It's somehow boring at home and I'm craving to eat a different meal last Sunday. My sister-in-law invited me over to have Samgyupsal that day with my Brother. Sadly, the restaurant was closed when we arrived. Nowhere to go, my Brother suggested to visit the Ark's Food Zone instead. My brother was bragging that place he called Makiramen since the first day it opens and they often eat there. I'm a fan of Korean ramen but Japan ramen is more flavorful and has intense taste. The fact that my brother recommends that place, it means that it's truly savory knowing what kind of critic my brother is on Japanese food.
That Ark's Food Zone is only a 15-minute drive from Dinalupihan and it's near in the Ecozone at Palihan, Hermosa. This is a common hangout nook by employees after work and they offer Shawarma and Silog Meals, inside of that small alley you'll find this cute Makiramen stall where the magic of making Japanese sushi happens.
At the entrance, you'll see their menu offering variety of sushi and ramen.
The price range for ramen ranges from Php 179 to Php 249. Not bad, because Japanese ramen are really expensive if you eat in any authentic ramen house anywhere. For the sushi, price ranges from Php 99 to Php 179. They also offer add-on if you prefer having an extra noodle for example or extra eggs.
After making up our minds, the couple ordered tonkotsu ramen while I ordered the special spicy ramen. I also ordered gyosa, salmon sashimi, mango salmon roll and the crunchy crab stick. I was thinking of trying all the sushi however my tummy can't take too much carbs. I'm already cheating in my keto diet that day ha ha ha ha!
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I'm not an expert in reviewing the authenticity of sushi but I'll comment on how I enjoyed eating my orders. Mango salmon roll is an absolutely great choice. I like the tweak of sweetness while tasting the slight robust flavor of the fresh salmon. With or without the dark soy, it's still enjoyable to eat. The crunchy crab stick is my least favorite because I was expecting a crab stick flavor on the sushi though I can see that the crab stick bits were on top as an accent to the roll; it's simply eating a roll of rice with a fried crab stick on top. Quick info for everyone, the Makiramen offers uramaki (a type of maki) in their sushi options, basically a maki that's inside out.
Gyoza is authentic, it's the same flavor I tasted in all Japanese restaurants that I've been to. It's also commendable to order, no other comments about it because it's absolutely a must-try. The salmon sashimi on the other hand is okay however I felt bits of ice in the center of the sliced fish. This is understandable considering the way of storing this kind of fish and sashimi is not often ordered unless the customer is a fan of raw food. As a sashimi lover, I would suggest to replace the calamansi with a ground ginger and stick with the original presentation of using daikon (white radish) as bedding of the sashimi. It's more cost effective because you can store daikons longer than lettuce leaves and a few grams of ground ginger is cheaper than a piece of calamansi.
Anyway for the noodles, let me share to you my experience tasting the two flavors we ordered. Below is a Tonkotsu Ramen.
