Whenever someone mentions “ramen”, most Filipinos would immediately recall packed fried noodles that are rehydrated in boiling water and flavoured with the ever-present soup packet. Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, that was the only ramen I recognised as well.
Then came Japanese anime and the rush of Japanese culture in the 90’s and 2000’s where Filipinos became more exposed to a wave of Japanese cuisine, music and fashion. Part of the wave was the discovery of real Japanese ramen. While the packaged ramen that we buy at the grocery is a form of comfort food for many, real Japanese ramen is a different experience altogether with its nuanced textures and flavours.
Fast forward to 2020 and Durianburg now has a handful of Japanese restaurants that specialise in ramen and my current favourite is the newly-opened K1 Ramen located along F. Torres Street.
K1 Ramen serves three ramen variants. White Ramen is a basic ramen with a tonkotsu or pork bone-based soup, Black Ramen also comes with tonkotsu accented with with heady black garlic oil, and finally Red Ramen which uses the same rich tonkotsu base but spiced up with red chilies with three levels of heat. All ramen variants come with slices of K1’s signature chashu (braised pork belly) and ajisuke tamago (ramen egg).
K1 Ramen’s noodles are springy and firm, yet chewy to the bite. “Our noodles are home-made while our tonkotsu is made of high-quality ingredients for that perfect bowl of ramen,” shared K1 Ramen’s Caryl Lim. The meaty flavour of the tonkotsu soup shines through without it being too salty or too rich. The slices of juicy and tender chashu and soft-boiled ramen egg complete the experience. “Our ramen comes complete with chashu and ajisuke tamago because we feel that a bowl of ramen is not complete with out the two,” added Caryl.
Aside from ramen, K1 ramen also serves Gyoza, Chahan (Japanese-style friend rice), Chashudon (rice bowl topped with slices of chashu), Gyudon (rice bowl topped with slices of Australian beef), and Karagedon (rice bowl topped with crispy fried chicken thigh fillets). My personal favourite is K1 Ramen’s the Karage which are crispy and juicy, perfect when paired with a glass or two of Sapporo or Kirin beer.
While I have to admit that nothing in Davao currently can beat the real deal ramen houses of Japan, K1 Ramen comes awfully close to giving Dabawenyo urbanites a more authentic ramen experience.
K1 Ramen is open daily from 11am to 2pm and 5pm to 10pm.
