An Exceptional Ramen Rave-iew!

Japanese food, you ask? Well, that's really not much of a problem, especially here in the Metro. With the emergence of Japanese food places such as Tokyo Tokyo, Teriyaki Boy, and Tempura, people would definitely not have a hard time looking for delicious and close to authentic Japanese dishes. One noticeable thing about Japanese cuisine is that they are offered in big servings. Restaurants would usually serve Japanese dishes in a big bowl (a good example would be Tokyo Tokyo's Sumo Remix bowl). But, big servings don't usually come without a price. A bowl of this yummy Japanese goodness would usually cost you around 200 to 300 pesos. The good thing, however, is that it's worth the price you paid for, not like some restaurants that focus more on presentation and ambiance. Now, we bet you wanna know if there's a Japanese restaurant somewhere around Metro Manila that would absolutely satisfy your Japanese cravings without sacrificing a lot of what's inside your wallet. Well, our answer is....YES.

Just along Araneta Avenue is a Japanese food place named Atsu Atsu Ramen. The place might seem a bit out of place because it's beside truck dealers. It actually is the only food place in that area. But, it is amazing how they, despite the geographical situation they are in, managed to stick that Japanese aura in their food place. The entrance definitely looks like an old Japanese house with Japanese lanterns adorning the door. We have actually done a little bit of research (since we really were curious what the name means). We found out that Atsu Atsu in Japanese means "very hot". Obviously, it is usually used for hot Japanese soups like udon and ramen. According to tradition, atsu atsu dishes stimulate the appetites of the Japanese people during winter. Well, with Atsu Atsu Ramen's delicious dishes, you really won't need a change in season to stimulate your appetite.

Atsu Atsu Ramen's dishes are very affordable. Just a tip when choosing your food here - Atsu Atsu Ramen serves dishes in huge servings. You might think that a single bowl of ramen is just a small amount. Well, think again. When we ordered a 'for one' bowl of ramen, it actually was a lot for the both of us. We actually ordered a lot at Atsu Atsu, we could barely finish it all up because we were already full. We didn't expect that the amount of food we ordered would actually be that much. The good thing about the dishes of Atsu Atsu is that most of the dishes on the menu are less than 200 pesos. Now, compare that to a dish you love to order at Teriyaki Boy or Tempura. With the big amount of servings, it's a really good buy, right?

The interior of the place would give you a bit of the Japanese feel. It's not as extravagant or as close to the original like other Japanese restaurants located around the Metro, but the place is kind of cute, and you would feel from the looks of the place that they really tried to make it close enough to the usual Japanese restaurant. There were even some Japanese dolls on display. These kinds of designs really added to that Japanese ambiance.

What we really loved at Atsu Atsu was that you could see the cooks cooking your dishes. There's a window where you could see how they prepare the dishes the customers order. This is not a new concept, because there already are some food places that do this. But, it's actually a good strategy that some restaurants don't do. Good thing Atsu Atsu decided to place a window there. By doing so, customers can assure themselves that the dishes they are about to eat are clean and prepared in the proper way.

We really liked the service at Atsu Atsu. The people here are very kind and very attentive (or probably because there weren't so many customers yet when we were there hahahaha). They knew when to refill our drinks and they were there when we needed something. The waitress who took our orders even suggested one dish that we eventually ordered. The orders were served in a jiffy. It didn't even take 30 minutes for all our orders to be placed on the table. Service was actually a good job for Atsu Atsu!


Atsu Atsu Ramen actually had a lot of yummy-looking dishes. Too bad we couldn't order them all. Here's what we tried during our visit:

Iced Tea, 45 php (one glass); 65 php (bottomless)


Glutton Girl: I ordered their iced tea. There really is nothing uniquely special about this drink. But, it was a good thirst quencher because I was really thirsty during that time. As usual, it had the same taste as the other iced teas I have tried in other food places. For 65 pesos though, it really is not that bad.

