Chef Jerome Lin spent a month in Japan to perfect his ramen!

Check out one of South’s hidden gems.

There’s just something about the combination of rich, tasty broth, perfectly cooked noodles, tender pork chashu, and a Japanese soft boiled egg that makes our mouths water.

It’s no secret that we Filipinos love ramen. The question is though, do you love it enough to go on a month long binge? That’s what Chef Jerome Lim from Butamaru Ramen did. For a solid month, Chef Jerome went around Kyushu Island in Japan sampling different kinds of ramen and learning as much as he could about the process of making it.

The ramen served in Butamaru is the direct result of his travels in search of noodle-vana. In Fukuoka, Chef Jerome discovered a way to prepare “melt-in-your-mouth” pork chashu, while his visit to Hakata inspired the recipe for Butamaru’s 16-hour tonkotsu broth. Finally, in Oita was where he learned the art of noodles from Master Artisan Sugimura, a veteran with 40 years of noodle-making experience under his belt.

Buta means "pig" in Japanese, so the name "Butamaru" is an expression of Chef Jerome's pride in his pork chashu.

Here are 5 kinds of ramen that you can find at Butamaru:

Shio

Salt-based tonkotsu

Shoyu

Soy sauce based tonkotsu

Miso

Miso based tonkotsu

Insider Tip: They also serve a spicy miso ramen!

Tantanmen

Spicy peanut and sesame tonkotsu

INSIDER TIP: You can make your Tantanmen spicier, just tell your server. Or try the Curry Tantanmen if you're feeling adventurous.

Tsukemen

Dry ramen noodles to be dipped in a separate hot bowl of broth on the side

INSIDER TIP: Order extra slices of chashu, soft-boiled eggs or even extra noodles!

If you’re looking for a more unique and healthy “ramen” experience, you may want to try their signature Ramen Salad or Kani Ramen Salad (cold ramen with fresh vegetables and shredded kani tossed in our mentaiko or ‘fish roe’ dressing).

Ramen Salad

Dry noodles served with fresh vegetables and tossed in black sesame dressing. This unique “ramen” bowl made it to our list of 10 Unique Ramen Bowls in Manila.

INSIDER TIP: Noodles are served firm (kata-men) or soft; a richer broth is also available upon request.

Butamaru also serves other non-ramen dishes and sides that are worth trying.

Chashu Don

Butamaru roast pork over steamed Japanese rice with soft-boiled egg

Toriten

Tempura-style fried chicken famous in Oita prefecture served with ponzu sauce

Curry Gyoza

Chashu dumplings with Butamaru’s curry paste.

INSIDER TIP: Order the off-menu hane gyoza, which is gyoza made with cheese and lightly fried until the edges of each piece connect to one another. P.S. It's not always available though, so good luck!

If you somehow still have space after your second or third bowl of ramen, cool off with Butamaru’s homemade Japanese ice cream for dessert. It comes in Black Sesame and Green Tea flavors.

Have we activated your deep-seated ramen addiction again? Head on over to Butamaru Ramen at Westgate Center, Alabang any time of day. The restaurant gets full fast, so be sure to reserve a table through Booky to get P300 off and even a surprise free dessert!

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CE405 Westgate Center Commerce Ave, Alabang, Muntinlupa
(02) 887-4255