I'll give Kenji Tei Ramen House a second chance

C and I have recently started our search for the best ramen in town. We crave for good ramen whenever we want to have good dinner, but one that wouldn’t necessarily leave us feeling guilty for eating far too much. 

On one of our dates, we chanced upon Kenji Tei Ramen House in Greenbelt 5. It was a Friday night, and not unexpectedly, it was packed! Good thing they had a table for two left for us. I liked the modern Japanese interiors of the place, although I felt that the tables were too near each other, not allowing enough space for private conversations. The slightly cramped space can also be a source of discomfort for diners like us who tend to order more than usual – and end up squeezing our bowls and plates in a small table.

I thought the logo was cute :)

I liked the interiors, but I wish there was more space

For starters, to get our metabolism going while we waited for the ramen, we ordered the Crunchy Kani Maki. It was a very generous serving of gorgeous looking maki topped with crunchy bits of tempura breading, some strips of kani dipped in Japanese mayo, and roe. I loved the added texture coming from the tempura breading as well as the flavor coming from the mayo. Each piece was literally a mouthful. I had to think twice about how I would make it fit in my mouth. My only criticism about this dish is that it wasn’t too intact and would break apart fairly easily.

Crunchy Kani Maki (P288)

Now, who would've thought cheese and gyoza would go well together? The Cheese Gyoza certainly put a cheesy twist to your ordinary gyoza. Inside the fried wrap was ground meat and cream cheese, which when dipped in the mayo dressing tasted delicious. It could use more cheese though, because I found myself having to take a couple of bites to get to the cheese.

Cheese Gyoza (P198)

Finally, our ramen was served. The owner of Kenji Tei (who incidentally was C's acquaintance) humbly suggested to try any of the miso based ramens because these were specialties of the house. We ordered the Miso Butter Corn Ramen because after all, who could go wrong with butter? It completely slipped my mind that I don't like eating corn when it's mixed with other kinds of food. For me, it's best when eaten alone. In any case, I was willing to give it a try. 

The bowl looked appetizing and smelled lovely when it arrived. C and I were quite disappointed with the taste, though. There were lots of different flavors coming from the dish, but they didn't quite mix well together. The miso base was decent but not so flavorful and so I expected the flavors of the other ingredients to compensate. But the combination of the subtle miso flavor, the taste of the corn, plus the flavor coming from the beansprouts and the other vegetables didn't sit well on my tongue.

Miso Butter Corn Ramen (P348 - large)

Because I enjoyed the kani maki and the gyoza, I think this restaurant has potential. I dunno, maybe we just ordered the wrong dish. I'm willing to come back to try their other ramens. If it changes my first impression (or even if it doesn't), I will most definitely let you gourmandes know :)

For reservations, see below:

THE GOURMANDE'S SCORE: 3.5 out of 5 - Great maki and gyoza, but the ramen could be so much better

Experience the real Japan in Nihonbashitei

When you enter a Japanese restaurant and see groups of Japanese nationals happily enjoying their meals, then you know you've come to the right place. This is the common scene you'll find in Little Tokyo in Makati, where you'll be greeted by a long line up of Japanese restaurants offering authentic Japanese cuisine.

But you see, Little Tokyo is not the only place where you can find the best Japanese restaurants in the city. A few kilometers further down the street of Amorsolo (at the corner of Amorsolo and the stoplight before the entrance to the Skyway) lies a humble Japanese restaurant, which has become a comfort dining place for me and C.

Nihonbashitei has become our go-to place for yummy Japanese comfort food

Upon entering the restaurant, you'll instantly get a feel of real Japan - from the simple interiors in neutral colors, to the Japanese chefs by the sushi bar, to the Japanese customers in intense conversations (in pure Japanese, of course). If you get lucky, you'll even chance upon a friendly Japanese server.

The simple interiors make you feel like you're in a restaurant in Tokyo

You can reserve one of these rooms for more privacy. Usually, Japanese businessmen have meetings here.

C and I already have a list of our favorites in Nihonbashitei. I, for one, go gaga over their salmon sashimi. Their sashimi is always served fresh, and you can tell from the nice salmon pink color of the thick slices. Once you dip the salmon sashimi in Kikkoman mixed with wasabi, you'll be in salmon sashimi heaven.

Fresh Salmon Sashimi (P280)

Another item worth ordering again and again in Nihonbashitei is their Toro Spicy Sashimi. You can opt for salmon, but I highly suggest ordering the tuna. Imagine cubes of fresh tuna tossed in spicy and slightly sweet sauce topped with crunchy tempura bits - you don't even need soy sauce and wasabi anymore. You can eat this as is!

Toro Spicy Sashimi (P220)

And because C is such a fan of Unagi, his top picks would always include the Unagi rice meal that comes with two huge pieces of deliciously-cooked unagi on top of a box of rice. It comes with miso soup, too. And as if this much unagi wasn't enough, C would partner this with Unagi rolls. The unagi slice in each roll is big enough in proportion to the rice.

Unagi Rice (P550) - comes with miso soup

My favorite item on the menu is also one of the cheapest. Three pieces of grilled Enoki Bacon, each one with a generous serving of thin and firm enoki mushrooms, wrapped in soft and smoky bacon -- definitely drool worthy. We suggest to get the salted version of this.

You can never go wrong with bacon - Enoki Bacon (P65 per stick)

And aside from the great-tasting food, the service is something really noteworthy about this restaurant. Servers are almost always running from one table to the other to ensure that you get your orders in no time. At first glance you'd think parking is a problem, but they offer valet services for those who don't want to stress themselves out in finding a decent parking slot.

And so whether it's after a long, tiring day at work, a steady weekend with friends, or simple celebrations like a successful presentation to our bosses, we always find reasons to go back to Nihonbashitei. Give it a try, and maybe you'll find comfort in their authentic Japanese menu, just like we did. :)

THE GOURMANDE'S SCORE: 5 out of 5


Nihonbashitei is located at the corner of Pasay Road (Arnaiz) and Amorsolo. It's right by the stoplight before the entrance to the Skyway. You can call for reservations at 818-8893 / 818-8894. Open from 11am to 2am, Mondays to Sundays.