Calamansi Juice, 40 php


Glutton Guy: I actually was looking for a drink that had some kick. Since it was lunch and alcohol wasn't really a good choice (just joking! hahaha), I decided to go with calamansi juice. Actually, 2 days before I already had one when I ate at Pancake House with my parents. Pancake House's calamansi juice was more of customized. They give you this glass of really sour calamansi juice and with it comes some syrup to pour on to your juice. Atsu Atsu's calamansi juice, however, was already sweetened. But, what I liked about Atsu Atsu's calamansi juice is that it's not overly sweet, and yet you could still taste the sour flavor from the calamansi. I really liked it a lot. It's a healthy and delicious drink. : )

Steamed Gyoza, 85 php (5 pieces)


Glutton Guy: This is the one the waitress recommended. She even suggested that we try the steamed ones because those are more delicious. The dish looked like dimsum from a Chinese restaurant. They even looked burnt because there was some brown color on the Gyoza. But, it was kind of good. It wasn't extraordinarily delicious as I expected it to be, however. It was a recommend from the waitress of the place, so I expected it to be really really good. But, it was delicious one way or another. I wasn't falling for the dipping sauce, though. : )


Glutton Girl: The steamed Gyoza was good. They tasted like meatballs in a dimsum wrapper. The menu said it was Japanese dumplings, but it really didn't give any idea what Japanese dumplings are made of. I was actually on a 'no meat' diet during our visit and I was worried if the Gyoza was made of pork or not. Regardless, it was really delicious. I also didn't like the sauce very much. I felt it gave a different taste to the Gyoza which was really off. However, I wouldn't mind trying this one again, without the sauce next time.

Umani Ramen, 160 php (for one); 240 php (for two)


Glutton Guy: A visit at Atsu Atsu Ramen wouldn't be complete without ordering a bowl of their delicious ramen. We got the Umani ramen, which was ramen with vegetables, seafood, and hard-boiled egg. Even though this one had no meat, it was really delicious. The soup was thick and very flavorful. The noodles were firm and really good as well. The seafood was the the star of the soup. Every seafood I ate was really delicious. There was shrimp, squid, fish, every seafood that I really wanted was there. It actually didn't need additional seasonings because the taste was already superb. This is a dish that I would absolutely recommend. : )

Glutton Girl: In my opinion, any kind of ramen at Atsu Atsu would really taste good. We ordered the Umani ramen because, as I have said earlier, I was on a 'no meat' diet. We really didn't regret ordering this. We thought that it wouldn't taste as delicious as the other ramen dishes. When we asked the waitress which of their ramen dishes were their best-sellers, she didn't mention the Umani ramen. We ordered a 'for one' Umani ramen worth 160 pesos. Low and behold, when they served it to us it was in a big bowl. I immediately thought, "Is this for one person?!" It was really delicious. I loved the mix of ingredients in this soup. There was no ingredient you would not like. Even the vegetables were really delicious. The seafoods were just perfect. What I really loved most were th fish and the shrimp.This is another winner dish from Atsu Atsu.

Chicken Teriyaki Don, 160 php


Glutton Girl: I found this dish very affordable. This is because it already has rice and soup (and can I just say that the rice was a lot). This dish is very similar to Teriyaki Boy's Teriyaki Chicken. But, it's actually cheaper than Teriyaki Boy's. Plus, I have to admit, it actually tastes better. The chicken was really soft and very flavorful. It wasn't difficult to eat at all. The sauce was really good as well. The soup was also a lot, and it was also good. It's another must-try dish at Atsu Atsu Ramen.

Tendon, 170 php


Glutton Guy: This dish is absolutely delicious. When I eat at a Japanese restaurant, I would usually order some tempura. This is an awesomely delicious tempura dish. The shrimp was soft and was not rubbery at all. And, it's the big type of shrimps that they serve here, not the miniature ones. You can get a crunch from the tempura batter. The sauce of the dish was sweet and very delicious. I actually wasn't able to finish the rice because it was really a lot. The soup was good while it was still warm. It gave that refreshing taste while eating the dishes you ordered at Atsu Atsu. For 170 pesos, it absolutely is a worth-it dish for me. When I come back to Atsu Atsu Ramen, I would definitely order their Tendon again. : )

Atsu Atsu Ramen is one of those Japanese restaurants that would give you your value for money. If you're thinking of eating at Tokyo Tokyo or at Teriyaki Boy, we suggest that you try this one first. We definitely assure you that in no time you would change your mind as to the best tasting Japanese food place in the Metro. It's a Japanese restaurant that's a bit difficult to go to, but the trip is absolutely worth it. Only go there during lunch or dinner because they're closed from 3 pm to 6 pm. So, when you're talking of Japanese restaurants, what would come into mind? Of course, Atsu Atsu Ramen! Irrashai Mase!

Here's how we rated Atsu Atsu Ramen:


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(Atsu Atsu Ramen is located at 1281 Araneta Avenue, Quezon City. Just turn right when you reach the intersection of Quezon Avenue and Araneta Avenue. It's after Maria Clara Avenue and before Calamba Street. It's on your left if you follow these directions. You have to take a U-turn, by the way, to get to the place. They're closed during Mondays, so don't plan on going there during that day.)