Wrong Ramen hit the Right Spot

I did a bit of research before going to Wrong Ramen: I read all the good and bad reviews about the place and the food, and I must admit that I allowed myself to be swayed more by the negative than by the positive. I guess I didn’t want to let my expectations get too high. I’ve been disappointed by other ramen before, mostly because I always compare them to Ukkokei Ramen Ron’s Miso Char Siu. I've heard and I've read that the place is modern so I thought that maybe it is more plausible for this to be “just hype” because it is something new.

Well, there's only one way to confirm, right?

My boyfriend, his cousin, and I arrived at Burgos Circle at past 9 p.m. on a rainy Thursday night. It was way past dinner time so we were all hungry and eagerly anticipating tasting this much talked-about ramen. The wait wasn’t too long; we were seated only 15 minutes after we arrived. We already placed an advance order while waiting outside, so our food was served within 5 minutes of sitting down. :)

I read about the cool interiors of the restaurant, so my expectations were pretty high on the interior design aspect. The interiors were…really small. As in, tiny. I think it could only fit around 26 diners at the same time. But I really liked how they were able to maximize the space by having removable dividers at the tables. I’m guessing that odd-numbered parties are directed to sit along one of the high bar tables (there is one each downstairs and upstairs), and even-numbered parties can be seated at one of the 2 block tables. There were also quirky / modern artwork of noodles on the walls that really made the place look very non-traditional Japanese.

Really clever: wooden tables with detachable dividers

We ordered Bacon Katsu and Enoki Fries for starters, but we really didn’t have to eat much of these appetizers before our main orders arrived. Ton ordered the Communist Ramen, I ordered the Wrong Ramen Tonkotsu (rich), and I ordered Wrong Ramen Tantanmen for Ton’s cousin, Mark (sabi nya kasi ako na bahala, and I wanted to make sure that we each ordered something different so we could sample many dishes. Hehe).

Bacon Katsu (Php 195)

Enoki mushroom fries (PhP 175)

The starters were really good, and I had my fill of Enoki fries before I started to dig into my ramen. However, once I already had a taste of the rich, flavorful broth of my ramen, the Enoki fries seemed bland, and they were soon forgotten. Haha! And how can you blame me? That ramen broth was...WOW. It is made of some pretty great stuff! The menu explained that Tonkotsu is made of pork bone and chicken broth, so it's really very sinful. "Pampabata!" The ramen noodles were a bit too thin for me, but it's ok since the broth is very filling on its own. And the pork! It tasted so buttery, it melted in my mouth. Puwede ba yun? Can meat melt? Haha!

Wrong Ramen Tonkotsu (Rich) - (PhP 380)

At the start, we all sampled each other’s orders, but we decided that we liked our own, so galit-galit na after that. Hehe. We were discussing during the meal that the servings were really big, and that maybe next time, my boyfriend and I should just split 1 bowl. We were all able to finish the content of our bowls, though. Haha! And when we looked around, all of the other diners each had their own bowls; the diners from the other tables were mostly girl barkadas…dainty, slim girls with their own giant bowls of ramen. I guess that in itself is testimony to how good their ramen is! Even the diet-conscious girls are willing to forego their calorie-counting for some Wrong Ramen!

Be prepared to shell out at least PhP 500 per person for a Wrong Ramen meal (if you order appetizers and other food items aside from the ramen). With the hefty servings, though, I think that's good value for your money. I was pretty satisfied (but then, we were treated to dinner by Mark. Hehe. Thank you!).

The satisfied customers (L-R: Mark, Ton, and me)

This is definitely worth coming back for. I can attest that this is not just hype, their food really is delicious! I want to go back! Tonight! Tomorrow! Next week!

* * * *

Update as of March 21, 2013

Brought my family here for a Sunday family dinner a few weeks ago (I wanted to let them experience for themselves the awesomeness of the ramen), and I was pleasantly surprised to see that they've added new items to their "soft opening" menu!

New additions to their soft-opening menu

They now have "Kushikatsu: Japanese fried kebabs. Made with fresh bread crumbs. Served with arugula." I didn't have a chance to try them out because I was so focused on the ramen that I only noticed this new addition after we ate. Haha!

They also have a new entree! Crispy Pata Ssam! It's a bit pricey at PhP 980, but I haven't tasted it yet, so I can't judge if it's worth the price or not. They only have 12 servings per day, so I guess it's pretty special. I wonder what sets it apart from Pinoy-style crispy pata? Just the ssam sauce?

Anyway, back to the star of the show: the ramen.

 

I tried something different this time around: I ordered the Wrong Ramen Tantanmen which is described as "a bold, nutty sesame broth with a mild spicy kick." I didn't think I would love something more than the Tonkotsu Rich ramen (which I tried on my first visit here), but it turns out, I like the Tantanmen better!

 

 

The Wrong Ramen Tantanmen!

 

The broth is so rich and flavorful, but not as oily as the Tonkotsu. What I liked about the Tonkotsu is that they served it with chasu (sliced pork) as opposed to the shredded pork they serve with the Tantanmen. But with ramen, it's all about the broth (hehe, not the noodles? At least for me), and the Tantanmen broth was perfect: not too heavy (it wasn't as milky as the Tonkotsu rich), very flavorful, and mildly spicy.

 

My sister ordered the Seamen Ramen, because she can't eat meat; I recommended that my carnivorous brothers try the Wrong Ramen Rich Tonkotsu, and my mom ordered the Wrong Ramen Light Tonkotsu; my dad, the ever-adventurous one, tried the F.U. Ramen, which is described as "your breakfast in liquid form: black pepper spam, strips of bacon, cheese and a crispy fried egg in pepper and garlic broth." 

