Tag Archives: Ramen

Nomama Plus Kitayama Flank Steak

Nomama: Of Miso Butter Dreams and Hearty Ramen

Much has been written about Nomama‘s artisanal ramen that I’ve expected little else probably worth sampling on a visit to shoot for a magazine.  So the Kitayama Flank Steak came as a very pleasant surprise.  It took me over an hour to finish my to-shoot-list and I expected the steak to be a bit tough after an hour of sitting on its dish but no, it was very, very tender (made me wonder how much more tender it was hot off the grill).  The liberal use of Miso butter lent an irresistible, exquisite taste so much so that even if I just had a bowl of ramen, I managed to finish the steak by myself.  The crispy tofu slices are a nice foil to the meat, not that my taste buds quickly grew satiated to the flavor.

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Angeles Foodtripping: Finding Kimchi and Sashimi at Yu Fu In

Yu Fu In's 25 spices Kimchi

Yu Fu In's 25 spices Kimchi

A Koreantown in Angeles City?  We’re probably too used to the concept of Chinatown that this idea seemed like a novel concept.  Driving along the stretch of Friendship Highway, we passed a strip of establishments sporting signages in Korean with no English translations.  Which ones are restaurants, it’s hard to tell.  But for a taste of kimchi (the best one here for miles, so says our guide-friend, Tin, from the Angeles City tourism office), we bypassed Koreantown and headed to Balibago for Yu Fu In.

The restaurant is located in a sizable structure located across the town park.  We later learned that it is in fact, the largest freestanding Japanese restaurant in the Philippines with a dining area spread across three stories — the main dining area on the ground floor, a Yakiniku area complete with the requisite stove and exhaust fan on every table on the second, and an open air area on the third.  It’s a strange curiosity to find kimchi in a Japanese restaurant but as we taste the food, we find there’s more to like there.

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Ramen overload at Shinjuku

Shinjuku Gekikara Ramen (Php 345)

Gekikara Ramen (Reg - Php 250, Large - Php 345)

Being named after one of the special wards of Tokyo, Shinjuku Ramen House has some big shoes to fill. But this virtual institution in the restaurant front is more than capable of meeting big expectations and big appetites. I remembered eating at their rather non-descript branch in Makati Avenue years back and know from memory how good the food was.

Their other Makati branch was also rather old and non-descript until it got a major renovation some months back. As part of the Little Tokyo complex, it gets immediate attention from passersby since it is located along the busy thoroughfare of Pasong Tamo, at the much-coveted corner where one turns before heading off to Makati Cinema Square. At certain times of the day, the parking lot is full and the restaurant plays host to a mixed clientele eager to taste their authentic ramen and other Japanese fare.

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