Ramen Sora: A Nice Ramen Haven in Subic

Ramen Sora can definitely take you to ramen heaven, now with its second overseas branch finally in the Philippines! Thanks to Gerry Apolinario of the Gerry's Grill fame, Filipinos can now taste authentic, delicious ramen at an affordable price!

Chef Yoshi helping out another chef in the busy kitchen.

Giving more value for your peso, Ramen Sora prides itself for serving ramen that tastes better and costs cheaper than the other restaurants in the market. Ever ingredient used in the ramen bowl is shipped straight from Japan, with the noodles having been aged for 4 days both for texture and flavor prior to shipment. Result? Thicker and chewier noodles that retain flavor and texture much longer.

Chicken Karaage with House Special Negi Sauce

Just a serving of Chicken Karaage costs Php245, but a Chicken Karaage with House Special Negi Sauce can set you back Php265. Nicely fried, lightly coated boneless chicken pieces topped with sliced green onions and surrounded by a tangy green onion sauce. The sauce is a bit too salty for me, but if it weren't it would have been perfect! Chicken Karaage is highly recommended.

I'll be honest-- I'm not much of a ramen fan. In fact I prefer our very own La Paz Batchoy! Hola! Depending on the soup base you want for your ramen, you can get a regular bowl of Corn Butter Ramen (pictured above) for Php295 (Shio or Shoyu base) or Php335 (Miso). Same goes with the Menma (bamboo shoot) Ramen and Nori (seaweed) Ramen bowls. Shoyu based ramen is slightly less salty, so I recommend you guys try a shoyu (soy) based ramen bowl out!

A true ramen experience is nothing without some chashu (pork belly)! At Ramen Sora Subic, you get to order your own filling Seared Premium Pork Chashu for Php205. Out to try other stuff? Then order the Otsumami Platter (combination Seared Chashu, Menma and Flavored Egg) for Php135. Prior to serving, tender slabs of pork belly are braised in soy sauce, sake and sugar at low temperature, and then sliced and seared with a propane torch to add that distinctly smoky charred flavor. Highly recommended!

Ramen Sora's house specialty is a must try! The Miso Ramen (pictured above with corn tempura behind) in a regular bowl costs Php325 and highly recommended by the chefs, but of course diners are always free to try the salt based (shio) and soy based (shoyu) varieties. Both regular, soy and salt based ramen bowls cost Php285. But in the above picture my favorite remains the Corn Tempura (Php225). Delightfully sweet and crunchy, the corn tempura makes me want to finish it all in one bite. The Shrimp Tempura is amazing too, but rather pricey at Php375 for 4 pieces. Worth the price, though, since each piece is ginormous (sorry no pic).

Putting the men in ramen, Tomio Takeda and Yoshi Ishise are the guys behind Ramen Sora.

If you feel like the regular bowl lacks toppings, then get a deluxe upgrade for Php80, where you can get additional nori, menma and two more pork chashu slices. A size upgrade will set you back additional Php120, but then you will have 50% more quantity. Want spicy flavor? Cough up Php40 more. Individual extra toppings such as negi (green onion), nori (6 pcs seaweed), tamago (soft boiled egg), menma (bamboo shoots), corn, butter and moyashi (bean sprouts) are available at extra charge. To complete your dining experience, Japanese beer Kirin and Asahi are available as well as most Coke products.

Verdict

I want to come back and try their edamame (Php85), Tokutarou Gyoza (Tokutarou brand handmade pan-fried pork and vegetable dumpling | 5 pcs Php175 and 10 pcs Php345), Otsumami Homemade Menma (Php75) and Pork Fried Rice (Php165). But mostly I'll be back for my favorites corn butter ramen, corn and shrimp tempura and karaage. Taste 3/5 Ambience 5/5 Value (Price) 5/5 Overall 4/5

I'm turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese I really think so