An Honest Ramen Shibire Review
I’d like to preface this by saying that I’ve eaten hundreds of Ramen bowls in my lifetime, and I’ve tried every ramen in BGC.
This isn’t to say that I’m an expert on this subject, nor am I a ramen buff, but within this city, I can confidently say that I know which ones are worth trying, and which ones should be ignored.
Is it worth eating at Ramen Shibire?
Update: After giving this a second chance, I’d say that it’s a restaurant worth trying, but it’s certainly not a place you’d want to revisit.
For the prices of Ramen Shibire, and the taste and satisfaction that it brings you, I would lean towards saying that isn’t worth trying, because there are better Ramen restaurants in BGC such as Mendokoro Ramenba, or if you’ve got a smaller budget, the broth at Ramen Kuroda is no joke!
However, if you’ve never tried Ramen, Ramen Shibire’s fiery style of ramen isn’t bad at all. But what really encouraged me to say that it’s worth trying is the fact that they hand out ramen vouchers to first time tryers.
For every purchase of ramen (if you’re a first time customer), they will give you one ramen voucher. So, if you purchased two of them (in a single receipt), you’ll be handed two free vouchers!
Using these vouchers, you can purchase another bowl of Ramen even without buying anything else.
Where is Ramen Shibire Located?
G/F COMMERCENTER BLDG. 31st Street cor. 4th Ave. BGC
Store Hours: MONDAY – SUNDAY (11:00 AM – 10:00PM)
What is the price range of Ramen Shibire?
In terms of BGC pricing, their menu is actually middle of the road. For around Php. 600 per head, you can already have a bowl of Ramen and a beverage to wash it down.
Their appetizers cost around Php. 120-200, and they’re already good for sharing!
The Menu
Kotteri Ramen
According to my girlfriend, the Kotteri Ramen looked scrumptious at first sight, but upon tasting it, there was nothing special about this ramen.
It’s got a thick, salty, savory broth, but the drawback is that you’ll get sick of it pretty fast. Its thin noodles get soggy over time, and the chashu that it comes with is just slightly above average.
I personally tasted everything, and I have to say, I’d rate it 2.5/5. As it stands, there’s nothing special about the ramen. It’s not terrible, but it’s also nothing to write home about.
Ebi Miso Ramen
If you’ve been an avid reader of this blog, you’ll know that I don’t hold back on my remarks. And boy, I will say that this is the worst ramen I’ve tried in BGC so far.
If we’re basing on aesthetics alone, this ramen is pretty textbook. But after having a taste of it, I immediately had to ask for some salt because this dish was bland times three. There was no excuse for a ramen to taste so watered down if it’s going to cost Php. 400-600.
The broth might look rich, but don’t be fooled by it. Even after adding salt, it was still so bland that I almost gave up eating it entirely. The toppings of the ramen didn’t fare any better. The chashu had a smoky flavor, but it seemed as though the chefs forgot to season anything.
The only reason it’s getting a 1/5 and not a zero is because of its aesthetic appeal.
Cheese Gyoza
Forgive me if we forgot to take a photo of this dish, as it was the only saving grace of that night’s dinner. The gyoza was seasoned just right, and unlike most restaurants that sell gyoza, they didn’t cheap out on the filling.
That said, I’d give it a score of 3.5/5.
Onigiri
It’s a fairly simple dish, and there wasn’t anything special about this onigiri. I’d say it tastes almost similar to Marugame Udon’s Onigiri, but their serving is larger, and it had more meat inside.
The sauce was pretty average, and the rice they used is just a run of the mill Japanese rice.
You’d be better off buying onigiris at family mart, and it’s a lot cheaper.
This nets the dish a score of 2/5. But hey, it’s not the worst dish of the night.
Would I come back to Ramen Shibire Again?
If not for the free ramen vouchers they handed out, I might not give this restaurant another chance. However, since it has been over a month since I last tried their food, they might’ve improved by now.
A final verdict after giving it another try:
How’s the service?
So, after a 2nd time around, there were a few things that I noticed. The staff are less frazzled, so the service has improved quite a bit.
Seating and ordering is now prioritized by first come first serve (as it should have been), and they now pay more attention to the customers, although it might’ve been owed to the fact that there weren’t a lot of customers when I revisited the restaurant.
What about the Ramen? Has it improved?
Oh boy, I wish I could spin this narrative and say that I like their ramen better now, but I can’t bring myself to lie to people. I ordered the same ramen I did last time, an Ebi Miso Ramen.
The presentation is still the same, but the broth isn’t like water anymore. I really had high hopes that it would taste better, but damn… they just kept missing the mark by a mile. The chashu is still decent. It retains a smoky, savory flavor, but they just can’t get the broth right.
Concluding Statement
I had high hopes that Ramen Shibire would improve their dishes, but those hopes were dashed by the fact that I saw almost no improvement with the flavor of the broth, which makes or breaks a ramen. The toppings of a ramen are easier to forgive, but having a flavorless broth just leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
If a customer has to go through hoops just to improve the taste of the broth, such as asking for more garlic, soy sauce, or salt, then it’s not a good Ramen.
If I wanted to change the tastes of the broth to my liking, I’d have gone to the nearest pares stand and paid 30-50 pesos to do the same. That’s less than a tenth of the price you’d pay for at Ramen Shibire.
It’s just not worth it, my friends.
Author’s Note: Now that I’ve given it another chance, I can safely say that Ramen Shibire is NOT worth the hype. For first time tryers, the restaurant isn’t terrible. But for those looking for Top-tier ramen, you should look around BGC and you’ll find a restaurant that will give you a bang for your buck.