AFTER opening its first store in 2006, Ramen Nagi continues its expansion as it opened its first branch in Baguio City in July.
Seen as a perfect match for Baguio’s cool climate which sometimes dips to freezing. Ramen Nagi brings its signature brand to the Summer Capital with the growing taste for Japanese food and increasing demand for ramen.
Kheazel Espiritu, marketing manager of Ramen Nagi said the restaurant offers customers different flavors which can fulfill one’s craving of authentic ramen.
“We allow our customers to customize their ramen and can choose the tenderness of the noodles and the saltiness and spiciness of their ramen,” added Espiritu.
Espiritu added the restaurant, every month is introducing new products that will surely give every customers craving for more aside from the stable four variants namely original butao king, red king, green king, and black king.
Chef Erwin Macariola meanwhile said almost 95 percent of the ingredients used by Ramen Nagi is imported from Japan, which explains the ramen’s upscale prices.
“Part of Ramen Nagi’s commitment is to provide its customers an authentic ramen experience that’s why chefs undergo tedious training and regular validations and our stores are regularly visited by Japanese chefs to make sure that the branches meet the standards set by the owners,” added Macariola.
Ramen Nagi customers upon ordering are given an Omotenashi Sheet, with choices such as the richness of taste, special sauce, garlic, pork, vegetable, level of spiciness, noodle firmness, and add ons like Tamago, pork shoulder or pork belly, seaweed, extra noodles, green onion, cabbage, and Kiruge.
Ramen Nagi was founded by Japanese ramen chef Ikuta Satoshi in 2006 in a tiny restaurant in Fukoaka, Japan.
With the limited dining space, customers were encouraged to share tables while Satoshi made his ramen in front of his customers.
By word of mouth from satisfied customers, the reputation of the restaurant as a leading gourmet ramen destination spread and reached overseas. It was then that Chef Ikuta decided to open in Hong Kong, and not long after, branched out in Indonesia, Taiwan, and the Philippines where it instantly became a hit.
This ground breaking restaurant became the first in the world to serve different types of ramen which became popular not only in Japan but eventually to the Philippines. (Roderick Osis)