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Tampopo: Tonkatsu Specialist & SG's #1 Ramen

Ramen and katsu are all the rave these days, and with so many restaurants setting up shops with these two fares, Tampopo is nothing short of brave to set up their first branch here in Manila just last December.



This restaurant co-owned by Chris Tiu is located at Promenade 3 in Greenhills. Just a sidenote on this new place at GH: Aside from good eats, this new hang out place includes a posh new cinema and the newly renovated Fully Booked! Wheeeee! So Promenade 3 is appealing to all types of mall goers--whether you're a foodie, a bookie or a movie buff, there's something new for you to try out here.

All those 3 things are appealing to me, but for today, let's focus on food -- more specifically the Asian kind.

Tampopo
A fan of both ramen and katsu, the first time I went to try Tampopo, it was packed and the group before us was told that they were 9th on the wait list. (Yes, that would make us the 10th. Good job in addition! :P) So as much as I wanted to try this restaurant, I was also pretty hungry at that time, so we carried our hungry tummies somewhere else instead.

This "challenge" both disappointed and excited me. Disappointed because the ramen that this guy was eating seemed really delicious; but excited because this means that they must serve really delicious food for the line to be that long.


But a week after, on a Sunday lunchtime nonetheless, I decided to try my luck... and the foodie gods were on my side that day because we finally got to dine at Tampopo! I was set to meet Steph for our last session of One2One at VCF. The series of weeks leading to this was really fun and meaningful as we share insights, Bible verses and how God had been real to us.

I arrived a little early and was glad that there were many seats available for me to choose from. Of course, the cushion-loving side of me chose the booth at the back of the restaurant.



The restaurants were all clustered together, like the one beside Tampopo is Red Mango, then an Italian restaurant is on its second floor then there's a Vietnamese place at the back... It's actually kinda cute because the whole place looks like a little community :)

A little later, she arrived! Yaaay!


Time to order! After browsing the menu and asking the waiter for his recommendations, we decided to have their specialties.

Deluxe Tampopo Black Pig Shabu Ramen



Tampopo prides itself in serving black pig (also known as Berkshire). The Black Pig is prized for its exceptional flavor, juiciness and exquisite taste.

They serve their ramen with kyushu noodles and pork bone soup. I like the milky/creamy texture of the soup, and the black pig is like steamed bacon. True to how it was described in the menu, it was tender and tasty. One look and you may mistake it for beef strips, but its taste is different, it's more flavorful than beef and more tender than pork.


.. And look at the egg and corn! They are perfect complements to the rest of the ramen. We had this served mild spicy, I think I'll try this spicier next time. :)

Black Pig Loin Tonkatsu Ala Carte


And of course, we had to order their black pig tonkatsu!I loved this, and don't forget to dip this with your own concoction of crushed sesame seeds and an array of their specialty sauce. Here is a short how to:


Step 1: Crush the sesame seeds with the pestle


Step 2:  Get acquainted with their condiments. After saying your "hellos" to the condiments family, put the tonkatsu sauce (5th) and chili oil/pepper (1st & 2nd) to taste. I'm not sure what the 3rd one is for, but the 4th one is for the cabbage salad, which the tonkatsu is also served with :)


Step 3: Mix them all together and...


Step 4: Dip the tonkatsu with your sauce then voila! Give yourself a pat on the back because that was really yummy! Don't forget to eat the cabbage salad on the side! :) 

Soba, Cutlets and More Ramen!
... And of course, Tampopo serves house tea -- the real undiluted kind -- lovely for a tea monster like me! Here is a sneak peak of their menu. I cannot wait to try their Etanbetsu Soba, Koumi Fry Ramen and Cheese Layer Cutlet! Here is another review of Our Awesome Planet featuring these dishes.

 


Budget is around P500 per person, so if you like to try ramen and katsu with a twist, be sure to pay Tampopo a visit! :)

Ground Floor Promenade 3,
Greenhills Shopping Center
San Juan City

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