dailygaelley

Ahh, ribs and ramen. Just the combination of the words alone makes your mouth water.

Imagine being able to have them at the same time?

Last weekend, Davao Global Township opened with a DGT Weekend Market and DGT Festival. The DGT Weekend Market is set to open weekly from Thursdays to Sundays and features some of Davao’s best homegrown businesses.

Of course, festivals like these are also the best way to introduce something new to the market. Ribs & Ramen owner JP Santiago made sure to take advantage of Davao’s growing food scene to do so. The business had previously conquered the taste of Manileños but being a Davaoeño at heart, JP knew he should let try conquering his hometown as well.

And conquer, the business did.

We visited the stall on the second day of the Weekend Market and were both impressed and shocked at the crowd surrounding it. You know the food’s good when there’s an unwavering line or crowd around it.

When you think about ramen, you think about the hearty broth, the chewy and decadent noodles that absorbed flavor, and of course, the slab of meat that comes with each bowl. Davao has its fair share of great ramen. However, there is variety to cater to the city’s diverse palate.

Ramen

Ribs and Ramen’s ramen was created with the Japanese taste in mind. I was able to try the Tantanmen Ramen and while it wasn’t as spicy as I expected it to be, the broth is something I still think about— one week later. The broth was absolutely decadent and is exactly what you’d want your ramen to feel like: a warm hug. The noodles were cooked to perfection; not too hard nor too soggy. They had the right chew that you’d expect from hand-pulled noodles and served as the perfect vehicle for the broth and the meat to come together. One thing that stood out to me was the size of the meat. Where there would be a measly thin slice of pork lay a slab of hefty meat. The meat was so savory and tender, too. (As I’m typing this all down, I am thinking about dropping by again later, LOL.)

Ribs & Ramen’s ramen is supplied from Yummy Tokyo Davao, a Japanese food supplier in Davao. They also sell ramen kits that allow you to enjoy authentic ramen anytime at the comfort of your home.

Now let’s talk about the ribs.

Before I start praising the ribs, I have to note that they actually posted how they sold more fall-off-the-bone ribs here in Davao than they ever did in Cavite. That’s insane! They’d only been here for four days! If that isn’t a testament to how much Davao loves their ribs, here’s my take:

The ribs were very tasty and tender. The meat was clearly marinated well and didn’t really taste as ketchup-y as some. It was juicy, well-seasoned, and while my order that night didn’t exactly fall off the bone, it completely broke apart with just a plastic fork. That’s tender, for you.

By the looks of it, Davao is loving Ribs & Ramen. And they’re not going anywhere! They’ll be opening a branch soon but don’t wait that long!

If you haven’t tried it for yourself, head on over to the Davao Global Township Weekend Market to try Ribs and Ramen Davao, today, June 1, to June 4, 2023.