With the upcoming Christmas season, we’ll surely experience a colder weather. And one of the best ways to spend the cold days is to fill our tummies with a delicious soup, a hot drink, or perhaps some noodle soup dish. Yes, ramen please! Ramen will definitely give a warm bowl of comfort and joy. Just when you thought the ramen craze is over, it’s not. The budding eat street in Little Baguio, San Juan has a new ramen place that you definitely need to visit.
Oyasumi Ramen is only six months old as it opened along P. Guevarra St last May 26, 2015. A team of four owns the restaurant. I was fortunate to meet the brothers Martin and Miguel Ledesma, who are in charge in kitchen duties. Miguel took up Culinary Studies in Enderun Colleges while his brother Martin studied about four months to learn the Ramen recipe in Japan.
The dark, minimalist interior of Oyasumi Ramen makes it a relaxing place to chat and enjoy the meal. And there’s no divider at the bar area so you’ll get to see how they prepare the ramen and other dishes. You can definitely request and customize a few ingredients in your ramen!
If you want a cozier atmosphere, you can go upstairs, too.
While waiting for your order, don’t be shy and ask for a cup of tea. They’ll gladly give you for free!
Oyasumi Ramen makes their noodles on a daily basis. I love that their noodles are firm yet has a soft texture. They also serve their meals at a fair price range. For an additional price of Php20.00, you can choose a flavor for your noodles – spicy, curry or squid ink.
Iekei, Php 350.00
Iekei means “home made.” Their Yokohama-style ramen has a great combination of elements. It may be light, but it’s definitely flavorful. You can never go wrong with the original!
Martin shares that through the Iekei dish, he is able to gauge the firmness of the noodles, thickness of the broth, etc. and easily adjust the other ramen dishes. You may even request to have thick-cut cashu and just add Php80.00 to your meal.
Kara Miso, Php 370.00
For the Kara Miso, the squid ink noodles are highly recommended to spice up the meal. The squid ink noodles are chewier as the liquid used while it was cooking was replaced with some squid ink. As a person who’s not much a fan of spicy food, I really loved this dish! Take note that you can choose up to four levels of spiciness for the Kara Miso.
There’s something different in the eggs. You’ll definitely notice that there’s a consistency. It looks hard boiled but is actually soft to munch on. The secret? Miguel shares that to achieve such quality, the egg is boiled in a certain number of minutes.
Tsuke Udon, Php 370.00
For the Tsuke Udon, dipping the noodles into the sauce is a different kind of experience. Compared with the two other dishes, the Tsuke Udon has bouncier noodles. Its dipping sauce is not the usual kind – a mix of Katsuobushi and xo sauce. You’ll notice that at every dip, there’s a smokey flavor in the sauce which is because of the shaved tuna flakes on the sauce.
But here comes the unique treat. If you have some broth leftovers, just add Php60.00 and they’ll turn it into a risotto. Martin shares that they’re the only ramen place in Manila which turns the leftover soup into a cheesy risotto.
Cheesy Risotto, Php60.00
The Cheesy Risotto is a very creamy meal. You’ll surely taste the cheesy flavor and at the same time, that flavor from your broth. It’s certainly a good way to make the best out of your meal! On your visit, make sure to leave some broth on purpose because the Cheesy Risotto may only be ordered with remaining ramen soup.
The owners also add a different ramen dish every two weeks. Check out what could they be serving soon. Don’t forget to bring your best buds with you!
Oyasumi Ramen
308 P. Guevarra St. corner Sea View St., Little Baguio, San Juan City, Manila
www.facebook.com/OyasumiRamen
Instagram: @OyasumiRamen
