Ramen Nagi - Quezon City

UP Town is an amazingly well done community mall, and, if not for that fact that it's not my local hood, and traffic + parking could be horrendous on weekends, I'd be here more often (which is why I'm looking forward to Vertis North). One weekday last week, I braved strong rain (and ballsy to do so whilst color coding) to meet someone in Costa. After the meeting, I was craving for ramen. Adjacent is Ramen Nagi, one of the top places in town, so it was fortuitous. Their limited edition at the time is the Crab King, in which the Ramen is made of crab flavored tonkotsu broth, Nori (seaweed) and a big deep fried Softshell Crab on top. Yowza! I fell in love with Softshell Crab years ago with Omakase's Spider Maki, so.... Here we go.???? By the way, 15 to 20 minutes to prepare isn't exactly nice to hear when you're having your LATE LATE lunch at 4pm, but I've made it this far... So what the hell, right? (their 4 staple ramen's are served super fast) I think I made the right choice with this bad boy!!! Ramen Nagi and Limited Edition Crab King, at a Glance: (rating in numbers or in ????????????????????) > Food & Beverage: ???????????????? crab king rocks. The crab taste with tonkotsu is likely through some essence of crab like an oil or sauce. Works, though it can get cloying after a while. Plus I wish I added one more protein like pork shoulder. Despite the big Softshell Crab, it felt a bit short. > Service (Dine-In): ???????? the greeter was good, but the resto lacked the usual enthusiasm and professionalism I've come to expect of Ramen Nagi. The guy I spoke with was, ummm, not terribly friendly and unresponsive (aka dedma). Ugh. Ramen Nagi needs to retrain staff. Had similar problems at Magnolia branch last year. > Kitchen Service: ???????????????????? what can I say, they did the ramen within the time they told me, the quality was there, and I liked the limited edition ramen. > Ambience: ???????????????????? as expected. Bigger than the usual Ramen Nagi's I've been (save for Greenbelt 2) > Value for Money: ???????????? Ramen Nagi is never cheap. This is no exception. I spent over P500 with SC and tax. OVERALL: ???????????????? If the Ramen wasn't very good, the sub-par service would have brought it down to a 3, easily. ___________ > Worth a try - Yes > Worth a return - sure, though not this branch necessarily, but Ramen Nagi is always quality stuff despite not making it to my top 3 Ramen's. Plus it will come up with 3 locally inspired Ramen's (looking forward sa Bicol Express one). I love their ballsiness and their continuous innovation. > TIPS: among their core 4 Ramen's, the Black King for me is the best! I prefer soft noodles, instead of regular; note that this is the Ramen joint that allows a great deal of customization across 7 factors. When in doubt, go Chef's Reco. As you get more familiar, you will know your preference. I usually go with pork belly vs. shoulder, soft noodles, 0 factor spicy and one level more rich. > VERDICT: only legit Ramen joint in UP Town. 'Nuff said.

UP Town is an amazingly well done community mall, and, if not for that fact that it's not my local hood, and traffic + parking could be horrendous on weekends, I'd be here more often (which is why I'm looking forward to Vertis North). One weekday last week, I braved strong rain (and ballsy to do so whilst color coding) to meet someone in Costa. After the meeting, I was craving for ramen. Adjacent is Ramen Nagi, one of the top places in town, so it was fortuitous. Their limited edition at the time is the Crab King, in which the Ramen is made of crab flavored tonkotsu broth, Nori (seaweed) and a big deep fried Softshell Crab on top. Yowza! I fell in love with Softshell Crab years ago with Omakase's Spider Maki, so.... Here we go.???? By the way, 15 to 20 minutes to prepare isn't exactly nice to hear when you're having your LATE LATE lunch at 4pm, but I've made it this far... So what the hell, right? (their 4 staple ramen's are served super fast) I think I made... read more

One of the best ramen shop in the Philippines. The best thing about their shop is that you could customize your ramen like the firmness of your noodles as well as the toppings. Their ramen broth is rich and delicious.

Best place to get a ramen fix if you're really craving and under a budget. Or at least from my experience, since there isn't a lot of ramen places in Katip.

Didn't wait long to get a seat. The place is nice and very cozy. Service is great also. Food is worth it's price although it's a bit pricey. Will keep coming back!