And just when I thought the last of the ramen shops and tonkatsu shops had already opened, a Singaporean concept with BOTH ramen and tonkatsu arrives in Manila.
TAMPOPO!
Takaagi Takagi is the father of Tampopo. I learned that he is also the
founder of Tonkichi, my favorite tonkatsu restaurant in Hong Kong.
It was really cool to see someone from the menu come alive,
so of course I had to take a photo of the human version. Lol.
Edamame
Shui Gyoza - this was simple but good. The wrapper remained soft even after the boiled
dumplings had turned cold. Not the gyoza's fault. My camera took forever.
Top Grade Black Pig Tonkatsu
Top Grade Black Pig Tonkatsu Innards
The meat was tender and porky. Although a bit oily, the breading was fine and crisp.
Tampopo uses special Hokkaido bread crumbs that taste like deep fried snow.
Cheese Layer Cutlet
Deluxe Hakodate Ramen - Hokkaido ramen with a very, very light pork and chicken bone broth
Tampopo Premium Tonkatsu Ramen - Kyushu ramen with spicy pork bone broth.
The heat in the milky broth was inviting. The pork was very lean though. Next time I will
order the Top Grade Black Pig option.
Look! There's Yakult on the menu!
Of course I had to order my favorite childhood drink.
I used to baon this to school in my Coleman! Lol!
Pretty ladies who also love their Yakult :)
Congratulations, Tampopo Philippines franchise owners George Huang and Chris Tiu!
(And Ty Tang who is camera-shy.)
Tampopo: Ground Floor, Promenade 3, Greenhills Shopping Center, San Juan. Tel: +639178547440
Tampopo Instragram: @tampopo_ph