First Bite: Ramen Kuroda

It is so interesting how Manila became so crazy with ramen. You could tell with the spurt of ramen shops here and there. But one shop worth noticing is this quiet player which recently opened in Eastwood Cyber and Fashion Mall.

Hello, Ramen Kuroda!

This ramen shop first opened in the foodie hotspot Aguirre Street in BF Homes. But with the demand for this shop’s pocket friendly yet mouthwatering ramen bowls, they branched out and now has seven branches serving foodies in the north and south!

We got to the small shop around 5 pm and the place was rather packed with diners. We instantly got a table for our party of three though thanks to the friendly staff who were quick on their toes and put together the two small tables outside to accommodate us. 

As first timers, we tried the following: Shiro Ramen (PHP180 | PHP230 with with additional chasu), Kuro Ramen (PHP180 | PHP230 with additional chasu), Aka Chashumen (PHP180 | PHP230 with with additional chasu) and Teriyaki Chicken Don (PHP180). 

Service was quick and our bowls were served in less than 5 minutes. 

I first tried the Kuro Ramen as I love garlic. It had a nice rich taste of roasted garlic. The flavor was not too overwhelming and was not cloying at all hence I could finish a bowl in one go. 

The Aka Chashumen was mildly spiced and had a crabby taste which made it different from the usual ramen I order. I loved that I could tolerate the spiciness of this bowl as I got hooked with its seafood flavor.

Shiro Ramen or the basic ramen of Ramen Kuroda was the best one among the three. Its taste was simple yet spot on. The broth was on the light side perfect to be sipped in one sitting. I could imagine myself slurping this lovely bowl of ramen on a rainy afternoon. 

The chasu in all bowls were so succulent and flavorful. Ramen Kuroda also did not scrimp on the slice forcing diners to avail of the additional slices. (That is, unless you really love chasu.) The noodles were also firm and far from being called instant noodles.

The chicken teriyaki don didn’t have much sauce glazed on it but the chicken slices were still sweet. It seemed as if the teriyaki sauce was absorbed by the tender chicken making it succulent. It also went well with the piping hot white Japanese rice.

Overall, it was a pleasant dining experience. I would definitely come back for more. And I’m so happy that they opened another branch in the picturesque Venice Grand Canal Mall. 

Note: Just be careful with sudden small roach attacks. One crawled on our table. Aieeeee!!!

Ramen Kuroda is located at 3rd Floor Cyber & Fashion Mall, Eastwood City, Bagumbayan Quezon City.