Ramen Nagi Review: Despite being a self-proclaimed ramen-lover, I haven’t actually been to a lot of Ramen restaurants. The only ones I’ve been to before this was Ramen Bar (then at Greenfield District), and then at Ikkoryu Fukouka Ramen. Both times I enjoyed every bit of the meal I had, and ramen easily become one of my favorite Japanese dishes.
It was only a few days ago that I made my first visit to Ramen Nagi at SM MOA. The moment you enter the restaurant, you can tell that they take their ramen seriously. The carefully planned layout and detailed interiors made me feel like I was transported to Japan, adding to the authentic ramen experience that I was about to have.
Ramen Nagi Review
To order, they give you this sheet to fill-out so you can have your ramen just the way you want it. To start, you choose the kind of ramen you want:
Ramen Nagi Butao King – Php 390.00
“Award-winning tonkotsu pork-broth prepared in the traditional method. Mouth-wateringly rich, fresh and aromatic; special handcrafted noodles and classic Nagi pork chashu”
Ramen Nagi Black King – Kuroo – Php 410.00
A striking blend of garlic, chili oil and cayenne pepper in a velvety broth; topped by a tempting ball of miso-infused minced pork and special Nagi spices with tender chashu
Ramen Nagi Red King – Akao – Php 410.00
A striking blend of garlic, chili oil and cayenne pepper in a velvety broth; topped by a tempting ball of miso-infused minced pork and special Nagi spices with tender chashu
Ramen Nagi Green King – Midorio -Php 410.00
A fusion of fresh basil and olive oil with delectable tonkotsu broth in a truly unique combination; lavishly garnished with grated parmesan cheese and richly marbled chashu
The Butao King is their original flavor, so you may want to go with this one if you want to play it safe at first. Since you can choose the richness of taste, I suggest that you go with “Rich” for Butao for that stronger pork-broth flavor.
Other than the Butao, I also liked the Red King – Akao, although I only asked for the “1 Spicy” level of the Fire Sauce. Unless you specifically ask for it, the Red King is served at “4 Spicy”, which is too hot for me already.
I also had a taste of the Green King – Midorio. It has a strong parmesan flavor, so cheese lovers might like this one. Personally though, I’d stick with the Butao and the Red King.
I would also suggest that you get an extra order of Tamago. It’s relatively expensive at Php 50.00 for one piece of soft-boiled egg, but just slice it open and put it into your bowl of ramen, and you’ll realize that the fifty pesos was worth it.
One serving of regular sized ramen is enough to keep you full for several hours. But if you’re like me who always has to have a side-dish, these are my personal favorites:
Gyoza – Php 200.00
Fried Shrimp with Tartar Sauce – Php 370.00
Chicken Karaage – Php 250.00
Nagi Star Salad – Php 280.00
Nagi Vanilla Ice Cream – Php 150.00
All that salty and spicy goodness calls for a good dessert! The Nagi Vanilla Ice Cream has a pleasant twist to it. Each glass is served with two small tubes pinned on top of the ice cream. These rubber tubes contain what I believe to be rum and Baileys, which you can then squeeze to mix with the vanilla ice cream itself.
It was a delightful mix of sweet and bitter, and I enjoyed the nice kick of alcohol that comes with every spoonful. I’m sure to order this again the next time.
Thanks for reading our Ramen Nagi Review. I’m yet to try the other popular ramen restaurants here in Manila, but for now I can say that Ramen Nagi reinforced my love for this Japanese specialty. I haven’t tried the Black King – Kuroo, so I’ll be back for that for sure.