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IKKORYU FUKUOKA RAMEN Philippines' Black Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen! @ikkoryuph

IKKORFYU FUKUOKA RAMEN is a Tonkotsu ramen from Yamagoya Ramen of Japan, which has been around since 1970, specializing in Chikuho noodles. Their original store in Manila is in the East Wing of Shangri-La Mall, and a bigger branch has opened in SM Aura.

Check out our Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen experience: 

The New Edsa Shangri-La Mall Series:

• BROTZEIT Philippines: Starting the German Bar & Resto Craze in Manila?
• IKKORYU FUKUOKA RAMEN Philippines' Black Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen! 

The BEST RAMEN in Manila Series 2013:

• IKKORYU FUKUOKA RAMEN Philippines' Black Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen!
• RAMEN SANTOUKA PHILIPPINES: Legendary Hokkaido Ramen now in Manila!
• RAMEN YUSHOKEN: Guide to the Best Ramen House in the South!
• MITSUYADO SEI-MEN's Double Cheese Sauce Tsukemen!
• Nomama (2x) But You
• UCC's Tan Tan Mian Tonkotsu Ramen!
• Genya Tonkotsu Ramen
• Ramen Bar - One of the Best Authentic Japanese Ramen Places in Manila?
• Tamagoya! Ramen
• Ukkokei Ramen Ron - One of the Best Shoyu Ramen in Manila!

SABOTEN Philippines: The Original Tonkatsu Flavor Now in Manila!

SABOTEN is the original and largest Tonkatsu chain from Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. It has been serving its famous tonkatsu since 1966 and has branches in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Canada, Thailand, and now in the Philippines. :)  The restaurant's name means "cactus",  inspired by the plant's vitality and persistence despite harsh conditions.

Although the SABOTEN launch was pre-empted by YABU in Manila, we love how they offer different ways people can enjoy katsu and the unlimited-everything experience. :)

Here's a rundown of our visit to Saboten Philippines...

Battle for the BEST Tonkatsu in Manila:

• SABOTEN Philippines: The Original Tonkatsu Flavor Now in Manila!
• YABU: The House of Katsu Hype?
• TONKATSUYA by 30-year Japanese Tonkatsu Chef Hosoya

What's New in BGC Restaurants in 2013?

• VASK: Traditional Basque Cuisine and Modern Gastronomy @VaskManila
• EARLY BIRD Breakfast Club: Start of the All-Day Breakfast Era in Manila?
• IHOP Philippines: Manila Goes Crazy Over IHOP? @IHOP_PH
• GYU-KAKU Philippines: World's No.1 Yakiniku Japanese BBQ Brand now in Manila :)
• MAD FOR GARLIC Philippines: Italian Korean Wine Resto (and Garlic Breath)
• MESCLUN BISTRO by Chef Katrina Kuhn-Alcantara in Serendra
• SABOTEN Philippines: The Original Tonkatsu Flavor Now in Manila!
• URBN BAR & KITCHEN: The Secret Yummy Food of URBN

GYU-KAKU: World's No.1 Yakiniku Brand now in Manila :)

Finally, the much-anticipated opening of Gyu-Kaku in Manila has become a reality. Deemed to be the world's No. 1 Japanese BBQ Yakiniku brand since 1996, Gyu-Kaku's concept was originally developed by Rex Holdings Japan. Its name means “Horn of the Bull” in Japanese.

Although initially met with a negative review when they first opened (see: Chuvaness | Gyu-Kaku Is Not Ready For Consumption), they have stabilized their operations almost a month into their Manila launch.

Here's our Gyu-Kaku experience...

What's New in BGC Restaurants in 2013?

• VASK: Traditional Basque Cuisine and Modern Gastronomy @VaskManila
• EARLY BIRD Breakfast Club: Start of the All-Day Breakfast Era in Manila?
• IHOP Philippines: Manila Goes Crazy Over IHOP? @IHOP_PH
• GYU-KAKU Philippines: World's No.1 Yakiniku Japanese BBQ Brand now in Manila :)
• MAD FOR GARLIC Philippines: Italian Korean Wine Resto (and Garlic Breath)
• MESCLUN BISTRO by Chef Katrina Kuhn-Alcantara in Serendra
• SABOTEN Philippines: The Original Tonkatsu Flavor Now in Manila!
• URBN BAR & KITCHEN: The Secret Yummy Food of URBN

RAMEN SANTOUKA PHILIPPINES: Legendary Hokkaido Ramen now in Manila!

RAMEN SANTOUKA is one of the best ramen franchises originating from Hokkaido, north of Japan. It is named after a famous poet's pen name -- Santōka Taneda -- and is the latest restaurant to join the Ramen Craze in Manila.

For their soft opening, they are serving variants of their original ramen and a few side dishes.

Here's what to expect and what to order in Ramen Santouka:

The BEST RAMEN in Manila Series 2013:

• RAMEN SANTOUKA PHILIPPINES: Legendary Hokkaido Ramen now in Manila!
• RAMEN YUSHOKEN: Guide to the Best Ramen House in the South!
• MITSUYADO SEI-MEN's Double Cheese Sauce Tsukemen!
• Nomama (2x) But You
• UCC's Tan Tan Mian Tonkotsu Ramen!
• Genya Tonkotsu Ramen
• Ramen Bar - One of the Best Authentic Japanese Ramen Places in Manila?
• Tamagoya! Ramen
• Ukkokei Ramen Ron - One of the Best Shoyu Ramen in Manila!
  

