Kenji Tei Ramen House -- Greenbelt 5

The thing is, our family usually goes to Greenbelt 5 and yeah we would notice Kenji Tei, but it seems empty. (That would be around 3:00pm-4:00pm, before the 4:30pm mass in the Greenbelt Chapel) So, I thought it would be the usual lousy restaurants that serve pathetic food for such expensive prices, that's why it's empty. I TAKE THAT BACK NOW. Nothing makes me happier than being able to eat good Japanese food, which is exactly what happened when my dad and I first tried Kenji Tei Ramen House (This was last January 2013.)  Today (February 2013,) we planned to eat there again with the whole fambam. My parents and I are into noodles and soup, but my brother would rather have rice, and it's nice how Kenji Tei offers not only Ramen, but other good dishes too.

We arrived around 7:30, and we easily got a table and not even 10 minutes after, you could see a line of people waiting for a table.

While waiting for our food they served us tea (free of charge) and you have a choice of having hot or cold. In our case, we had ours hot.

Their tea is really good! Not the usual tea you would have in Japanese restaurants. We later find out it's 'Rice Tea.'

And my two best friends during this dinner, LA YU (chili oil) and Nanami (Assorted chili powder) 

 

Since I love spicy food, I can never go wrong with these too. They go with anything, not only Japanese dishes! I even have them at home.

Our first appetizer arrives, and it's Tofu Steak.

Tofu Steak - Breaded Tofu with mushroom sauce topping.
 My brother ordered this dish, and I must say it was a good choice! It's flavorful but not too salty, just the way I like it. I didn't expect it to be really good, because I'm not a fan of Tofu.
*A must try for me!*

Next up is my family's favorite, Crunchy Kani Maki.

Crunchy Kani Maki (Php. 288.00)
(Sorry for the photo, my mom and brother just attacked it before I could even take a proper photo! Hahaha!)
This just shows it's really good! I know you can get this in other Japanese restaurants but their version literally pops in your mouth with a good amount of roe, crispy tempura batter, and ribbons of crabsticks on top. The toppings really complete the maki itself.
*I love how they are not selfish with the roe.*

And then I had my own, Tamago Sushi.

Tamago Sushi (Php. 80.00)
The thing is, I did not order the sushi, but I ordered the Sashimi, but then they were busy so I didn't bother bothering them. It was just your normal tamago sushi.
(Incase you're wondering what Tamago is... Tamago- somewhat a regular omelet, but it is made with sugar, soy sauce, and mirin. The way it is fried is unique; The flip-fold-batter way.)

For meat we had the, Crispy Chicken Teriyaki.

Crispy Chicken Teriyaki - Grilled Crispy Chicken Teriyaki glazed in teriyaki sauce. (Php. 228.00)
The first time I tried this with my dad, I knew we had to order it again when we come back. The chicken is really crispy and the teriyaki sauce goes really well with it. The sauce is a mix of sweet and salty.
*Another must try!*

And for seafood we had, the Oyster Fry

 

Oyster Fry - Fried breaded Oysters with chili sauce. (Php. 318.00)

*The only reason I ordered this, because I had Oyster Fry from another restaurant a few days before, and they were just divine! (Watch out for that post!)*

On the other had, these oysters weren't so bad either. They had this very rich and creamy taste that went well with the special chili sauce they had.

Like I mentioned, my brother isn't a fan of Ramen so he ordered Katsudon.
(Php. 268.00)
*SORRY I DO NOT HAVE A PHOTO..*
It was very tender and toppings weren't overpowering, unlike in some other Japanese restaurants. 
This was served with a bowl of Japanese rice with black sesame on top.

Now time for the Ramen!

A few things that we look for in a good bowl of Ramen: the flavor of the soup, the freshness and consistency of the noodles, the meat or seafood they have in it, and the presentation.

The Ramen were served in single-serve bowls but can be shared by two people. Each Ramen has its own distinct taste, but what I found particularly delicious were the noodles themselves. My family is pretty picky when it comes to the noodles and there are only a few restaurants we’ve eaten (mostly out of the country) where they’ve gotten the noodles just right and Kenji Tei is one of them!

My parents shared the, Miso Butter Corn Ramen.

Miso Butter Corn Ramen - Chashu miso ramen with butter and corn. (Php. 258.00, regular size)
Personally, it was just so-so. 

I ordered the, Chashu Miso Ramen.

Chashu Miso Ramen - Miso based ramen served with an array of toppings. (Php. 248.00, regular size)
It’s a simple bowl that packs a lot of flavor. I enjoyed the nori and the vegetables.

You can have additional toppings if you desire. 

I was kind of disappointed with what we ordered this time, hence the lack of description on how the Ramen were like. My dad told me we should order something different from what we ordered before, which were the Gomoku Shio Ramen - mixed seafood, vegetable and pork shio Ramen (Php. 268.00, regular size) and Spicy Negi Ramen - spicy miso based broth topped with Negi slices and Chashu (Php. 258.00, regular size). I really enjoyed those two! *MUST TRIES AGAIN!*

Summary:

Ambiance: ★★★★

Location: ★★★★★

Presentation: ★★★

Price: ★★★★

Taste: ★★★★

I know you would say that there are other better Ramen Houses, but in my opinion this is the most budget friendly and convenient for you! The service was really good and the ambiance is very comfortable. There is one thing I would like to fix, and it is their menu, because some some dishes have no descriptions and that makes the menu incomplete for me.

Kenji Tei Ramen House Greenbelt
3rd Floor Greenbelt 5
Makati City
+ 632. 754. 3098
Opening Hours
Sunday-Thursday 11am - 10pm
Friday & Saturday 11am - 11pm 

Other branch:
Kenji Tei Ramen House Paranaque
President Avenue
Paranaque City, Metro Manila
+632. 556. 8805

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/kenjitei