Monday, August 19, 2013

Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen

August 10, 2013. Saturday.

Aside from the recent influx of Katsu places in the country, Ramen restaurants have also been popping up left and right. Kim and I have always made plans to try one but has never gotten to doing it (until this entry). It's ironic that it took us this long since we're practically around Eastwood all the time and there's a Ramen Bar there.

We only recently explored SM Aura, and we love how uncrowded it is! We've been there 2 weekends straight. The first time we ate at Yabu and the next time.. yup, you guessed it right, we ate at a Ramen place (the title is kinda a dead giveaway)! Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen to be exact.

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Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen is a mouthful to say and a lot to type, so we'll just refer to it as IFR from this point on. IFR in SM Aura is the Japanese import's 2nd branch in the country; the first is in Shangri- la. We saw how long the lines were during dinner time the previous time we passed by it, so we made it a point to get early dinner. Well, we were early but no tables were vacant  and we ended up sitting at the bar instead. Not a big deal though, it adds to the experience I guess. We could say we ate ramen at a bar, but not at Ramen Bar. Haha.

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We first ordered Gyoza.

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Gyoza. 150php.

Gyoza is basically a dumpling. The fillings usually vary from restaurant to restaurant but its usually a combination of some ground meat and vegetables. We liked this one because it was lightly toasted and crisp on the outside. It came with some sort of soy- vinegar sauce which was slightly sweet.

Kim ordered the Ajitama Tonkotsu.

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Ajitama Tonkotsu. 330php.

The Ajitama Tonkotsu is IFR's best selling ramen. It comes with chashu (pork), ajitama (slow boiled egg), green onion, bamboo shoots, wood ear, and dried seaweed. Tonkotsu is made from boiling pork over a long period of time. It is usually fatty and creamy. IFR's Ajitama Tonkotsu was creamy but not as creamy as we expected it to be. But aside from that, it was great and really filling!

I went for their Black Garlic Tonkotsu.

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Black Garlic Tonkotsu. 380php.

This had a really strong garlic aroma and flavor.. which I really loved! It's almost the same as Kim's order except without the egg and it had that special garlic oil in it.

Most Filipinos would still prefer their rice meals for their dinner (Kim and I included). But if you're feeling a bit adventurous, a bowl of ramen is just as filling and just as good. It's not that cheap especially when you think that you're just getting a slice of pork, noodles and broth, but once you've considered the way it's been cooked (slow boiling, hand pulled noodles) then it's all worth it. We definitely enjoyed eating at Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen, and would consider trying out their other ramens as well.

On a sidenote, you get to choose how to get your noodles done. We had both our orders hard for that al dente firmness.


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Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen
Level 2, SM Aura Premier
McKinley Parkway, Taguig

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