Ramen Nagi

Starting off my first food post of the year with something special:  Ramen Nagi.  Those who frequent Butao Ramen in Hong Kong will be familiar with Ramen Nagi.  Why?  Because it's one and the same!  The Ramen Nagi name is the original name of this ever-so-popular ramen place in Japan.  When Hong Kong franchised it, they named it as Butao.  I guess the Philippine franchisees just simple chose to go with the original name.  Judging from the post I made the last time I ate in Butao Hong Kong, it would be an understatement to say that I was excited for Ramen Nagi's opening.  I wasn't excited.  Nope.  I was ecstatic!!!  Yep, that one deserved a good three exclamation points!

Storefront

Early in the morning one Saturday, I dragged Hubby out of bed and to SM Aura for one main purpose:  to try out Ramen Nagi.  I wanted to see if this one is comparable to Hong Kong's version, which I absolutely loved. 

A view of the kitchen

See those empty chairs?  It's not because they lack customers, but rather, it was really early in the morning.  Can you say 10am?  Come 11am, the place is filled to the brim!  Early bird gets the worm!  Or rather... early glutton gets the ramen!  LOL!

Dining Area

Hmmm... seems like we're not the only early worms after all.  These customers are also pretty early risers!

The simple menu

And now on to the menu.  As you can see, Ramen Nagi's menu is as simple as it looks.  What you see is what you get.  One page, 5 kinds of ramen. (5th ramen, Limited King, not in menu)

Choices, choices, choices

Just like the one in Hong Kong, you're given a choice sheet.  All you have to do is encircle (or cross, or check) your choice!

Original King (Butao)

The original broth.  It's the base broth for all the other ramen flavors.  I'd recommend this if you're a Ramen Nagi newbie.  Simple unadulterated soupy heaven.

Black King (Kuroo)

This one has squid ink and gives off a more garlicky flavor.  There's also quite a texture in the soup.  For the more adventurous ones!

Red King (Akao)

If you like it hot, then the Red King is for you.  I could only take in one spoonful of soup before I gave up.  Hubby, the spicy monster, love it. 

Green King (Midorio)

Now who wants pesto?  The Green King gives off a more Italian feel.  It really does taste like pesto ramen with the basil, olive oil and grated parmesan incorporated into the soup.

Limited King

There's only two things that I can think of when I tried the Limited King.  Prawn Bisque or Lobster Bisque.  Fans of the soup can be assured you'll get that exact same flavor.

Add-ons

Ramen wouldn't be complete without the Tamago and Seaweed.  I find the tamago a bit too salty for my taste, but it's perfect when eaten with the soup.

All lined up in a row.  My pretties.

Presenting:  my Instagram picture.  I had to make sure I immortalized my first visit to Ramen Nagi (and at the same time make all my IG followers drool.  LOL)

So the verdict?  I'm in love!!!  Confession:  in the two weeks since I've first eaten in Ramen Nagi, I've already been back 5 times.  Yes, it's THAT good.  Two people even claimed that it tastes better than Butao Ramen in Hong Kong!  Whoa!  I say I agree 100%.  Ramen is awesome, and the place is comfortable.  Service needs a bit of improvement, but other than that, I say GO TO RAMEN NAGI NOW!!!  5 out of 5 stars!

Ramen Nagi is at 5/F SM Aura Premier, McKinley Parkway, McKinley Hill, Taguig