Ippudo - Ramen Away

I'm a huge ramen fan and in my humble opinion, any Japanese restaurant able to meet my expectations of what ramen should taste like deserves to be featured on the front page of a magazine and should be eternally worshipped!

Ok, just kidding about the last part.

Introducing...IPPUDO!!

This Japanese Ramen Noodle restaurant was set up in 1985 by the famous Ramen King, Shigemi Kawahara, and till today, is still going strong locally and internationally. This isn't unexpected, given that the high quality of its food has remained consistent over the years.

Being a typical Singaporean, I only ventured in because there was a really long queue outside, figuring the restaurant's standard should be up to par.

The evening kicked off with something light, the Nikumiso Tofu Salad.

This consists of cold tofu slices set on a bed of bright fresh greens, glistening with minced meat miso paste. The tofu was smooth and firm, and the bland freshness contrasted well with the salty paste.

Customers will be asked to choose the hardness of their noodles (Soft, Medium, Hard, and Very Hard) by the friendly and cheerful staff when placing their orders. This is a first; I've never come across a restaurant which allows diners to customize their ramen texture. The following bowls of ramen were ordered in quick succession - Shiromaru Special (Medium), Akamaru Tamago (Medium), and Maze Soba (Very Hard - unchangeable for this dish).

The Shiromaru Special ($23.00) comes with pork cubes and bamboo shoots served at the side instead of swimming in the broth with the rest of the ingredients. The portions are abundant and the broth is light, hearty and not too oily.

The Akamaru Tamago ($18.00) is the ramen I want to focus on. Although combining miso with tonkotsu broth is not unusual, what sets this dish apart is the existence of another ingredient - the black garlic oil. I had the pleasure of stirring it into my broth and became addicted to sniffing it throughout my whole meal! The full-bodied flavor of the broth clung to the noodles, and the spring onions, fatty pork with that melt-in-your-mouth taste, and crunchy black fungus made for an extremely satisfying dinner.

The Maze Soba ($13.00) reminded me of chinese crispy fried noodles, but the sauce and poached egg made this dish more forgiving. This is probably the least outstanding of the three, though it might just be my biasness talking because I prefer soupy ramen.

My love for dessert won't let me leave without trying the Panna Cotta ($5.00). A creamy, milky dessert covered with sugary sauce, it was dense and really hit the spot.



Halal Certified: No

3 Gateway Drive
 #03-03

Westgate, Singapore 608532

Website: http://www.ippudo.com.sg/


Overall Rating: