Rai-Rai Ken is a ramen restaurant and sushi bar. The first Rai-Rai Ken I ate in was in Robinsons Galleria, and it was a pleasant experience. I forget what exactly I ordered but I do remembered it was filling and delicious. Me and beloved went there today for lunch.
I found the prices to have steepened by quite a bit. It’s a bit understandable with the current situation of our economy, though. Anyway, I had a coin toss between Sharksfin Ramen (210 Php) and Beef Sukiyaki Ramen (205 Php), and the beef won. I was also craving for raw fish, so I ordered Salmon Sashimi (260 Php). Beloved ordered Seafood Hot Pot Ramen (150 Php), and we both ordered Red and Green Iced Tea (both at 50 Php, non-refillable) respectively.
The fish came first, and I was disappointed in the serving. It was eight small slices. Although it was fresh, it wasn’t enough to fill my raw fish cravings.
Beloved’s bowl came next. Everything was submerged in the soup, but there were lots of stuff in it. It had squidballs, kikiam, squid, crabmeat, shrimp, and mussels. It also had the usual veggies and tofu. I would’ve preferred hard boiled egg and narutomaki on my ramen, but the mild, slightly salty sea taste was pretty good.
My bowl came next. It had similar veggies and tofu in it, and replacing the seastuff with sukiyaki cut beef. The soup had a different base from the seafood one, as it had a stronger sweeter flavor. Added to it was the sweetness of the beef. The deeper down the bowl I get, the sweeter the soup tastes. Even I, a sweets lover, wasn’t able to finish the entire soup due to the sweetness. The beef tasted quite good, savory. However I cannot agree with its somewhat tough texture. The noodles were wonderful texture-wise, though.
Verdict? Rai-Rai Ken is still a somewhat decent restaurant for its ramen quality and servings. However, I strongly suggest to stay away from here if you desire a fill for your sashimi cravings. Again, not really the best ramen house, but decent enough to fill my ramen cravings.