Ippudo: Ramen in White and Red

Ippudo finally arrived at MOA on the 30th of August. We missed the free ramen on their opening day...so we dined on their second day instead. My companion and I planned to share a single ramen bowl. We were provided sharing bowls. But to our surprise, we were treated to a free serving of pork bun each!


Shiromaru Motoaji Special (Php 490)

The basic shiromaru is priced at Php 385 which comes with pork loin, bean sprouts, kikurage, and spring onions. By choosing the special, you get additional salted soft-boiled egg, pork loin, and seaweed. All of that tops off the noodles and the original pork tonkotsu broth.

For our thin noodles, we chose the hard version thinking that the hot soup base would further cook it and we'd get a medium version when the broth cooled down.

To further enhance your ramen experience, you can add freshly ground black pepper, freshly ground sesame seed, or fresh garlic. I added a bit of each to my broth and it indeed change the taste, it was even better. Just don't overdo it so much since the pepper and garlic can overpower the broth if you put too much. Their broth as it is, isn't my favorite among the ramen joints in the MOA area. But the plus side is you can adjust it to your taste with the pepper, sesame, and garlic.



Pork Bun (Free treat for their recent opening! originally at Php 125 each)

We were already feeling a bit full but we decided to eat this bun with a glistening piece of pork meat. Although it was no longer hot, the sauces mixed well together and with very bite, you get a piece of flavor, meat, and bun. But the amount of fat and meat doesn't seem consistent, my friend's piece was about 40% fat, mine was maybe 15%. Well, even the fat is tasty so it's not really a bad thing.

You actually get a feel of busy Japanese markets with the crew shouting Japanese phrases for every order made, special ramen served, guest arrival, or guest departure. My companions didn't like that part, it kinda came across as noisy to them. To me I think it's part of the experience. As for the price, the basic Shiromaru is almost at the range as Uma Uma Ramen (which already has includes a soft-boiled egg), while the cost of the special is close to Ramen Nagi. I wasn't able to look through their whole menu since my goal was to check out their ramen. Maybe I'll be coming back to explore what they offer beyond what they are most known for.


P.S: Shiromaru can be translated as "white circle" and Akamaru as "red circle" - the red and white bowls where the ramen is served in.




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Uma Uma Ramen: Flavorful Broth and it's MSG-free

Up next in our S'Maison food series, we went to Uma Uma Ramen. Their MSG-free offerings is fit for the health conscious. One of us ordered ahead and the noodles were served promptly. But the rest of us were a little late and the ramen already cooled down.

Uma Uma Ramen

It's a dish named after the restaurant with a noteworthy ramen broth. Mixed flavors of pork, egg, mushrooms and other ingredients that enhance the natural umami flavor that fill every slurp. The chasiu slices were really tender and melts in your mouth. This was also topped with marinated egg.

We arrived a little later so a layer of oil was already forming on top of the ramen broth when we arrived :( Nevertheless, it is still the best broth I have tasted so far. I bet it would have tasted better if we arrived on time.

Here's my own little serving of Uma Uma ramen. I removed the spicy miso for this bowl.


Tonkotsu Ramen

This one had a grilled flavor from the pork toppings. I was expecting a sesame taste since it was topped with sesame seeds but I didn't find it in there. The pork was not that tender as the chasiu slices in the first ramen we had. This one is good for those looking for a grilled-soy-like broth, but the signature Uma Uma ramen is better.


Chicken Karaage

Fried chicken fillets with a hint of ginger and lemon served as a contrast to the smooth and creamy noodles and broth.

We will go back and have the Uma Uma Ramen and maybe taste the one bite gyoza. The firmness of the ramen can be improved (or we can just have the ramen served when everyone in the group arrives). In the end, I think I found my new favorite ramen.



For other restaurant's in the area, view our Chibo Okonomiyaki experience here


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Chibo Okonomiyaki: From Osaka to Manila

Pancakes? Omelettes? Okonomiyaki! Saturday evening, of course there was a waiting list. The place was also quite small and the turnover of customers was quite slow. We waited in line for around thirty minutes. Well, considering that Chibo Okonomiyaki just opened and it was peak hours, 30 minutes in the waiting list was not that bad.

Each table is equipped with a teppan to keep the food warm. The dish wasn't cooked on our table though. It was already done and topped with okonomiyaki sauce when it was placed on our teppan.


Chibo Okonomiyaki (Php 380)

Naming a dish after the restaurant means that this is one of their best offerings. The signature dish filled with scallops, shrimp, beef, and pork was served with a mini performance like every okonomiyaki in this place.

