Article by Desa Desiree Tayting | Photos by Jeanne Dizon
Deciding on where to eat for a lunch out or dinner is one dilemma everyone can relate to. In the BGC (Bonifacio Global City) area, there a lot of restaurants to choose from with a wide array of different cuisines, but there’s one newly-opened place that called our attention: Tsuta Ramen – perfect for hungry people who are craving for ramen and want to try something interesting at the same time. Now, how can a bowl of ramen be so interesting? Here’s what we found out:
It’s the world’s first Michelin-starred ramen house.
The place looks simple, but the food is something you might not have tried before.
This ramen house is not your usual restaurant; it was given a Michelin star! In fact, it is the world’s first ramen house to be given such a distinction and this alone says a lot about how their ramen is prepared. “The menu that we have is basically an award-winning menu developed by FOODEE. This is the menu that won the Michelin star,” says Tsuta Global President Bryan Chua.
Tsuta became the world’s first backstreet-style ramen to be awarded a Michelin Star by the Michelin Guide in 2015. Take note that this is the only ramen shop in the world to have a star for 2016, 2017 and 2018! (Michelin is widely regarded as the gastronomic bible of the world.)
Kampai! These are the people behind Tsuta Ramen Philippines, led by FOODEE Global Concepts President Eric Dee.
Aside from that, it belongs to FOODEE Global Concepts, a food empire of affordable luxury diners that brought Tim Ho Wan here in the Philippines, which Filipinos always line up for and was also the first Michelin-rated restaurant in the country. Are you familiar with Mesa, Llaollao, and Sunnies Café, by any chance? They all have the same proprietor!
(READ: 15 Places to Find Ramen Under 300 in Manila)
Welcome to Manila, Tsuta!
This place just launched in the Philippines on December 16. Finally, we won’t need to book a flight to taste world-class ramen! The other branches are found in Hongkong, Taiwan, and Singapore. They offer the same ramen bowls in all of these branches.
Chef Yuki getting the noodles ready
The first Tsuta Ramen, which was called Japanese Soba Noodles Tsuta, was founded in January 2012 in Sugamo, Tokyo by Chef Onishi Yuki who learned the art of making ramen in 1997 at his father’s ramen shop Nanae no Aji no mise, Mejiro. One of the best news is that the chefs who serve at Tsuta have been rigorously trained under the founder himself!
They serve ramen you might have never tried before.
In an interview with Tsuta Global President Bryan Chua, he shared a little bit of Ramen 101. “One misunderstanding [that people have] is that Shoyu and Shio are the same, but they [actually] taste differently. What makes a kind of ramen different from others is the dashi, which is the soup.”
The dashi they serve is said to be very special.
“We specialize in three different soup bases. We cook different stocks. which are the chicken, clam and fish stocks. This is actually a very complex dish because they should all blend together and not overpower each other. The chef spent a lot of time developing this and that what’s makes it interesting,” he adds.
Shoyu Soba, Php390
“Why should Filipinos try our best-seller, besides its unique soup base? It’s actually because of the Shoyu sauce.
The sauce was custom-blend and the beans used here were actually matured for 2 years. Not only that, he adds something very unique which is the truffle puree and truffle oil. The ramen gets a very interesting ramen. So, I believe it’s something you’ve never tried before.”
You can choose from 3 different types of ramen.
They serve their award-winning dishes Shoyu Soba (soy-based ramen), Shio Soba (made of Okinawa sea salt and Mongolian rock salt-based sauce), and Miso Soba (Hatchi Miso-flavored ramen).
Miso Soba, Php410
Shio Soba, Php390
True enough, the ramen they serve is created from fresh ingredients and a blend of three different broths: one from the stock of asari clams; another from imported Japanese fish katakuchi, mackerel, and anchovy; and another from the stock of whole chickens.
The noodles are also freshly made onsite from specially selected whole wheat and whole grain flours combined until the perfect texture is achieved, so it marries well with the soup base. Each bowl is then topped with succulent char siu. No wonder they got a Michelin star!
You can watch as your ramen is created in front of you at the bar area, but they also have couches. The place can accommodate 48 people in total. Whether you’re a ramen fan or not, Tsuta Ramen is definitely something you should try!
Tsuta Ramen
UG/F C3 Bonifacio High Street Central, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Open daily from 11:30am until supplies last
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tsutaphilippines
