Ramen Bar

We tried out the newly opened restaurant in Eastwood mall this weekend.  It has just been open for less than a week & it was really a great find for us!  They claim to have brought the authentic Japanese Ramen to the Philippines.  With that in mind, we really wanted to try their bestseller ramen dishes.

When dining, I always try to consider the whole dining experience.  This means that the ambiance is just as important as the service and the food.  The different aspects of what makes a restaurant should always be considered, and I think this is what Ramen Bar has focused on.  The restaurant has a minimalist look which I truly like.  The combination of colors are really spot on.  You will feel comfortable eating there.  Wood panels, wood tables & chairs, red, white & black logo colors, very neat indeed.  I think the combination of red and black really lends itself to a very Japanese feel of the place, and with authentic Ramen dishes, it’s really a perfect and well thought out design.

The owners were there so I was able to interview them & also was able to tour their kitchen.  Charles is the entrepreneur who opened Ramen Bar, he brought in his Japanese chef friends and conceptualized the restaurant.  Below is a photo of them, the manager of the restaurant was there too.

The kitchen according to the owner is exactly how a Japanese kitchen looks like.  Basically, we don’t need to go to Japan anymore if we’re craving for Japanese ramen & other dishes.  Considering how expensive travelling to Japan is, we have to thank them for opening Ramen Bar.

And did I mention that we ate a LOT?  With just the 3 of us, we sampled 7 dishes!  Talk about really hungry people who are trying to diet but never actually do hahaha!  Anyhow, it was an excellent meal!  Really good!

• Edamame (Php 120)

my favorite Japanese snack of all time.  This is soy beans boiled in salt.  You can buy raw edamame in Japanese grocery and cook for yourself if you’re craving for more.  I do this all the time, I just love munching on them.  You won’t feel guilty too as it’s healthy 😀

• Kakuni Buns (Php 180)

Remember M&Ms chocolate tagline?  “Melts in your mouth, not in your hand?”.  Ramen Bar can actually use that line with their dishes.  This Kakuni buns which are pork belly wrapped in bread does just that.  Their pork belly, truly unique, really melts in your mouth!  Yum!  With pork belly, it’s either okay, good, or great.  This specific pork belly dish was way above great!  I really mean it when I say it melts in your mouth, each bite is truly a great and wonderful tasting experience.

• Yakiniku Beef (Php 195)

“Ang sarap!… SHIT!” hahaha those were the exact words that I said while I was sampling this dish.  It was sooooooooooooooo fudging delicious!  Words just cannot describe it!  Best beef I have eaten, my friends also had the same reaction.  We just loved it!  Sorry, forgot to share what the dish was hahaha!  Anyway, it’s thinly sliced beef cooked in butter & served with the chef’s special sauce, has onions & sesame seeds too!  A definite must-order!  They serve this as a rice topping too for Php 165.

• Karaage (Php 155)

Another great pica-pica dish from the restaurant.  This is boneless chicken fried & seasoned w/ salt.  We were already too full, so we were like pushing ourselves to finish the dish hehehe 😛  This is one of those dishes that shouts simplicity but with great taste.  Sometimes dishes such as fried chicken is already perfect when cooked in a simple manner.  A lot of the times chefs go to the extreme and forget to season the food perfectly.  You really can’t go wrong with a chicken that is perfectly seasoned, I would take that any day over a complicated dish that just didn’t have the right ingredients, too much going on, and in the end does not even taste good.  Again, Ramen Bar obviously can do a wide range of dishes to suit many palettes and tastes for different customers.

• Super Chasyu Ramen (Php 380)

This is pork ramen that has so much flavor infused in it that each bite is truly a great experience for the taste buds.  The reason that it is so delicious is the fact that the pork soup is boiled for 20 hours!  Some of the best tasting and most delicious dish comes from the fact that they are cooked with such detail, preparation, and with much attention.  Not only are their ramen dishes as authentic as you will find in Japan itself, but they are also homemade which makes each dish a real labor of love and gives it an even greater fresh taste that seems to be characteristic of each dish.  This is definitely best ramen I have eaten so far.

• R.B.S. #1 (Php 380)

If you wanna try something a bit different, with a unique taste, and a mix of ingredients, then this dish is for you.  It’s ramen with fish sticks, dried seeweed, onions, pork, pork belly with soft boiled egg.  They surely must have tried to conceptualize this dish longer than their usual dishes, because it’s something really unique, but in the end just works so perfectly.  A great many dishes really stand out when you add egg, but this dish has such a wonderful twist to that idea.  This specific egg that was added has actually been marinated for 48 hours!  :O Again, with such attention to detail, taste, and preparation, it’s no wonder this dish also stood out to me as another one of their delicious creations!  Just so yummy!  My friend Hai was raving about it the whole time, she said that the egg jiggles in her mouth.

• Tempura Ice Cream (Php 120)

We were too full already but you really can’t end a meal without a dessert.  So we tried their tempura ice cream, we were in a Japanese restaurant right?  How about ice cream that looks like a tempura?  Don’t forget to dip the ice cream in the chocolate sauce.  It’s a mix of fried pastry with an ice cream filling.  The combination of textures, temperatures really stands out.  This is a creation that is sweet and delectable.  What a great way to end one of the best meals I have had in the longest while!

Before I forget, Ramen Bar’s servers were very accomodating too!  We love their uniform!  It says slurp in front then there’s the Ramen Bar logo at the back.  Consistent with the restaurant’s theme as well.  I asked the servers to pose for us hahaha!  They were too shy but agreed with our request.  See how cool those shirts are!

We definitely enjoyed our meal at Ramen Bar.  Both Sean & Hai actually vowed to return and bring their families to try it out too!  See my big smile in the picture!  Need I say more?  I will definitely try this again soon!  I truly hope everyone has a chance to experience great service, the most delicious and authentic ramen dishes, as well as experience the wonderful ambiance of the whole place.  Kudos to Ramen Bar!

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Ramen Bar
G/F Eastwood Mall , Libis, Quezon City, Philippines