Erra's Ramen: Shoyu on a Cold January Noon

It's soup weather. Chilly weather requiring hot soup. Where I'm at, on some mornings, it's pea soup as Scully had said in the Rain King. (The X-Files are back, by the way. In the Philippines, Season 11 airs Thursdays, 8:55PM on Fox with replays on Saturdays 7:05PM and Thursdays 8PM and 10PM.) Thankfully, it's fog not smog. Perks of living in the province. Though with our place rapidly becoming urbanized, I'm afraid we won't be getting fresh air much longer. It seems the local government is intent on turning the municipality into a factory hub. There's an equipment barn a block away where I live now. At least the female owner who goes berserk on the workers or orders them around while on speakers has been quite, um, entertaining.

Anyways, I've been feeling cold even at noon so I've been warming myself with soupy dishes this past couple of days. Yesterday, I found myself at Robinson's Place Ermita so off I went looking for Erra's Ramen, a much-talked about ramen place along Adriatico Street. From the mall's Pedro Gil entrance/exit, I turned right, then walked until I reached Adriatico Street which at that point was the first street to intersect Pedro Gil. Turning left, I went towards Remedios Circle. A minute or two later, signage to my right announced that I have reached the place.

Erra's Ramen has a carinderia/beer garden vibe to it. The place has a roof but no wall separating the street. Most of the customers during my visit were either students or groups of men having beers. At noon. Fair warning if you're picky with the ambiance.  Also, this is not a pay as you order place. A server lead me to a monobloc table with a monobloc chair and handed me their laminated menu. If everyone's busy, just go ahead and pick your place in the eating area and a server will be with you soon enough.

Though known for their ramen, Erra's Ramen's menu consists predominantly of Filipino dishes. They have -silogs, short orders, appetizers, entrees and of course, ramen. There are four kinds of ramen with options for extra soup, egg, pork or spice at additional cost.

After I've placed my order, a glass of water appeared on my table. It didn't take long for my ramen to arrive. My server was very attentive and knowledgeable of the menu. He also waited on the table next to mine and answered their questions without having to consult the kitchen. I also appreciate that the ramen was served in a proper bowl with a ramen spoon and a pair of disposable chopsticks.

I opted for shoyu ramen which, as any foodie or anyone who's into ramen (or with google access) would know, is ramen whose soup is soy sauce flavored. The soup tastes much like that of the original ramen from Ramen Daruma except for a slight briny note imparted by the nori strips. It was hot but thankfully not scalding. There's a small, thin slice of pork among the firm noodles. As I'm not a heavy eater, the serving, which was bigger than that of Ramen Daruma's, was enough to tide me over until my 3PM snack.

I feel that the price, though cheaper than other shoyu ramen at the malls, is a bit steep for what I got in the bowl but is fair enough if service was factored in. The bill did not come with service charge but there's a tip jar by the cashier. As they say, service and experience are what brings the customer back. Maybe I'll come back to try their other ramen offerings and menu options.