Ramen Nagi in the Philippines!

RAMEN NAGI opens its first Philippine branch at SM Aura Premier this month, upping the ante in the Japanese noodle market in the country. 

Born out of the vision of Ramen Master Satoshi Ikuta in Tokyo, the Ramen Nagi chain today finds itself in five countries – Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Having spent fourteen years of his life perfecting his noodle making craft, Fukuoka native Chef Ikuta creates bowls of the rich noodle soup that have gained accolades in international travel and culinary media. In Tokyo, the chain has been awarded the top spot in the national Ramen of the Year competitions for the last two years (2011 and 2012.) 

As with its predecessors in other countries, where in Hong Kong Filipino travellers would know the chain as Butao and line up there for hours, Ramen Nagi offers the four basic menu items: Butao, Red King, Green King, and Black King. Of course, the heart and soul of every bowl of ramen is the soup base. Ramen Nagi’s is a full-bodied creamy soup unlike any other. The rich base is made from a flavorful broth created by slow boiling pork bones for over a day, and infused with a secret blend of seasonings imported from Japan. 

BUTAO is the luscious signature tonkotsu pork broth prepared in the traditional method, mouth-wateringly rich, fresh, and aromatic. RED KING (Akao) is the ultimate in savory spiciness emanating from a striking blend of garlic, chili oil, and cayenne pepper in a velvety broth and topped with a tempting ball of miso-infused minced pork and select Nagi cayenne. GREEN KING (Midorio) speaks of Japanese-Italian fusion, combining olive oil, pesto, and cheese. Finally, BLACK KING (Kuroo) introduces a local favorite, squid ink, and fragrant blackened garlic into the broth, giving the much loved pork broth a daring twist. 

Using the Omotenashi sheet provided to every customer, diners can customize their ramen for the following attributes and ingredients: richness of taste, sauce, spiciness, garlic, pork cut, vegetables, noodle firmness, egg, and seaweed. Indeed, every visit to Ramen Nagi offers a unique ramen experience. 

The noodles are the perfect complement to the rich soup base, with special noodle making machines utilized to produce the millimeter-thin strands that hail from Japan’s Hakata region.

Chef Ikuta is present to make sure that your ramen is perfect every single time. 

There's no way to get your order wrong because you encircle everything you want in your ramen yourself.

Here's my favorite, Butao King.


I have been back twice and I know that I will be visiting again soon to have my ramen fill.

Congratulations to the owners of Ramen Nagi, Philippines!!!

“I first tried Chef Ikuta’s ramen at Butao in Hong Kong, and I felt that Filipinos should have a taste of this kind of authentic yet innovative noodle soup, and inspired us to put up Ramen Nagi in Manila,” says Roxanne Farillas, one of the owners of the Philippine franchise of Ramen Nagi.

Ramen Nagi is located at the 5th floor of SM Aura Premier.