First Taste : Ramen Nagi at Ayala Malls The 30th

Summer is definitely over and in comes the rain. Lots and lots of rain! I won't lie, I was really glad that we're no longer experiencing the warm weather and somehow, I do welcome this bed weather. The kind what makes you want to curl up in bed and sleep all day. Well, if you're a twin mom..."sleep all day" may not happen anytime soon but still, one can always dream.

This is also the perfect weather for soups and warm congee. I recently started experimenting with a number of soup recipes which I will soon introduce to my twins as they seriously need to level up on their solid intake. Speaking of soups, I suddenly have this craving for ramen. It's really funny as back in 2015, I think I had way too much ramen and I somehow stopped having ramen since then. I think the last bowl of ramen that I had was during our trip to Tokyo sometime in 2016. I suddenly remembered my favorite ramen in Singapore -- Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu Four Seasons. I loved it so much that I remembered celebrating my first birthday in Singapore there.

Anyway, after a quick search online, I found out that Ramen Nagi has a very similar concept and this made me so excited to give it a try. Similar to Ramen Keisuke's style, the menu consists of four main flavors : White is the Original King -- plain tonkotsu style ramen with pork slices. Black King has lots of garlic infused into the broth giving it a very aromatic flavor. Green King is the favorite of the younger crowd as it's the pesto-flavored ramen consisting of basil and cheese. Lastly, the Red King, is the fiery, spicy ramen. In addition to this, they have a monthly special depending on the theme of the restaurant. We dined last May and they had the White Tantanmien King. This was perfect as we both love tantanmien a lot.Tan tan mien, as you all know has a slightly spicy taste profile. What makes it so yummy is the additional of peanut into the soup stock. I just love the spicy, nutty flavor that goes so well with al dente ramen noodles. It's normally served with less toppings as you really just want to fully enjoy the soup and the noodles and having it fully loaded might just feel too much.

Ramen Nagi's version of the White Tantanmien King makes use of the same chili found in the Red King ramen. Look at how sturdy and al dente the noodle is! I love my noodles firm rather than soggy. If the Red King ramen is too spicy for you, you can definitely adjust the spicy level by indicating it in the order sheet.



Of course, I had to try the Green King (Php. 410) as it's my favorite blend of all! I love anything pesto and this one is just like it. I love the herbal taste of the basil paired with the salty, creamy blend from the generous amount of cheese. Surprisingly, it doesn't feel too overwhelming (umay) as one would probably imagine it to be. This was definitely my favorite ramen flavor of all.

If you're like Paul and you want things simple, then the White Original King (Php. 380) is just for you. He wants his ramen minus the frills but is loaded with tender slices of char siu and the soup broth has to be creamy and bursting with umami.

Look at that huge slice of char siu, for the price, I find this to be very reasonable. You get two slices per order and that's enough to really fill you up.

There's no perfect time to enjoy a warm bowl of ramen than now. Imagine, calmly listening to the rain pouring outside while slurping up a bowl of delicious soup broth and al dente ramen noodles. I'm so happy to be able to visit Ramen Nagi and I can't wait to go back for more!

Check out Ramen Nagi has 16 branches all over Metro Manila. The one that I recently visited was that the Ground Floor of Ayala Malls The 30th, Meralco Avenue, Pasig City. Here's the complete listing of branches available.