 

F.U. Ramen

 

We were all passing around our ladles, tasting the broths from the others' bowls. My new favorite, as I've mentioned above, is the Tantanmen's sesame broth, but I can't deny that the Rich Tonkotsu's pork bone and chicken broth is a close second. I'm not much of a fan of the F.U. Ramen's pepper and garlic broth; it was a bit TOO oily for me. I guess they weren't kidding when they said "breakfast in liquid form." Too much frying oil? :|

 

The servings are huge, but I finished the whole bowl of Tantanmen. Haha. 1000 calories right thurrrrr.

Also found out from the waitress that the owners of Wrong Ramen are also the ones who own Ramen Bar. She said the difference was in the main ingredients of the ramen. Interesting. I haven't tried Ramen Bar yet, so I can't comment, but I will keep this info in mind when I try it out in the future.

* You can locate Wrong Ramen at Forbes Town Center (Burgos Circle) at Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. It's to the right of Bugsy's (I think, one stall over). :)

** For my other reviews, check out www.looloo.com :)

Discovering the foodie in me thru looloo

There was a time when my Instagram account was full of TOWER CRANES. Since I work in the construction industry, I can't help but see these big steel monsters as beautiful. There is something about the combination of vertical and horizontal lines (plus the lights when they turn them on at night) that brings out the architectural geek in me. Ironically, I'm afraid of heights, so though I think tower cranes are nice to look at, I still get shivers whenever I would see the tower crane operator scaling its mast to get to the top. *shudder*

Another theme I liked to follow before was "clouds." I walked a lot to work before, and walking under the glaring sun is not very fun. So I have learned to appreciate pretty, fluffy clouds.

So ANYWAY, I digress. BEFORE, my IG was full of my "artistic shots" of tower cranes and clouds. I lost my iPhone for awhile, though, so when I had it replaced finally, 7 months after, it was ressurected with pictures upon pictures of FOOD. Yes, I am one of those people who take pictures of their food (I pray first, though hehe). In every restaurant you go to, I bet if you just looked around, you will catch other people taking pictures of their meal before they stick their fork into it. Every restaurateur should be pressured to beef up their food presentation techniques, because pictures of their dishes are sure to sprout up on the World Wide Web sooner or later; and with the pictures can come brilliant and/or scathing reviews.

Aside from dabbling in unofficial "food photography," a lot of people seem to be unofficial food critics as well: giving their unsolicited opinion about the restaurants they eat in; commenting on the interior design, the service, and of course, the food. Everybody's a critic!

One (free) application actually allows everyone to be a food critic: looloo! It's a very useful (and for me, very addicting) app that allows you to submit reviews on restaurants you've tried (which you can also share via Twitter and Facebook). Feel like a real food critic by giving a rating of up to 5 stars! And that's not all...your opinion really counts: other looloo users can follow you, read, like and comment on your reviews, and some users can use your reviews as basis for their next lunch / dinner out! You can recommend places for friends to try out, and you can actually get "inflooence" points if they try it out for real and write a review about it, too. You can also earn badges (i.e. Bar Hopper, Coffee Head, Filipino Food Fan) for visiting 5 different places from the same category.

 

 

 According to the looloo blog:

"We’d like to think it’s an app for foodies, spa junkies, nightlife lovers – anyone who loves going out! We built looloo for curious and adventurous Filipinos who love the experience of trying out places and finding new favorites along the way. We want you to discover places you haven’t heard of before, but that end up becoming exactly what you’re looking for."

Sometimes though, you're still not sure what exactly you're looking for. I'm sure you've also had this conversation before with friends, family members, or your significant other: "Where are we eating lunch / dinner?" "Anywhere you want! Kahit saan!" It's frustrating when your stomach is grumbling and you're stuck with someone who is indecisive. Then when you DO decide on where to eat, you end up going some place that didn't match your expectations / cravings.

 

With looloo's "Explore" feature, you can search for places nearby and see reviews of other looloo users on restaurants you want to try. Craving for pizza? "Oh look, there's a pizza place nearby!" Wanting to try out that new milk tea place? "Ay, 3 out 4 reviewers rated this place 2-stars, let's try somewhere else." Or have you been hesitant to try out that new Chinese restaurant because it just might be all hype? "Wow, 10 out of 10 users rated this place 5-stars, must be good, let's give it a try!" Yep, looloo users don't give out flak reviews; they are regular folk like us who just want to try good food.

And they don't have JUST food places...they also have spas, parlors, fitness centers, airports, hotels and museums! The looloo people just want you to go out there and experience what the Philippines has to offer...and then write about it on looloo, to share with others, of course. Their logo is not a flag for nothing. According to the looloo blog:

"We associated the flag with several concepts: discovering new places (e.g. the moon!), remembering great things for future reference, marking geographic locations, or guiding others."

I think that's pretty awesome.

Looloo didn't just allow me to discover new places and new dishes; it also allowed me to discover the foodie in me. I didn't know I could enjoy food and the dining experience so much until I made a conscious effort to be aware of every single detail of my meal. As a frustrated-blogger, I think it's good practice to critique your experiences, because it is an exercise of observation. Getting that observation into words that other people can relate to is a most-welcome challenge for me!

So are you a frustrated blogger (like me), an enthusiastic foodie, the ultimate consumer (like me, too hehe), or do you just like trying new things? Then get on looloo now and explore the Philippines, 1 flag at a time!

Download the app from iTunes or visit www.looloo.com

Note: This post was not sponsored by looloo. I'm just really so addicted to looloo that I had to blog about it. Haha!