Last Friday, I went out to watch a movie at SM Urdaneta. I hadn't eaten lunch when I arrived because the food chains inside the mall are full of customers since it's lunch break, and even after I finished watching a movie, I decided to find some available foodchain restaurants where I could eat because I felt hungry.
I was supposed to go on the first floor, but when I arrived on the second floor and was supposed to ride an escalator to go down, I noticed that there's a mini Japanese restaurant beside it, and I read the name, and it's called Kyukyu Ramen 99.
I was debating inside of my mind if I would eat Japanese ramen as my late lunch food. I looked at the poster advertisement that was on their front, and I saw that they have ramen worth 99 pesos. But it's not to my liking.
Image Source: @Kyukyuramen99 | Instagram
I decided to go inside and order some food. But for the couple in front of me,
it took them a long time to choose and order their food. Is it really like this when dating? Charought!
When it's my turn, I tell the cashier what my order is. At first, I liked to try their spicy Ichiban ramen or their special spicy Tonkotsu ramen. But I was afraid that my stomach would hurt while I was inside the mall. Lol, so I just decided to try and go for their Ichiban ramen with drink. I just hope that this ramen doesn't contain any ingredients that will make me itch.
While waiting for my order, I decided to roam around, and I found that the design on the walls makes you feel like you are in Japan for a second. Which is what I like.
I was shocked when they called my number right away. What? It finished right away. I thought it would take them a long time to cook each order. After I got my order, I looked for a better spot where I could enjoy myself and eat peacefully.
What I like about Kyukyu Ramen is that their food are the same as what you see in their advertisements or posters. What you see is what you get. It managed my expectations, and it's not the same as the other food chain restaurants, where their food will just look better in their ad.
Wahhh! The meat makes me drool here. There's a part of me that doesn't like to eat it because of how good their food plating is. But of course! I was hungry already, so I decided to taste it.
But wait...
It's a prank! Hahaha, I don't know how to use a chopstick and have never tried to learn how. So I just searched it on TikTok to see if there's a basic hack for how I can use the chopstick. I'm glad that I found one! Thanks to the tissue paper, I was able to eat.
My thoughts after I tasted the Ichiban Ramen
At first, I tasted their soup. There's a little similarity in taste to the Nissin Ramen that you can buy in a pouch. But the soup was more tasty because you could really taste the real ingredients.
I mixed the egg and the meat. I tried to eat it with the noodles. It's been 3 days since I tasted it, and I can still feel how chewy their noodles are. It's very delicious, especially when you eat it hot.
It's also my first time trying the seaweed paper (I don't know what it is) on the noodles, just like what I always saw on Korean foods. And it tasted like dried fish to me because of its saltiness and smell. But now, I understand why they always pair this with noodles.
What just makes me feel disappointed is that their bowl is small. I just hope that they can add to their menu list how big of a bowl per order their customer wants.
The cost of this ramen is 199 pesos. Is it worth it or not? Well, for me, it was worth it! food plating? Check. Good Taste? Check. It's not salty like chowking noodles. But the food portions are just small for 199 pesos, and I hope that they will add more soup. But I was wondering right now if their pasta noodles were handmade. Because it's not the same as the other pastas that I tasted. If so, I think 199 pesos is worth it!
Sorry, I am not good at describing food taste. But I hope that you still enjoy reading about my experience eating this food.
