Ramen Bar

When food trends hit Manila, people and restos will relentlessly pursue it.

Nowadays, you’ll find so many establishments “specializing” in ramen and unfortunately a lot of them do not live up to the hype. I know people really like Ramen Bar because the soup base isn’t as oily and the noodles are still firm, but personally I feel that it doesn’t quite “hit the spot.”

Don’t get me wrong though, it is a decent bowl, and the price is just right. Also, the fact that it is somewhat more accessible (since they have a branch in Robinsons Magnolia) makes it even better.

Now what I don’t like about Ramen Bar is that it chose to operate another resto line called Ramen X, which is definitely more affordable. It raises a lot of questions like, why the price difference? And why serve something that differs in quality? I really believe that restos should always aim to serve the best.

I’d still come back to Ramen Bar though, especially when the rainy months come.

Beef Brisket & Noodles

Right at the start, I have to warn you that this “tutorial” of sorts will not give you the BEST beef brisket ever, but it will give you a really good version. The thing I like about this recipe is that you can tweak it the way you want it to be, with a few modifications which I will write about at the end. Seriously though, who can resist beef noodles, especially on a rainy day? I know I can’t! So let’s start!

Kanzhu & Tea Tap

Just a short post on neighborhood faves. Here is Kanzhu’s A1 Dry Beef Noodle – Braised beef with hand-pulled noodles. There is nothing better than fresh made noodles – be it Japanese, Chinese or Italian. It really has a distinctive “bite” in terms of texture. The name of the dish is quite deceptive, it isn’t really dry, as the noodles are laid on top of the braising liquid, topped with green onions, parsley and fresh garlic. It is served with soup on the side. Quite a good deal for P150.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the radish cake – deep fried but the insides are light and flavorful. I usually don’t like radish cake as it has a heavy mouth-feel, but this one is just yummy.

Usually, after having my noodles, I drive to nearby TeaTap Cafe. While there is a milk tea place in front of Kanzhu, I like the milk teas in TeaTap more. I find it less sweet, the milk tea tastes more refined. I usually go for the yakult drinks (I think I tried all of them, save 1 or 2). Of course, I also like the interiors and the cute cat theme.