GenSan Ramen Roundup

Ramen from Animated movie, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea

Watching my favorite animé movies and shows presenting Japanese Ramen in its animated form looking very, very delicious, I've always wanted to know how it tastes like. The steaming hot broth, the noodles, the meat and most especially the naruto, looked really enticing.

The first ramen that I've ever tried was in Rai Rai Ken. It was the first ramen noodle house that opened in GenSan. Unfortunately, it wasn't a hit to the locals when it arrived. Maybe because foreign cuisines still did not go well with the taste of the people that time. But to me, it became the standard on how ramen should taste like.

Fast forward to a few years later, there's a sudden invasion of Asian-fusion restos in GenSan and one of their specialties would be the ever-famous ramen noodles. Some cheap and some are really pricey but I'm just glad that I can get a bowl of the delicious dish whenever I can. Since I've finally tasted "real ramen" in the name of Ippudo, a Japanese restaurant in SM Megamall in Luzon and it became my new standard of ramen, having tasted a few of the local versions in GenSan, I must say that they can be an alternative to what Ippudo has to offer.

Here are some of my favorite ramen in the city:

Teriyaki Boy

 

The buttery taste of Miso Butter Ramen leaves you wanting for more. The price is kinda expensive but they also a smaller order portion that only costs P99.

They are located at SM City General Santos Ground Floor.

Kaizu Japanese Restaurant

Their first version of ramen was really bad. But after a few adjustments and feedbacks, their latest take on ramen can finally be compared to the best in the city. I just have an issue with the noodles since it sometimes comes out soggy and overcooked, and the egg would be better soft-boiled but overall, I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Visit Kaizu at Veranza Ground Floor.

Sakura Shokudo

Photo from Kyriemoon.com

Some say that this version can be an alternative for Ippudo. Although its quite expensive, I believe the price is justifiable because of the amount of ingredients that they put on each serving.

Sakura Shokudo is located at General Santos Food Trip Container Yard along Nation Highway.

Tomodachi Japanese Cuisine

Tomodachi is the newest ramen house among the bunch but it surely can compete with the old ones. Their broth is tasty and creamy. I also like their spicy Chasu ramen since the level of spiciness is tolerable and doesn't mask the taste of their broth and meat.

Visit them at Leon Llido Street, GenSan City.

Street Food Asia

This is probably my favorite ramen house is GenSan. The broth is slightly sticky and you can really taste that its made from bones and meat that were boiled for a long time. The noodles are also chewy and not soggy, and most of all, each serving comes really cheap which starts at P99.

Visit them at Aparente St., Dadiangas Heights, GenSan City.

Each ramen house in GenSan may offer a unique take on the famous Japanese dish, but one thing's for sure, you'll definitely come back for more. Hopefully, they continuously improve and the market should also be open to new types of dishes, so that local businessmen would venture into stuff that are not locally present. When that happens, all that we would ever need would be more accessible and more affordable.