Waking up at 4 in the morning, travelling to Cavite before sunrise and racing to get to the office before 8am surely worked up an appetite.
Eunice, my co-worker, and I were talking of ramen while in transit, wondering when Ramen Nagi would finally open their branch in SM Mall of Asia. I've been anticipating it since I saw it began construction even before the week Maring hit the Philippines. Eunice on the other hand has been waiting for it after (I think) reading and hearing reviews of its SM Aura branch.
Come dinner time, another co-worker, Jason, announced that Ramen Nagi just opened their doors at SM MOA at 4:30pm. The news was enough to make me and Eunice pack up and call it a day at work.
Upon getting there, a number of servers greeted us (quite loudly, I must add) and led us to a table. Our server was Maynard and he was patient enough to walk us through the whole menu. He handed out pieces of paper to us where one would encircle their choices for their ramen. You have the freedom to customize your ramen to your liking or be safe and pick the Chef's Recommendation. A bowl will set you back about Php400, more if you have extra toppings.
Jason and Eunice shared a bowl of the classic Butao. Manuel is not a ramen person (or so he claims) so I have a huge bowl of Black King on my own. When I say huge, you can actually fit your face in the bowl. We asked if we could have leftovers wrapped to go but Maynard pointed out this little disclaimer on the menu that they do not wrap leftovers but he did say that each serving can be shared, ergo Eunice and Jason splitting the Butao.
While waiting, I find the open kitchen entertaining albeit all these Japanese greetings thqqey kept on shouting. It won't bother you muh, I guess but the cramped up space did annoy me a bit.
When our orders came, it was still boiling hot. My bowl of Black King was so aromatic, I dove in right away and slurped the broth - no condiments, no mixing, eating it the way it was served. The broth was thick enough and I knew then I will not regret having a huge bowl to myself. The squid ink touch was a good thing too.
I read on the menu (or the order slip) that first-timers are recommended to try the "1Spicy" option. It is my first time and I trust them with that suggestion. When I tasted the broth, it was spicy enough. Eunice was putting some of the condinents, spicy bean sprouts actually, on her bowl and urged me to put some. I did and it added a little more kick to my Black King.
The noodles were the right consistency for me. Again, you can have this cooked the way you want from soft to hard. The pork shoulders were soft too. It reminded me of Yabu's pork.
I had a taste of the Butao. Personally, it was too egg-y for my taste. The guys compared it to balut. Maybe that's why it didn't have an appeal to me.
Overall, Ramen Nagi was worth the wait after all these months. The serving is just right for the price, and if I were not snacking too much in the office before dinner, I would have finished a whole bowl by myself. Seeing Jason and Eunice's bowl clean, the Butao really is good. There are three more ramen bases in the menu I have yet to try. Next time I'll keep in mind to come in on an empty tummy or ask someone to share it with me.
Ramen Nagi is located at G/F South Park SM Mall of Asia.
