Hanamaruken Ramen: Happiness and Comfort in My Belly!

Ramen, ramen, ramen. When in Manila, ever since the craze began to hit the suburbs, I haven’t let myself pass the chance of trying one. After trying one bowl, I went for another, and another, and another, until I got lost in the heavens of the Ramen Lord. As such, my taste buds know by now how to spot what’s good and what’s not at any ramen restaurant. My personal favorite, though, would be the one made with tonkotsu broth. Since I’m not on a diet, I can slurp a bowl of tonkotsu ramen anytime that I want. I love how creamy its consistency is because it is made from pork bones that have been simmered for hours.

Well, I can now rejoice because the Ramen Lords have heard me (and my tastebuds!)! Osaka’s pride is now here at Hanamaruken Ramen, where you will easily be enticed by their great bowls of happiness!

Hanamaruken Ramen is situated at the Trinoma Mall in Quezon City. Originally, they were based in Osaka, Japan with over 40 branches, serving the same quality ingredients and taste which they take pride in, such as their falls-off-the-bone slow-cooked pork rib on top of their Signature Happiness Ramen. Even while typing that long word, I found myself drooling and reminiscing about the happy feeling that I had while devouring that ramen.

Hanamaruken Ramen has been in the industry for over 3o years now and its brainchild, Takaku Arakawa, has been mastering the art of stewing pork cartilage since then. It really is no wonder why their offerings have been clamored over in Osaka and now here in Manila! He personally trained his chefs in Japan, as well; and now that they are here, he wants to bring a smile on the face of every person who steps in their place.

Starting off, we were offered with a hot cup of tea and Edamame|Php130. Salty and spicy, I was caught off-guard with my first bite of this since I’m used to the cold ones. This definitely gave the dish a unique twist!

Now to the main part: the Ramen!

Hanamaruken Ramen’s Signature Happiness Ramen|Php480 is definitely the bomb! First glance: WOW! The big bowl really painted a wide smile on my face when it was served to our table. Topped with narutomaki, negi and a large portion of their signature slow-cooked pork rib, with an added aji-tamago by request. The pork ribs are so soft and tender, and are very well-cooked – the best I have tasted thus far! The noodles are firm, as well. Just make sure to eat your bowl of happiness once served to avoid sogginess.

Notice the nori on the side? It has Japanese characters written on it, saying “love knot” or “marriage tie”. This is meant to symbolize the perfect match of the ramen and the pork ribs in the bowl.

We also had the Pot Belly Ramen|Php380. Amazingly soft and tender, even the chopsticks could break the meat slices with ease! The broth complemented the firm noodles and scallions so well that it easily became one of my favourites, too.

So, When In Manila and drooling for ramen, be comforted with the happiness that Hanamaruken Ramen’s ramen can bring! Be sure to come early, though, as this place gets packed with ramen lovers. Plus, they only serve limited bowls of their Signature Happiness Ramen and you wouldn’t want to miss out on that, would you? You’ll never go wrong with their Signature Happiness Ramen. In fact, you are sure to fall in love with it over and over again!