The ramen craze might have started over a decade ago but since then, it has shed its status as a fad and firmly cemented itself as a well-loved favorite among the dining public. This has also led to the rise in appreciation of the different ramen styles with many diners looking for something different.
Tucked inside Sonema Square in N. Domingo, Quezon City is Ramen Shokudo. First founded in 2017, this joint offers a rich ramen experience belied by its unassuming façade.
At the heart of its offering is the Toriton ramen, a Yokohama-style ramen that uses a combination of pork and chicken bones as the base, resulting in a thick flavorful broth that avoids being too rich and heavy.
For those who want to enjoy Ramen Shokudo’s offerings in its purest form, the Shio ramen is the go-to order. Here, the tare – the seasoning sauce used to intensify and add complexity to the broth, is based on sea salt, which highlights the original flavors of the broth itself. This is then served with noodles and topped with charred chashu or rolled marinated roasted pork. For those who want more umami in their bowls, the shoyu – a soy sauce tare base, or miso – a miso-based tare, will hit the spot.
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However, for Emmanuel Marbella, general manager of Ramen Shokudo Food Group, it is the Tantanmen that best showcases what Ramen Shokudo is capable of. A crowd favorite for several years now, Tantanmen is a specific ramen style which draws its roots from the Sichuan Dandan noodles.
Here, the soup base is mixed with a house-made peanut sauce which adds thickness and a bit of nutty sweetness. The additional splash of chili oil rounds amps up the heat without being too overpowering. The result is a rich and intensely flavored broth best slurped up while steaming hot. The thick broth also clings well to the noodles for a flavorful bite. Finaly, the addition of minced pork adds a different texture when partnered with the chashu.
While ramen can be a flavorful experience, its richness can make it difficult for some people to enjoy. The Chef Shima line of ramen dishes addresses this concern. “The soup base of the Chef Shima line is made entirely out of chicken bones. This makes for a lighter broth while retaining the velvety texture that people enjoy in ramen,” Marbella shared.
The Chef Shima line offers 3 variants, namely, the Shio, Tantanmen, and Shoyu.
More than just ramen, the restaurant also offers a variety of appetizers and mains. These include Japanese classics such as tempura, karaage, and gyoza. Ramen Shokudo also offers a decent selection of Robata-yaki, where individual sticks of different ingredients are grilled over an open flame and glazed in a special barbecue sauce. These include chicken, pork, beef, wagyu cubes, pork liver, chicken skin, and Taiwanese sausage.
Ramen Shokudo was the brainchild of Filipino and Japanese owners and this year, the ramen shop will finally open the doors of its first branch in the home of ramen, Japan. Coming back full circle, Ramen Shokudo will open a branch in Yokohama. According to Marbella, this will help pave the way in the development of additional items as popular dishes in the Yokohama branch can find their way into the Philippines and vice versa.
