MANILA, Philippines – Can’t decide between ramen or sushi? It’s time to let the good times roll, because the best of both worlds are yours to enjoy at The Nagi Group’s newest venture: Nagi Sushi!

The sister brand of ramen chain Ramen Nagi is now open to the public at the ground floor of The Shops at Ayala Triangle Gardens. Nagi Sushi offers “authentic Japanese dining,” led by esteemed Chef Oshikiri from Japan who has spent years of training in Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market, the world’s largest and freshest sushi marketplace.

This is how we roll

Nagi Sushi’s flagship branch is a brightly-lit, medium-sized, intimate dining space with an open kitchen set-up, allowing guests to witness the magic behind each ramen bowl or sushi platter first-hand while casually dining solo or with a group.

Nagi Sushi’s staff were trained by Chef Oshikiri himself on how to prepare the restaurant’s two, made-to-order forms of sushi. Nagi Sushi serves sushi Edomae-style, which “preserves the pristine state of the fish,” resulting in that authentic, melt-in-your-mouth, almost buttery consistency. The other is Temaki-style, which is the hand-rolled version in nori.

Nagi Sushi’s prices may be higher than other local Japanese joints, due to its meticulous selection of the “freshest” Japanese tuna and salmon. The fish are chosen for a specific fat content, are air-flown directly from Japan, and then personally processed by the head chefs.

Below each hand-cut fillet of fish is the seasoned sushi rice, made from Japanese koshikari rice that is mixed with traditional aka-zu vinegar, which lends that umami taste to each bite. Nagi Sushi also uses crispy nori sourced from Tsutaken Shoten in Yokohama, and hon wasabi sourced from Kaneku.

Rice to meet you

Nagi Sushi’s no-fuss sushi menu is streamlined and simple – you won’t find the typically overloaded maki here, topped with all sorts of fusion toppings, mayos, sauces, and other ingredients. It’s fresh fish, sushi rice, wasabi, and soy sauce – nothing more, nothing less.

On the menu are three different premium sets: Set 1, which serves Chutoro Nigiri (medium fatty tuna), Akami Nigiri (red meat tuna), Salmon Nigiri, Hamachi Nigiri, and Katsuo Nigiri (skipjack tuna). It costs P780 for just the sushi, and P1,080 with a bowl of Ramen Nagi’s Butao Ramen.

Set 2 has Chutoro Nigiri, Akami Nigiri, Salmon Nigiri, Katsuo-Don (raw fish on rice), and Torotaku Temaki (tuna and pickled radish). It costs P880 for just the sushi, and P1,180 with Butao Ramen.

Set 3 has Chutoro Nigiri, Akami Nigiri, Salmon Nigiri, Hamachi Nigiri, Unagi Nigiri (eel), Katsuo Nigiri, Katsuo-Don, and Torotaku Temaki for P1,280, and P1,580 if with Butao Ramen.

You can upgrade the ramen to Red, Black, or Green King for P365; to Wonder Kakuni King for P450; and P520 for Niboshi King. You can also get a variety of temaki rolls.

Ramen Nagi’s staple menu is also available to order from here – you can get the restaurant’s chicken karaage as a side, as well as the gyoza, ice cream, salads, and more.

Nagi Sushi also shares proper sushi etiquette reminders in-store, like picking up your sushi using chopsticks or with both fingers. Also, don’t drown your sushi in the soy sauce!

“Dip the fish side (not the rice) into the soy sauce lightly, to avoid oversaturating the rice, which can make it fall apart,” they said. BTW: sushi is meant to be eaten in one big bite!

Pickled ginger (gari) is served with sushi to cleanse your palate between the different ypes of sushi. Plus, the best way to eat a temaki is to roll it first before biting into it (my bad, I folded it up and ate it like a taco). Still good either way!

Aside from Ramen Nagi and Nagi Sushi, The Nagi Group also houses other names like Nagi Izakaya, Fat Fook, Wonder Bowl, Propaganda Vietnamese Bistro, Tendon Akimitsu, and Hakata Ton-ichi.

Nagi Sushi is located at The Shops, Ayala Triangle Gardens, Paseo De Roxas corner Makati Avenue, Ayala Avenue, Makati City. It is open from 10 am to 9 pm daily. – Rappler.com