Hanamaruken Ramen Serendra — Restaurant in Taguig

Hanamaruken for me is still one of the best ramen restaurants in the Philippines. The broth here is simply delicious. I really believe that they use only the best and freshest pork, like as they advertise.

I was able to eat at the original Hanamaruken in Osaka before the pandemic, and I can say that the Hanamaruken branches here in the Philippines deliver the same quality. Actually, in all seriousness, I even enjoy the Hanamaruken in the Philippines more. For some reason, I wasn't really blown away when I ate some ramen at the Hanamaruken in Osaka. It was just OK. The ramen at the Hanamaruken ramen that I eat here in the Philippines once in a while is really good and satisfies me.

This particular branch in Serendra is a nice and cozy branch. It was my first time eating here as I usually eat at their Trinoma branch. Well, this one in Serendra is better, in my opinion. Better crowd and ambieance.

I only ordered the Salary Man ramen because I also ordered a Happiness Rice Bowl. If I didn't order a rice bowl, I would have gone for the Happiness ramen.

Anyway, like I said, the ramen here is spectacular. The broth is just simply amazing. I could live on the broth and just noodles.

The Happiness rice bowl was just OK. Actually, I made a mistake in ordering. I forgot that I usually ordered the Salary Man rice bowl or Drunken rice bowl. Those were my favorite rice bowls, and not the Happiness rice bowl. But, it was still ok as the ramen was delicious and the rice bowl was just to break the monotony of the ramen. Next time, though, I'll make sure to order the right rice bowl.

My wife also ordered the tempura, which I, unfortunately, was not able to take a picture of. It was priced at more than 500 pesos. Its a little expensive but it was really worth it. One of the best tempura in town, hands down. The prawns they use are really big and the batter they use is really tasty, much different from the tempura of other restaurants. I can finish a whole order of it. Its so good!

Some things to improve in this restaurant though: They should ask the customers for the doneness of the noodles. They should also ask the customers if they want to add an egg to their ramen order. They should have condiments on the table. They should immediately give out the house tea and not wait for customers...

THIS IS MY WORST HANAMARUKEN RAMEN EXPERIENCE EVER!

Don't get me wrong; I love Hanamaruken! It's actually my favorite ramen place in the Philippines (particularly the one in Trinoma). And my favorite ramen here is the Pot Belly Ramen... But, in this branch (Serendra)—they ruined it!

I ordered the Pot Belly Ramen and some Gyoza, but I wasn't satisfied with both! In fact, I was very disappointed!

The Pot Belly Ramen looked weird when they served it to me. It looked kinda watery and dull. And I was right; when I tasted the broth—it was bland! It lacked depth of flavor and richness! This wasn't the Pot Belly Ramen I've fallen in love with in the past!

Then I immediately tried the pork belly! Yup, it was tough... Very disappointing! The Pot Belly Ramen I loved before had pork belly that literally melts in the mouth. This one... It didn't. Ah, before, I only had to use my chopsticks to slice the pork belly, which is proof of how soft and tender it was. But with this one, I needed to really bite into it just to rip it apart!

Now, let's go to the noodles. They we're soggy, they had an uneven texture, and they were not smooth at all! I noticed the noodles weren't even separating easily. There were soft parts and there were chewy parts—uneven as I've already mentioned.

I don't know what's going on with Hanamaruken (Serendra), but they disrespected and ruined my Pot Belly Ramen! I hope it's just an isolated case, but I don't think I'll be coming back soon. I'll be sure check the one at Trinoma out to make sure that everything's still okay with Hanamaruken. It is still, after all, my favorite ramen place in the Philippines. But if I'm craving for ramen here in BGC, I'll just go somewehere else for now... Like Mendokoro Ramenba or some other ramen place!

Okay, I guess that's the end of my review. I'm giving Hanamaruken (Serendra) 1 star out 5 stars for the bad experience and the disrespect on my favorite "Pot Belly Ramen."

P.S. The Gyoza we're also weird as hell. I think they're smaller than before, and also kinda looked wrinkly. And they just came with a "few" limpy-looking strands o...

Hanamaruken Ramen Review

Spareribs Ramen P425 The broth is rich and flavorful without being overly salty. The noodles are thin, cooked to a soft-to-medium firmness. The pork spareribs are boneless, tender, and served as strips, making them easy to chew.

Tonkotsu Ramen P425 The tonkotsu broth is savory, leaning slightly salty. The pork slices have moderate firmness, which may be a bit tough for those who prefer more tender meat. Noodles are thin and soft, complementing the broth well.

Drinks • Strawberry Lychee P135: Balanced sweetness with real lychee strips, refreshing but not overly sweet. • Cucumber Lemonade P135: Powdered mix; decent sweetness but lacks the freshness of a natural blend.

Spicy Nanban Karaage P380 Crispy, juicy, and generously spiced. Served with a creamy egg mayonnaise dip and kropek on the side for added crunch.

Overall Verdict The ramen and karaage are decent, but the flavors don’t quite stand out compared to top-tier ramen shops. Given that the prices are on par with the best ramen places in town, the value for money is...