Ramen Nagi

A couple of friends highly recommended that I try Ramen Nagi. I kept on thinking, how good could noodles be that they keep on raving about it? So one free afternoon, my boyfriend Martin and I decided to try it once and for all. After having a taste of their ramen, let's just say I almost wasn't able to put up this blog post. I had such a hard time describing it because it was so darn good. 

The ordering process in Ramen Nagi is very interactive because instead of simply stating your order, you get to fill up a piece of paper where you can completely customize your ramen. We opted to go for the chef's recommendation because my knowledge of how a ramen should be is nothing compared to that of a ramen master.  I did, however, add some tamago (Japanese soft boiled egg) to my ramen because I love eggs especially in noodles. I think that soft, creamy yolk bleeding into the broth just makes noodle dishes so much more richer. 

When you're given a paper bib to protect yourself from broth splashes, you know they mean business when it comes to their ramen. I'm actually glad I had one because the ramen was so good that by the end of the meal, I didn't even notice that I had so many broth splatters on my bib.

 I originally ordered the Red King (P410) while Martin had the Original King (Butao) (P390), but after tasting both, we ended up exchanging orders because we liked each other's order more. 

Normally, the food blogger in me immediately dissects the dish as I'm eating it -- identifying flavors, and formulating the text for a blog post. This was probably the first time that I was completely stumped. The flavors are so unique and complex that I couldn't find the right words to describe it.

Both of the dishes have the same pork bone broth base. The main difference is that as the fiery red color suggests, the Red King is very spicy. The flavors are very aggressive and in your face. I personally love spicy food but it was still too intense for me. The broth is so rich and thick that you can almost hear a "plop-plop-plop" sound as you pour a spoonful of soup back into the bowl. 

The flavor of the Butao, on the other hand, is subtle but not shy. You can definitely taste the flavor of the pork more as compared to the Red King. It's the perfect introductory bowl into the world of ramen since you'll be able to appreciate the different aspects of it -- the savory broth, the firm noodles, the tender pork slices -- without being intimidated.

I could go on and on trying to describe how blown away I was by these bowls of ramen but it just wouldn't do them justice. So, I'm just going to cut this blog entry short so that you can now make your way to Ramen Nagi because there are some things that you just really have to experience for yourself.