For the finishing touches, the server zigzags the mayonnaise, sprinkles the nori, and finishes it of with bonito flakes. Note: The way the the mayonnaise is put on the okonomiyaki in swift movements is oddly satisfying (see video in our Instagram account: @thegastronomersdiary). The shrimp head made the dish look like a little turtle.

Nori and bonito flakes are already on your table. You can add these as you like. I suggest you add some to enhance the flavor to your liking. Extra mayonnaise is also available upon request.

The mugi cha (barley tea) is also worth noting, a variation of complimentary tea that we love compared to other restaurants. It has a somewhat roasted taste. Others might say it has a coffee taste.


...
On another visit, my friend and I shared the following dishes:
Yakisoba (Php 190)

This was served first as a prelude to the main okonomiyaki dishes.


Mixed Okonomiyaki (Php 280)

To have a bit of different kinds of meat, we got the Mixed Okonomiyaki filled with pork, squid, and shrimp.


Dotonburi Okonomiyaki (Php 230)

Choosing between ordering this and the Negi Yaki, we picked this one since it had beef. We were quite puzzled at the jelly-like pieces we found in the okonomiyaki. Looking again at the menu, we first thought that it was pork fat. But it didn't taste like pork fat. It turns out to be konnyaku, indeed a jelly like in texture, little to no flavor, and very minimal calories but still filling. You may also order it separately.

An order of a 6-inch okonomiyaki is good for sharing. We ordered a bit too much for two and ended up taking home about half of each okonomiyaki

...
The Japanese chefs were also around the dining area. One even refilled our glasses of mugi cha. Considering the location, as part of the retail area of a hotel, the prices range from average to high. In general, this is a good restaurant for special occasions or for when you feel like having a treat but not for an everyday lunch place for the working-class Filipino who are managing a budget (like me. I just want to treat myself, perhaps every weekend? haha!).

But hey, if you want to try the okonomiyaki they have in Japan, go give this place a visit. On our next visit, we would try the other items in the menu specifically the Cheese yaki which also has noodles in it. They also have wagyu beef, yakisoba and modern okonomiyaki - okonomiyaki with noodles inside, and other light Japanese dishes. I didn't see any ramen on the menu. But if you are looking for ramen, then you might want to try Uma uma which is right next door. Guess what, we are trying that next! Stay tuned as we try each new food spot in S'Maison, Conrad Hotel!


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Year 2015 Asian Food Compilation Special

Time to look back at the other cuisines we have tried in 2015. Let's have a look at our favorite Asian food places this week. Click on the labels to read the full write-up!

Seryna

The best and most memorable Asian themed restaurant we went to this year. Of course a Japanese restaurant would be favored. If you haven't figured out yet, Japanese is one of my favorites. [...read me]


Jang Ga Nae

Memorable because of the adventure we had going there. Good Korean food too. [..read me]

Jatujak 

Tried out a new cuisine with a delivery discount. Discovered Pad Thai and Thai flavors on this one. [...read me]



Four Seasons Hot Pot Buffet 

Since hot pot originated from Asian countries, this hot pot buffet is included in our compilation.
[...read me]


Banzai: The Great Teppanyaki theater 

Yet another buffet and another Japanese themed restaurant in this list! [...read me]

 View more Asian food adventures HERE.

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Tim Ho Wan

After our lunch at 8 Cuts Burger Blends and a little roaming around, we proceeded to a Michelin Star restaurant that opened its first store in the country a few months ago, Tim Ho Wan, for my fellow gastronomer’s birthday merienda.

We had to know what the long lines were about. It was just around a 20 minute wait and the two of us were seated. Our waiting time was relatively shorter compared to what I read which was 40 minutes to an hour of waiting.

We of course ordered the famous Baked Bun with BBQ Pork. I haven’t tasted other pork buns before (aside from the common siopao) so I must say the pork buns in Tim Ho Wan is great for my first pork bun.

The bun had a soft crunch outside and a flaky compound all around similar to what one might find in desserts. It was a little sweet, but was not overpowering. The bun inside was soft. It was not that thick and just right to taste the bbq pork filling.

The filling was more orange in color than I expected. Tender pork and sweet salty bbq sauce composed the filling.

We shared an order of fried beancurd rolls with shrimp. Freshly fried crispy beancurd served as wrapper for the whole shrimps. It was seasoned well and one may opt not to dip it in sauce.

Branch visited located at: SM Megamall Fashion Hall, Ortigas Center