Now in BGC: Uma Uma Ramen

I think I’ve used the sentence “I love Japanese food” countless times to the point of me quoting myself. But I can’t resist it. I really do love this Asian cuisine and always find myself craving for more. And when I found out that one of my favorite ramen joints finally opened in Uptown Parade, I just have to drop by ASAP. But adulthood got in the way and it took me a few months before indulging in some Hakata ramen.

Hello, Uma Uma!

I’m so glad that they opened a branch in BGC. Gone are the days when I have to brave the traffic just to get to S Maison. I could finally have my ramen fix by walking to Uptown. (Okay, that might take at least half an hour but hey, at least I won’t get stuck in the detestable EDSA traffic.)

Uma Uma’s BGC branch is a bit smaller than S Maison and it’s a bit dimmer as well. 

I guess it was intended to blend in with the other establishments that cater to the “party” crowd. Speaking of party, my tummy feasted on several new Uma Uma dishes.

We started off with Spicy Karaage (PHP220), Beef Yakitori (PHP150), Butabara or Pork Belly (PHP75), Shiitake Mushroom (PHP75), Cherry Tomatoes (PHP50), Tsukune or Chicken Balls (PHP75), One Bite Gyoza (PHP140) and Chicken Karaage (PHP160).

Among the yakitoris, my favorite was beef that was lightly seasoned hence highlighting its lovely beefy taste.

Butabara was pretty good too though I would have loved it more if there were some sauce I could dip it in or salt and pepper for more taste.

I’m a sucker for mushrooms and I finally have a place to visit when I crave for shiitake. I just love its chewy texture!

The cherry tomatoes were pretty good too. But I’m being biased here as I love tomatoes.

I totally forgot what the chicken balls taste like but I guess it was just okay as I don’t have any negative feeling towards it.

The bite size gyozas were still delightful just like the first time I had it. Though it seemed to be a tad oilier this time around.

The two karaage dishes were winners!

I was impressed that despite sitting for over half an hour in spicy sauce, the skin of the spicy karaage remained crispy. I also liked that it was just mildly spiced making it tolerable for non-spicy food eaters like me.

But the crown is on the classic chicken karaage as it is the best karaage I’ve had to date! And its very affordable price makes this dish a gift from heavens above for moms with kids who can’t get enough of crispy chicken. The sinful combination of crunchy flavorful batter and the juicy chicken meat would make anyone crave for it for weeks (or months in my case).

As for ramen, I was able to sample Uma Uma Ramen (PHP360), Garlic Ramen (PHP360) and Mazesoba Chasiu (PHP390). Tan Tan Men (PHP390) was served too but I didn’t try it anymore as it looked really spicy.

I’ve had Uma Uma Ramen before and loved it. And it tickled my taste buds once again. The delectable tender chasiu added flavor to the rich broth and the black fungus gave it an interesting bite.

The Garlic Ramen is perfect for garlic lovers. Though it might be a bit too flavorful and strong for “casual” garlic fans, it was heavenly for me. I loved that it was a bowl overloaded with garlic taste. And since this bowl has beansprouts, it became an instant favorite.

If you are trying to cut down on calories, Mazesoba Chasiu is a good option as it only has two-third the calories of typical ramen bowl. However, I only had a bit of this as it was topped with chili oil.

Overall, it was a scrumptious dinner. I would definitely order karaage again and Garlic ramen.  

Uma Uma is located at 2^nd Floor, Uptown Parade, 9^th Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.