A so-so experience with UCC's Tonkotsu Ramen

Cool, drizzly evenings call for nice, hot, flavorful soup. In moments like this, C and I crave for a delicious bowl of wanton soup or a good serving of ramen. On the last day of the previous 4-day weekend, we decided to go for ramen. I heard that the one from UCC was worth visiting, and so we headed towards the Petron Gas Station along EDSA-Pasay to get our hot bowl of ramen.

UCC's Tonkotsu Ramen describes itself as "noodle with a pork bone broth". There were three flavor options (the text below is taken from the poster on their wall):

Shio ("salt") - it is the lightest ramen, a pale, clear, yellowish broth using salt and any combination of chicken, vegetables, fish and seaweed.

Shoyu ("soy sauce") - typically has a brown and clear color broth, based on a chicken and vegetable (or sometimes fish or beef) stock with plenty of soy sauce resulting in a soup that's tangy, salty, and savory yet still fairly light on the palate.

Miso ("soybean paste") - this uniquely Japanese flavor, which was developed in Hokkaido, features a broth that combines copious amounts of miso and is blended with tonkotsu to create a thick, nutty, slightly sweet and very hearty soup. Miso ramen broth tends to have a robust, tangy flavor.

Our server said Shoyu was the best seller, and so that became our choice.

When the bowl arrived, C and I thought it looked very appetizing. The soup was thick and looked very tasty. I thought it had generous portions of pork (3 slices), vegetables and noodles. I particularly liked the taste and the texture of the egg. I liked chewing on the soft but firm noodles as well.

Tonkotsu Ramen (P359)

What disappointed me though was the actual taste of the soup. It was just way too porky. It literally tasted like melted pork. And while most of the time this should taste great, it didn't quite pull through with this ramen. C thought it was okay, but for me it was unsatisfactory. Maybe I should've tried the other flavors? I don't know. But I've definitely had better ones.

Nevertheless, UCC still has great coffee, which is what they're known for anyway. But I do hope they can do something to improve on their ramen, especially when people make the effort to visit them to satisfy a ramen craving.

THE GOURMANDE'S SCORE: 2.5 out of 5 - Just way to porky for me.

Click here for the complete location of this Petron Gas Station, as well as to read my review of a very good Italian restaurant in the same location.