We were having a bipolar weather that day. Occasional sun then a splash of rain as we walk towards the Greenfield District at crossing Mandaluyong from Shangri-la Mall. Gone are the market-place vibe and busy transport terminals replaced with a newly revived atmosphere and look with chic and hip restaurants along its spacious manicured lawns. Among the interesting restaurants there is Ramen Bar with it’s steam-bath like theme interiors but serving instead hot steamy ramen that passers by would think twice walking past the restaurant. Happyfoodies with guest foodie Jen have a taste of the new and improved broth from Ramen Bar and other its other tasty offerings.
Small Plates
Jen: The Kakuni Buns (Php 220) is a cross between a Chinese siopao and Filipino barbeque, the bite-sized dish is savory, succulent, and flavorful. I found it both pleasantly straight-forward and comfortingly tasty.
Ironwulf: The Ebi Tempura (Php 380) was another appetizer served to us. It looks common but the pleasantly crunchy without being lavishly oily and the prawns were soft and juicy. The sauce was just perfectly enhances the flavor.
Jen: First of all, the presentation of the Karage Chicken (Php 180) caught my eye. The serving plate gently curves in an artistic swirl, resulting in an upbeat and trendy look. The chicken is paired with Japanese mayo, marrying the hearty meat with the salty-creamy taste of the dip. For me it has “item-for-sharing” written on it.
Ironwulf: The Karaage Chicken was oily as expected but the skin was pleasantly crispy and the meat really felt juicy than oily. It’s a perfectly marinated goodness is oozing that its a shame not to try it.
Big Plates
Jen: Rice bowls, of almost whatever variety, have always been a comfort food for me. I’m glad that this Yakiniku Beef Rice Topping (Php 165) was no exception. It did seem marginally altered to suit the Filipino palate – resulting in it being about half a notch sweeter than one would expect in a more traditional Japanese restaurant – but I have no complaints. On the contrary, I found it really good that it definitely merits being ordered again on another visit.
Gyudon Bowls
Ironwulf: I was looking forward for the Mushroom Gyudon but wasn’t available at that time but the Onion Black Pepper Gyudon (Php 195) wasn’t short in taste. Beautifully topped with crunchy onion rings on the US Beef Belly, its flavor is such as wonderful, the slightly salted and crunchy onion rings really compliments the sweet tasting and tender beef meat like a well balanced yin and yang. It became a personal favorite.
Ramen Bar Special
Jen: I’m not really a big fan of ramen the way Ferdz is, so I only helped myself to a few spoonfuls. That was enough for me to discern, however, that while the earthy taste of the broth didn’t prompt love at first bite, it does have a flavor that gradually grew on me with each slurp.
Ironwulf: Since I haven’t really tasted the original broth of the RBS #1 (Ramen Bar Special) it’s really hard to tell the difference from this new one. So basing on this new broth alone, I thought it has a really rich pork flavor and it feels really thick with fat. It is slightly on the sweet side too. The noodles were firm and the flavor clings on them well. Tonkatsu meat was generally tender and easy to chew on. All in all it was a very good ramen that really grows on you the longer you eat it. It’s not as satisfying as the ones from Hanamaruken but it’s really good introductory Japanese Ramen for those getting to know the dish.
Dessert
Jen: Simply put, the Tempura Ice Cream (Php 150) is fried ice cream coated with tempura batter and then deep fried. Ice cream makes it to my list of favorite desserts, although I felt that adding tempura batter into it made it a heavier tail end of a meal than I would have preferred.
Ironwulf: The Tempura Ice Cream looks really delectable. I like vanilla ice cream and wish it had more of it. Yeah I agree with Jen that it got a bit heavy for a dessert. Though I did like nibbling on the cereal and wafers sticks.
Ramen Bar
Greenfield District, The Hub,
United St., Highway Hills, Mandaluyong City,
Metro Manila, Philippines
Operating Hours: 11:00am-3:00pm / 5:00pm-10:30pm
Contact: (+632) 570-5377
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ramenbar
Twitter: twitter.com/RamenBar