Ramen Bar at The Hub

The recent ramen craze has spawned a number of ramen restaurants in Manila. But it was only last November 3 that I was able to get a taste of this Japanese noodle soup (better late than never!) at Ramen Bar’s latest branch in Greenfield District, Mandaluyong City.

My companion and I ordered R.B.S. # 1, which I suppose means Ramen Bar Specialty. The menu said that is tonkotsu, shoyu, chasyu, kakuni, negi and naruto. From my research, I found out that tonkotsu is pork bone soup, shoyu is soy sauce, chasyu is thin pork slices, kakuni is braised pork belly, negi is spring onion and naruto is fish cake. The serving size is quite big so we requested the waiter to split it. It also has ajitsuke tamago (soft-boiled eggs marinated in soy sauce) and plenty of nori (seaweed). The broth has a rich, meaty taste and liberal amount of pork. The pork has a melt-in-your-mouth quality.

R.B.S. # 1, PhP 380
(this is already half the serving size)

Since I love everything with cheese, we ordered Cheese Gyoza as our appetizer. I just love the combination of ground meat, vegetables and various seasoning. It is crispy on the outside but juicy on the inside. It is served with a mayo dip.

Cheese Gyoza, PhP 180
(already ate 1-piece before photo was taken!)

We also had Ebi Tempura. I did not taste this since I’m not a fan of ebi. But I noticed that their prawns are quite big and has a light and crispy batter. It comes with a tempura sauce.

Ebi Tempura, PhP 380

For dessert, we really don't have much of a choice as only Tempura Ice Cream is available. It is vanilla ice cream thinly wrapped in fried tempura batter, topped with chocolate covered cereal and chocolate wafer stick then drizzled with chocolate syrup. I liked the presentation and it is not that sweet.

Tempura Ice Cream, PhP 150

I was a bit surprised that their ramen and ebi tempura are relatively expensive since the restaurant doesn’t look pricey-- interiors are fairly plain and low-key. Also, Ramen Bar’s air-conditioning system has a problem that day because the place is quite hot--they added electric fans at the dining area to lessen our discomfort. But anyway, Ramen Bar’s staffs are friendly and accommodating. They explain the menu well and allowed us to plug our laptops (plus points!).

Ramen Bar’s menu may only have a few selections, but I guess I'll just go to Ramen Bar to satisfy my ramen craving, which they have successfully done.

For more information, like Ramen Bar The Hub’s official FB page: https://www.facebook.com/RamenBarTheHubGreenfieldDistrict