Tag: ramen

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Pandie Survey: Where To Eat In Tokyo

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I’m so excited everyone because I’m actually going to one of the craziest countries that I know of… JAPAN!

So I’ve been fed with a good amount of Anime back when I was young. I was one of those kids who couldn’t wait to get home and watch the latest episode of Fushigi Yuugi (what was my mom thinking??), Akazukin Chacha, Rurounin Kenshin, etc. and my knowledge of Japan started here. And as I grew up and learned more about Japan through Nintendo games, Pokemon, and weird Japanese commercials, I knew that I had to go here someday.

Will only be going to Tokyo due to time constraints this April 12-19 and a side travel to Shibazakura festival, Mt. Fuji and Fuji-Q, but I really hope 8 days is enough for me (who am I kidding, course not) and my college friend to cover at least… um the basics?

Must visits include Harajuku, Akihabara, Odaiba (science museum & onsen), Shibuya, Shinjuku, Meiji Shrine, Ghibli Museum, Ginza, flea markets here and there… but I don’t know. Am I missing something?

Especially for restaurants!  Tokyo is the capital of food gastronomy and the food quality is incomparable to other countries. It hosts the most number of Michelin starred restaurants and if you’re feeling local, you can check out Tablelog’s dependable reviews to find a restaurant to your fancy. Because of this impromptu decision to go to Japan (there was a seat sale at Jetstar. How can I say no to 6,000php roundtrip Tokyo ticket), I couldn’t get in my must try restaurants because they require 2-3 months of reservation in advance. Namely..

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1. Jimbocho Den – Moden and whimsical take of the kaiseki style Japanese dining. The style hails from Kyoto and is a degustation type of setting. I will be missing these dishes though I hope to be able to visit next time (YES THERE WILL BE A NEXT TOKYO TRIP even though I haven’t even set foot in Tokyo).

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Ramen Nagi Confessions at SM Aura

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Pandie Rating: 👍👍👍👍

Disclaimer: This review is only applicable to SM Aura branch circa 2014. I have tried Ramen Nagi at Robinsons Ermita Mall and it was one of the worst Ramen experiences I’ve had in my life. Maybe the worst. So this review is only reflective of SM Aura branch.

Everyone’s been riding on a Ramen roller coaster craze here in Manila. It’s akin to the milk tea craze back in the 2009 (exact year escapes me) and now there are ramen places mushrooming everywhere. Unlike milk tea which one can only mix so much, the local and ordinary ramen was thrown into a melting pot of culinary creativity and err experimentation! I liked my good old fashioned Ramen with – no fuzz, no swirls, just me, soup, pork and noodles. What more could a ramen purist ask for, right?

Well that all changed when I tried Butao Ramen in Hong Kong last September 2013 (which will be on a follow up post soon!). I have also tried Ukkokei Ramen’s Tantanmen (which was my current fave that time and deserved a separate post) so I was eager to try this famous ramen place. Ramen again is something which I don’t particularly crave unlike say, cake or something (oh you Desser-loving Tiff!).

So to the advise of my fellow foodie adventurers, we lined up 30 minutes before at Butao and were the first customers in line. Glad to say, the wait was worth it as I tasted the most delicious fusion Ramen I have ever tasted in my life. So when I heard that they decided to invade the Philippine Ramen scene, I was all “YES PLEASE BOMBARD US WITH RAMEN GOODNESS OH LORD ALMIGHTY!” But my inner pessimist and skeptic said “You know, it might not taste as good as the one in Hong Kong, just saying.”

Throwing all worries away, my optimistic self dashed into the doors of Ramen Nagi. To be more precise, I debated and convinced my mom to go to SM Aura since we were in the vicinity and I knew she loved new things and we’ve never been to SM Aura before. Then I sneakily suggested to climb up all the way to the rooftop (why is Ramen Nagi located so far away O_O) and try Ramen Nagi. At first we were a little lost but thankfully despite it being located at the edge of the mall, we found it, thank goodness to those signs!

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Small group or big group, small dude or big dude, Ramen Nagi is a place for everyone! Not sure if they accept reservations as there usually is a long line. But go there before peak hours and I guarantee that you’ll get a seat. My mom and I went there at 5:30pm and surprisingly, they weren’t full!

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