low. I love spicy food so this is definitely a must-try for me.
The Red King's spiciness level is at level 5 already. I don't know how spicy it was before trying this, so I opted not to adjust the level of spiciness (because you can go as high as level 10!) as I'm afraid I won't be able to enjoy and finish it.
Butao King - Nothing beats the classic!
Red King - Perfect for rainy days, and for when you're craving something spicy!
Black King - If you want something savory and seafood-y.
Green King - Want to try something new and unique? Get this.
Soooo, will I dine here again? YES. YES. And YES! Over and over again, until I got tired of eating ramen. If that day ever comes. LOL. But of course, I would still like to try other Japanese restaurants' version of ramen. Because if you're like me who just can never get enough noodles and soup, the possibilities are endless!
By the way, you can score a free bowl of Butao King ramen from Ramen Nagi on your birthday month!