Last Sunday, I went to the church in our Bayan. I really enjoyed visiting Him again after a year. And just like the usual thing we do after going to church, we looked for a nice place to eat.

It’s not my first time eating alone. I usually go out and eat by myself whenever I feel envious of my older sister when she was still with my mom before working in Dubai. But you know what? Every time I eat alone, I’m reminded of those trending videos on social media, where someone is eating alone with sad background music playing while they’re being filmed. But hey, I’m not lonely, okay? 😐 I just prefer traveling solo and enjoying my meals on my own.

Anyways, I decided to go to Tiongsan, Rosario. It is a new mini mall that was built last year, and it was an avoidable place for some poor people like me because they said that this mall's goods prices are more expensive than those of the usual first market where we always go.

It was 2 minutes walking from the church, but I don't think it was 2 minutes of walking because I feel so exhausted walking under the sun, and it's so far for me because I have short legs. Lol 😅

When I arrived in front of Tiongsan, I noticed that their parking lot was really small. It felt too narrow to walk through, especially since more people come here compared to FSI. They allowed the tricycle drivers to park in front, but it should be unnecessary because those tricycle drivers are doing round trips back and forth on the highway. It’s not really hard to flag them down since the highway is just in front, and a lot of tricycle drivers without passengers pass by.

Anyway, I went inside, and this is what it looks like. It’s quite similar to Friendship Supermarket, though they sell fewer products compared to Friendship. But Tiongsan has the advantage when it comes to brands, because most of the clothes, gadgets, appliances, and even food stalls they have inside are well-known to many people.

I’ve been telling you a lot about this place, but I never mentioned what food I ate there, right? Well, that’s because I actually got lost inside and couldn’t find the food corner since it was my first time visiting. So, I just took a little ‘commercial break.' 😭😂

POV: Me getting lost trying to find the food court in this mall:

After walking around inside for several minutes, I finally decided to ask the guard at the entrance. She told me the food court was actually outside, and that the entrance was on the other side. Dang! All this time I thought it was inside. By then, I was already so hungry. It was one of the disadvantages of being an introvert.

It was located on the second floor. But they only have three food stalls to choose from. The first one is selling ramen and milk tea, the second one is selling steak-related items, and the third one is just selling drinks like coffee and milk tea too. I think it is boring.

But I remembered the Kyu Kyu Ramen 99 that I always visit when I go to SM City Urdaneta, so I decided to try the ramen in Ramen Lagih.

After I ordered, I decided to sit beside because I could see the view outside through the glass window.

I ordered their White Tonkotsu Ramen and Spam Musubi. I want to know if their Tonkotsu Ramen has the same taste as what I always tasted in Kyu Kyu Ramen 99. Meanwhile, I also want to try the Spam musubi because it was a trend, and they said that it was good and delicious.

But here are my thoughts on the food they offer:

As you can see, their Tonkotsu Ramen had more soup than noodles. The plating also wasn’t what I expected, because in Ramen 99, they serve exactly what they advertise (what you see on the menu is what you actually get). The noodles here were also a bit ‘dikit-dikit’, like they weren’t cooked well, since they weren’t soft and I could still taste the flour. The egg and other toppings were also small compared to the ramen served at Kyu Kyu Ramen 99.

Spam musubi is basically rice shaped to match the size of a Spam slice. On top of the rice is the Spam, cooked with ketchup, soy sauce, and sugar. Underneath the Spam is a layer of scrambled egg, and the whole thing is wrapped together with seaweed sheets.

I honestly don't like the taste because it is bland. I think it was because it's already cold, and it is better if it's freshly cooked. I know how to cook this because it's just a simple food. So at that time when I tasted this, I thought I should just cook it at home. So I just eat the Spam and egg and not the rice because it's cold.

I still don’t know how to properly use chopsticks, so I just stick to the little hack I always do whenever I eat ramen. I fold a piece of the free tissue paper and clip it in the middle of the chopsticks so I can hold the noodles easier. 😅

The total cost for all I ordered (Small bowl size Tonkotsu Ramen, Spam Musubi, and drink) was only Php 161.00 (around $2.82 USD). For their ramen, I think they should really reconsider what they serve for its price. They could take some notes from Ramen 99, especially when it comes to the noodles and food plating. The flavor itself was good...it had a nice creamy taste but the noodles were undercooked and clumped together. Overall, I’d give their ramen a 7/10.

As for the Spam musubi, I think they should prepare it fresh before serving. Cold rice doesn’t make it enjoyable, and the sauce on the Spam wasn’t that flavorful either. I actually shared my feedback with the owner, and she was very grateful that I was honest about it. In the end, I still finished the ramen despite the noodles being a bit off because I didn’t want to waste what I paid for except the rice in Spam musubi.

After that, I decided to go home with a full stomach. I can’t say that the food in the Tiongsan Mall food court isn’t good, because I didn’t get the chance to try the dishes from the other stalls aside from this one. I just really hope that the next time I get to visit, there will be more food options to choose from—not just three stalls. That way, it’ll be more exciting to explore and taste different foods.