Ippudo was a positive surprise for me. I’ll explain to you why: as it is a big restaurant chain, I wasn’t sure if it would be worth trying. I always have this thing in my mind that chains will never deliver the unique flavour and experience as a local restaurant would do. However, Ippudo in Japan is a wonderful place to have extremely yummy noodles at a good price.
Let’s be clear here, I said in Japan, ok? My husband tried both the Shiromaru Classic ramen and the Tori Shoyu at their restaurant in Sydney. The verdict? They brought here the brand but unfortunately left most of the intense flavour of their broth somewhere over the ocean. Bummer. 😐
Back to the positive review, you can find an Ippudo restaurant virtually anywhere in Tokyo. I’ve been to two different locations and good quality food was present in both.
To start, they bring you a glass of a very fresh green tea. Also, there are a few appetisers available, such as bean sprouts, ginger, and extra garlic to add to your ramen.
My order
As I said, we had been there twice. So I’ll list here everything we had:
- Karaka ramen: tonkotsu broth (pork broth), spicy miso, spring onions, and minced pork. You can choose the spiciness level, mine was standard.
- Shiromaru Classic ramen (normal): tonkotsu broth, ultra-thin noodles, pork belly, bean sprouts, black fungus and spring onions.
- Akamaru Morden ramen (normal): tonkotsu broth enhanced with special blended miso paste and garlic oil. Served with thin and straight noodles, pork belly, bean sprouts, black fungus and spring onions.
- Mentaiko Gohan: Japanese rice.
- Hakata Chikara Meshi: Japanese rice with extra slices of pork belly.
There was a special option available for the Shiromaru Classic ramen and the Akamaru Morden ramen, which includes a boiled egg and a sheet of nori.
All their ramen is served in a tonkotsu broth. The pork meat and bones are cooked for hours, breaking down the collagen, marrow and fat, creating a creamy and white liquid. Which results in a deep and flavour-packed pork broth.
I could drink litres of it!!! 😀
You can also order extra ramen if you still have some broth left. Honestly, the broth is so good that I never had any left to order the extra ramen. Yummy!
The verdict
Ippudo Japan definitely worth a visit. The portion of ramen is substantial, the broth is amazing, service spot on, and all combined with a reasonable price!
It’s a shame the restaurant in Sydney is not even close to be as good as the ones in Japan. Their menu has more options than the one in Japan, indeed, but the tasteless ramen broth … spoils the broth. 😀
About the English: English menu available and staff can communicate well.
Bill: Ramen prices from $790 Yen (A$10). Side dishes start at $300 Yen (A$ 3.80)
Exact location: https://goo.gl/maps/LNfWCzLkoy22 (There are many stores around Japan. I’ve also visited the Shinjuku one.)
More information: www.ippudo.com
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