Ajisen Ramen - Affordable Japanese Noodles

Ajisen Ramen in 3rd Floor Midtown Wing of Robinsons Place Ermita

I and my photography guru Nat Chan went to Robinsons Ermita last week to browse and purchase some stuff. In as much as I want to share the story with you, I won't further elaborate because that's not the main point of this blog post. What I'm going to share with you is what we ate for lunch - Ajisen Ramen!

Updated 4/14/15: I was able to revisit this place once more and had the Ajisen Ramen and the Beef Gyudon.

Ajisen Ramen is a place known for casual Japanese cuisine dining. It offers affordable yet exciting ramen as well as other Japanese specialties! It has been existing in the mall for quite some time now, and I was able to visit this place thrice already before this (four times considering my most recent visit), yet still it brings so much joy when I dine there. And although the place is very much casual, it is suitable enough to relax and chill with friends and/or family.

Anyway, I can only share with you one dish,  and that's no other than the Ajisen Ramen (P265)!

The Signature Ajisen Ramen

Comment on the date of original posting:
Photogenic, isn't it? Let's begin with the soup component which I believe was full with flavors. Through the soup, you'll be able to savor the combination of various spices that dance in your mouth and tickle your taste buds. As for the noodles, it was fine, but I would have appreciated more if it was somehow thick and "chewy" - (in the sense that when you bite the noodle, you can still feel something). On the other hand, my friend Nat said that it was good enough, which I agreed with after pondering on a little.

The garlicky ramen of Ajisen - affordable ramen in Robinsons Place
Photo taken on April 11, 2015

Comment after revisiting the restaurant:
It is indeed true that when you taste something great already, you'll find it hard to avoid benchmarking, thus limiting your happiness. This is what I felt as I had this bowl of Ajisen Ramen just recently.  Yes, it was nice and warm, but I found it somehow plain now with a buoyant garlic taste. Now, what I did was to condition myself in removing that automatic benchmarking. I was partially successful as I began to appreciate it anew. After all, the Ajisen Ramen had something different to offer than those more popular ones.

Gyudon || P265

Sliced beef shitake mushroom leek and raw egg yolk

Japanese Gyudon of Ajisen Ramen

This Gyudon is the probably the best I've tasted so far, and even after all those years, it remains to be so. It just got this rich and flavorful savory sweetness that goes well with the stickiness of the rice. Lastly, all the great flavors were bound and sealed by the raw egg yolk making the dish memorable!

Ajisen Ramen - Overall Ratings and Summary

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Note: Unshaded stars are equivalents of half-stars. The ratings apply solely to this dining experience.
Place ★★★
Taste  ★★★☆
Service  ★★★☆
Value for Money ★★★★
Budget: At least P265 each for a ramen or a donburi

Basically, this concludes this quick blog post. (It's no longer quick since I updated it).
Although we didn't order these, I recommend the ff, aside from the Ajisen Ramen of course:

• Gyudon (P265) - the best Gyudon I tasted so far! 
• Chizu Maki (P148) - for cheese lovers, pure cheesy goodness!

There's a wide selection of dishes in Ajisen, but frankly I haven't explored the options much. Maybe you have some recommendations yourself? So, why not share them below!

Looking for other restaurants in the area? Click here for more restaurants in Robinsons!

Ajisen Ramen
Location: Third Floor, Robinsons Place Manila, Ermita, Manila

Contact No.: (02) 5671935
Service Charge: 10% before VAT