Food-ventures: Ramen Nagi Philippines | We tried all 4 signature flavors in just one day!

Food-ventures: Ramen Nagi Philippines | We tried all 4 signature flavors in just one day!

I've always loved food. Especially noodles. Anything noodles (dry or in soup). In fact, I had a phase when I was a kid, wherein I would always eat noodle soup every single day. And now that phase is making a comeback because I'm almost always craving for either wanton noodles or ramen. I'm kinda done with wanton though, and currently, it's still ramen.

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."

Ramen Nagi Philippines | Menu & Prices

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. 

Ramen Nagi Menu and Prices | Ramen Nagi Omotenashi Sheet

Although they have seasonal offerings, Ramen Nagi actually has 4 signature flavors: 

• Butao (Original) King - P390
• Black King - P410
• Red King - P410
• Green King - P410

First stop: Ramen Nagi at  Robinsons Galleria, Ortigas, Quezon City

Instead of a brochure-type for a menu, Ramen Nagi's staff hands out menu sheets called Omotenashi for the customers to order. I like it because you get to have your ramen done according to your liking (from the richness of taste, firmness of the noodles, level of the special sauce and spiciness, etc.), or get some add-ons. (Although sayang sa papel?)

And then after ordering, wait for a couple of minutes for your ramen to arrive.

Ramen Nagi Philippines |  The food

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.

Ramen Nagi Philippines | Black King Ramen (Top), Butao King (Bottom)

So like the Foodie-Instagrammer that I am, picture muna bago kain!

Ramen Nagi Philippines | Black King Ramen (Top), Butao King (Bottom)

And like the impatient husband that he is, here he is with his always on-point facial expression whenever I ask him to wait for me to finish taking photos of our food:

RAMEN NAGI'S BLACK KING RAMEN:

     

Ramen Nagi Philippines | Black King Ramen 

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.

Ramen Nagi Philippines | Black King Ramen 

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.

RAMEN NAGI'S BUTAO (ORIGINAL) KING RAMEN:

Ramen Nagi Philippines | Butao King 

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.

Ramen Nagi Philippines | Butao King 

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.

Second stop: Ramen Nagi at Ayala Malls The 30th, Ortigas, Pasig City

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. 

Here, we saw that there were two more flavors which are obviously seasonal: the Oyster King and Truffle King. Unfortunately, they're not offering Oyster King anymore; and Truffle King costs almost twice the Original King so it's a no for us. That's too much na. 😅

Instead, we opted to try the other two remaining regular flavors: the Green King and the Red King.

  

Ramen Nagi Philippines | Green King Ramen (Top), Red King Ramen (Bottom)

But first, of course, ya girl needs to take photos of our food:

Ramen Nagi Philippines | Green King Ramen (Top), Red King Ramen (Bottom)

I actually loved the colors of these two. They pretty much complement each other.

Ramen Nagi Philippines | Green King Ramen (Top), Red King Ramen (Bottom)

RAMEN NAGI'S GREEN KING RAMEN:

  

Ramen Nagi Philippines | Green King Ramen

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.

RAMEN NAGI'S RED KING RAMEN:

Ramen Nagi Philippines | Red King Ramen

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.

Ramen Nagi Philippines | Red King Ramen

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.

Ramen Nagi Philippines | Red King Ramen

Surprisingly, the Red King is really good. I enjoyed it so much because we had it while it was raining. Surprisingly, I did not sweat, but the husband said I turned red. When I looked in my mirror, I did really turn reddish.

However, I really did not struggle with how spicy this was, so I did not feel that my face was already blushing. I was slurping my noodles so fast that afterward, I saw tiny red stains on my jacket. That's how good this was. Although I'm curious if I will still get to enjoy this during a regular and humid day. 😅

THE VERDICT:

I love love love Ramen Nagi! True, the price is a bit on the higher side, but if you want to get a taste of Japan, this. is. it. If I were to rank which flavor I like best:

1. Butao King - Nothing beats the classic!
2. Red King - Perfect for rainy days, and for when you're craving something spicy!
3. Black King - If you want something savory and seafood-y.
4. 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!

'Til our next food-venture!

———

Work with me! The Multi-Hobbyist blog accepts work and collaborations with brands, companies, and individuals for sponsored posts, advertisements and alike. I also photograph and blog about music, concerts and music festivals. Send me an email at themultihobbyist@gmail.com.

Up Next: Food-ventures: DC Super Heroes Cafe Philippines | DC Cafe Megamall Menu and Review