My First Time Trying Nagi Ramen
Meow meow, hello everyone, it’s me, Mydondon, back again and again and again~ This time I’m bringing you Nagi Ramen. The moment I finally laid eyes on that front door, I just knew this place was going to be a little different from all the shops I’d been to before. The atmosphere inside really feels like an authentic ramen joint, with a few banners hanging up showing off different “ramen king” specialties (though I couldn’t really read any of them, ha), and the whole place is decorated in red, which sets it apart from everywhere else.
Intro, Nagi Ramen location info, and wait time
Nagi Ramen (Google Maps): https://goo.gl/maps/Hzz37CJYyBvy7qa96
We got there around 15:03 and there was no line, so thank you for your hard work, knees~ This time I ordered the Black King and a char siu rice bowl, figuring I’d give it a try and see whether the char siu rice would be any different from the one at Kakurega Ramen. About 4 minutes later the ramen arrived, and did you see that bowl absolutely full of black broth? It was my first time seeing ramen like this, and I had no idea how it would taste.
How the Nagi Black King tastes
According to the restaurant’s description, the noodles seem to be handmade in-house, but honestly I thought they were pretty ordinary. It felt like they’d changed something, but I couldn’t put my finger on exactly how they differed from other places — though the fact that they were different is undeniable. The Black King itself has a slightly conflicting quality to it; it feels like they added a touch of squid ink to deepen the black, and the ball of pork shoulder on top is also completely black. Apart from the noodles, pork bone, bonito, and chopped scallions, the entire bowl is black! Black! The broth has this indescribable flavor, kind of like sesame paired with a faint sweetness — it’s genuinely hard to describe, it’s just so unusual. But by the end, the Black King gets a bit cloying and becomes a little hard to swallow… I’m not sure if it’s the color or the texture, but this bowl was honestly a bit too overwhelming for me. I couldn’t quite get on board with it.
Nagi’s char siu rice
The char siu rice has a slightly milder flavor — the top is covered in mayo, which actually ends up masking the char siu’s own taste. But since the mayo isn’t sweet, it doesn’t feel too heavy, and you can still pick up a little of the plain white rice flavor. The char siu itself has a nice chew and is tasty, but personally I wouldn’t strongly recommend it.
How the Nagi Pork King tastes
The Pork King, which is the tonkotsu ramen, leans toward a lighter, more delicate pork-bone flavor. You can feel its presence, but it doesn’t steal the show, which actually lets the other spices come through. You won’t see a lot of collagen in there, but you can see plenty of fat floating on the surface, paired with a bit of their special sauce. It’s a solid, well-executed bowl of ramen — just not all that distinctive.
Nagi – Red King
The Red King is basically the spicy version of the Pork King. It’s spicy, but you can still pick up the other flavors — kudos for that! Personally I really dislike chili-broth-style ramen. The char siu is on the firm side and isn’t dry or stringy; I’d suggest letting it soak in the broth a little longer before popping it in your mouth.
Alright, that’s it for this review! If you enjoyed it, I’d love it if you gave me a follow so we can march toward 100 together. And if you want to help me keep doing this, you can swing by my PIXNET to give me a little $$ — after all, we all know a bowl of ramen isn’t cheap, right? 😭 You can find more about me, like my podcast, YouTube, and IG, in the pinned comment too! Go check them out!
For the next post, take a guess — which ramen shop is this? This one might be a little too easy, though.
