Restaurant review: A new stop on the ramen mission: Ramen Kagetsu Arashi

A few years back in Osaka, I was on a ramen mission with a few other journalists. It was late at night after a busy day, but we all agreed that finding a good bowl of noodles was much more important than catching up on sleep. None of us spoke Japanese, but as we were happy to discover, this was not a problem. The restaurant we chose did not require us to speak a single word.

Right by the entrance was a machine that took your orders – all you had to do was look for the picture of the dish you wanted, enter the corresponding number, insert your money, and get your receipt.

Inside, you present your receipt, find a seat, and wait for your ramen, which arrives in less than 10 minutes. It was just what we needed, and seemed to be quite popular among the other diners, many of them alone. Even our group ate without talking to each other, as the noodles were the type of dish that occupies one so that there is no room for conversation.

Such is not the case at Ramen Kagetsu Arashi, which aims to bring authentic Japanese ramen to Filipinos at its first branch in Makati, which opened in February. The restaurant, which was established in 1992 in Tokyo, serves its ramen made with a soup base imported from Japan. "What you taste here in the Philippines is the same flavor in Japan," said Anabel Tala, Ramen Kagetsu Arashi's chief finance officer.

There are three kinds of soup broths: shoyu, miso, and sio, which is slightly sweet. To be able to compare with what we tasted on our ramen mission, I decided to try the Arashi Genkotsu Barikara Ramen – Kagetsu's signature ramen, plus chili peppers from Japan. "Are you sure? It's very, very spicy," the waiter asked. I was sure. Tasting the spicy version of a dish, one can find out if the spice is simply there, or if it blends well with the flavor without drowning everything out.

While it was not very, very spicy, the ramen did not disappoint. Despite the imported soup base, the flavors still tasted fresh. The spice was the type that you feel in your throat, easily countered by the boiled egg, seaweed, and bamboo shoots. The soup, despite having plenty of garlic, was not overwhelming. Tala shared that so far, customers have been giving good feedback. "Our ramen soup is not too thick, so hindi siya nakakasuya," she said.

Since the ramen is served steaming hot (and with no takeouts allowed), those with glasses should just give up trying to wipe the fog off and take them off. Fortunately, not being able to see the food can actually enhance the flavor.

While the noodles did taste like the ones in Osaka, the experience could not be more different. Instead of a machine, there are attentive waiters to take your orders. Tala explains that they are considering the machine for the next branch, but decided this first one should be a bit less like fast food.

This is also seen in the restaurant's design. Instead of a long table with stools for solo diners, there are several tables for groups of families, or friends, or the office crowd, which has already discovered the newly-opened restaurant. Although one might think the ramen craze was over, people were lining up at lunchtime, and the restaurant was full even in the afternoon.

One reason for its appeal may be the prices, which Tala notes are lower than other ramen restaurants in the metro.

The ramen comes in two sizes, the junior, and the regular (P330), which is actually good for two.

Another popular item is the Teppan Rice. Similar to a silog meal, it consists of sizzling pork, egg, and rice. There are also side dishes such as gyoza and karaage, but after a regular bowl of ramen, one would have a hard time eating anything else. As the waiter advised me when I asked if I could take the rest home, next time, perhaps a smaller bowl would be a wiser decision, or some other ramen fans to share the meal. — BM, GMA News

Ramen Kagetsu Arashi is on the 2nd floor of Paseo Center, Paseo de Roxas, Makati City.