RAMEN YUSHOKEN: Guide to the Best Ramen House in the South!

Foodies agree that RAMEN YUSHOKEN is one of the BEST RAMENS in the south.

YUSHO means Champion and KEN means House and its ramen recipe is based on Koji Tashiro’s, a ramen champion considered as the son of Japan's Ramen God - Yamagishi Kazuo. 

We celebrated my younger brother Rommel's birthday here and decided to order all the items in the well-curated menu.

Here's our guide and our recommendations on what to order in Ramen Yushoken:

The BEST RAMEN in Manila Series 2013:

• RAMEN SANTOUKA PHILIPPINES: Legendary Hokkaido Ramen now in Manila!
• RAMEN YUSHOKEN: Guide to the Best Ramen House in the South!
• MITSUYADO SEI-MEN's Double Cheese Sauce Tsukemen!
• Nomama (2x) But You
• UCC's Tan Tan Mian Tonkotsu Ramen!
• Genya Tonkotsu Ramen
• Ramen Bar - One of the Best Authentic Japanese Ramen Places in Manila?
• Tamagoya! Ramen
• Ukkokei Ramen Ron - One of the Best Shoyu Ramen in Manila!

SENSEI SUSHI by Chef Bruce "Broosy" Ricketts

I met Chef Bruce Ricketts, nicknamed "Broosy",  when he was doing his specials for the night in the @ChefBroosy Food Truck at Cucina Andare. He had worked for various famous restaurants in California, and has finally decided to go home to join the vibrant dining scene here as one of the youngest chefs in Manila. 

For an early 20’s guy who had worked in California and who comes from the  family of famous actor (and tito) Ronnie Ricketts, he was surprisingly down- to- earth and very passionate about making a difference right now in Manila.

After his short stint in Robot, and contemplating to have a molecular gastronomy restaurant in Makati, he decided to set up his resto in the BF neighborhood and go for what most Filipinos love - Japanese food.

Sensei Sushi is not designed to be cuisine-based and does not pretend to be authentic. The food is based on what is freshly available in the local markets and what they can concoct in-house. The menu is written on the blackboard so that they can change it every 2 to 3 days.

Just the kind of resto that we like. Check out our Sensei Sushi experience:

BEST OF THE SOUTH Series:

• RAMEN YUSHOKEN: Guide to the BEST Ramen in the South!
• Sensei Sushi by Chef Bruce "Broosy" Ricketts
• ♥ @LarcysCupcakery Cafe in BF ♥
• THE FARM ORGANICS: Certified Organic Beef and Steaks @TheFarmOrganics

MITSUYADO SEI-MEN's Double Cheese Sauce TSUKEMEN!

Finally, the Double Cheese Tsuke-men topped with parmesan and cheese sauce is finally here in Manila!  The long-awaited opening of the first international franchise of MITSUYADO SEI-MEN brought to Manila by the UCC group was met with raves by loyal Manila-based Japanese crowd. 

With the Ramen craze in full swing in Manila, Ramen-loving Filipinos would definitely love this Tsuke-men or "Dipping Noodle" innovation. 

Here are some tips to have an awesome Tsuke-men experience at Mitsuyado's:

Craving for Japanese? Check out the Japanese Manila Invasion Series:

• RAMEN YUSHOKEN: Guide to the BEST Ramen in the South!
• MITSUYADO SEI-MEN's Double Cheese Sauce Tsukemen!
• Nomama (2x) But You
• YOMENYA GOEMON: Pasta & Pizza the Japanese Way?
• HAPADOG's Californippon Dog, Kat's Meow and Shifudo Pasta :)
• YABU: The House of Katsu Hype?
• TONKATSUYA by 30-year Japanese Tonkatsu Chef Hosoya
• UCC's Tan Tan Mian Tonkotsu Ramen!
• Ramen Bar - One of the Best Authentic Japanese Ramen Places in Manila?
• Tamagoya! Ramen
• Ukkokei Ramen Ron - One of the Best Shoyu Ramen in Manila!

YOMENYA GOEMON: Pasta & Pizza the Japanese Way?

YOMENYA GOEMON is a Japanese Spaghetti House which is an Asian-flavored-reinvented Italian Pizza & Pasta place. It first started in Koen Street in Shibuya in 1976 for the ramen-loving Japanese and grew to 2,500 stores to become the 2nd largest food & beverage player in Japan. It is named after the Japanese Robin-Hood figure Goemon.

The Japanese Spaghetti concept was first introduced by HAPADOG with  Shifudo Pasta here in Manila. Yomenya Goemon took it to a whole new level and really hit the Filipinos’ love for pasta as comfort food and craving for more Japanese flavors.

Here's what we think about Yomenya Goemon...

Craving for Japanese? Check out the Japanese Manila Invasion Series:

• Ukkokei Ramen Ron - One of the Best Shoyu Ramen in Manila!
• Tamagoya! Ramen
• Ramen Bar - One of the Best Authentic Japanese Ramen Places in Manila?
• UCC's Tan Tan Mian Tonkotsu Ramen!
• TONKATSUYA by 30-year Japanese Tonkatsu Chef Hosoya
• YABU: The House of Katsu Hype?
• HAPADOG's Californippon Dog, Kat's Meow and Shifudo Pasta :)
• YOMENYA GOEMON: Pasta & Pizza the Japanese Way?