Ippudo

One bowl of chashu ramen please! what you will find in a bowl of goodness...
one piece of chashu, pickled ginger, spring onion and for noodles you can choose either
soft or hard ! I have chosen soft noodles...it tasted like instant noodles but the soup
is really SPECIAL !! The ramen broth has been cooked for many hours... it was light and flavourful

Not recommended if you're a big eater!
(Not much noodles was given...not full for me!)

Visited Ippudo really awhile back, but this place is worth the reviewing! Everyone knows about the ramen restaurant tucked away in the upper floors of mandarin gallery amongst others like Lawry's and Wild Honey. I've always been dying to try the ramen here and I eventually did. You have to go to this place early though, it gets super crowded past 6.15 (I'm not joking) for walk in customers.

I ordered the Akamaru Tamago which is a tonkotsu broth with a specially blended miso paste as well as a braised egg. The egg texture is perfect and I enjoyed every bit of it. The noodles are also close to perfect, you get to choose how cooked you want your noodles to be and I chose medium. It was a bit hard when I first bit into it, but as it settled into the broth for a few minutes longer it became softer and much, much better! The braised meat is heavenly, and I mean it. The taste of the meat is perfect, it is tender and meaty and the fattiness of it is just right -no regrets here. But perhaps what I enjoyed the most is the broth. You can request for fresh garlic if you wish, but I'm not a garlic fan at all so no garlic for me. The broth by itself is a work of art and it is good down to the final drop. The bowl is substantial enough and there was no need for me to order any sides.

Service wise they are able to cope with the volume and remain courteous at all times but let's face it, no one in their right mind comes to Ippudo for the service. The ramen is truly to die for, with the rich stock broth and the tasty braised meat. Price wise, it isn't that cheap (~$18++ for my bowl above^) as compared to other popular ramen restaurants in Singapore but it is definitely one of the higher end ones when it comes to value. Maybe it's not for a every-other-week thing, but it's somewhere you'll definitely want to try at least once, and maybe go back one (or two!) more times.

2013-02-14

SGD 20(Dinner)

After having ramen at so many places, this is probably my favourite in Singapore. I have been to Ippudo many times and the Akamaru one is the best, in my opinion.
The soup is thick, flavourful and has bits of fats floating around.
The noodles are smooth and cooked to the correct consistency (you can customise doneness of the noodles).

The pork slices are not the best that I've tasted, but it is decent.
The molten egg is my weakness. On the outside, it seems overcooked. In fact, when I first bit the egg white, I thought the egg yolk was gonna be overcooked, until i bit through it.. And it was thick, creamy, not exactly runny... and very flavourful!

Nonetheless, it was a pricey bowl of ramen.

The gyoza - nothing much to rave about.

For more details do visit: http://drunkene.blogspot.sg/2012/12/the-ramen-list_6.html

Ippudo Singapore at Mandarin Gallery was the 2nd overseas outlet to be opened outside of Japan. When the outlet opened in Dec 2009, there were long queues resulting in a minimum queuing time of 40minutes. Close to 1 and a half year later, I thought this would be a good time to try this place.Went there on a Saturday for dinner. Just in case, there was still a queue, went there early at 6pm. Well, I guess several other people had the same idea. As it was full and there was already a queue outside. At least 10 people in front.

At last, it was our turn to enter the restaurant. Well, inside, there is another round of queuing!

As you queue inside, there are menus present so that you can decide what to eat.At last, it was our turn to be seated. we decided to share table so that we do not need to wait longer. Noticed that seating capacity is quite small inside.The Ippudo Original Gyoza consist of 5 pieces of pan fried Gyoza. The Gyozas are quite small. On the outside, it was golden brown and crispy. Inside, it was flavourful. Small but delicious!

When ordering ramen, you will be asked how would you want your noodle. Soft, hard or medium (between soft and hard)? Your choice will determine the cooking duration. The Shiromaru Motoaji is their original recipe tongkotsu soup served with thin noodles rosu chashu (pork loin), cabbage, kikurage, pickled ginger and spring onion. For this bowl, we requested for the soft noodles. Which means it is cooked longer till the noodle become soft. The noodles was soft, flavourful and smooth! The broth has been cooked using pork for many hours till it become this creamy colour. It was light and flavourful. Towards the end, felt that it was on the salty end.  The Akamaru Tamago is their original recipe with their blended miso paste (a round brown paste next to the egg) and fragrant garlic oil.After mixing the miso paste, the colour of the broth turns brown. It was on the salty end and with a slight taste garlic after taste. If you prefer a more intense garlic after tase, you can get fresh garlic to be pressed in the broth. I ordered the 'hard' noodles. It was springy and firm. Adding a Tamago (egg) cost $2 more! And I was not disappointed. Inside, the yolk is not runny nor is it fully cooked. It was still semi solid. I would have expected the egg to be hard as it seems to be slightly overcooked. To my surprise, the tamago had a melt in the mouth sensation and the egg white was soft as if it was a semi-solid too.

Overall, there is still a long queue at the outlet. Ramen wise, it was better than what I have eaten at Iluma's Ramen Champion. But the star was really the tamago! Even better than Tampopo's.

ps: this place might not be suitable on a first date. (sharing of table, noisy environment)

Detailed review: http://foodiefc.blogspot.sg/2011/10/ippudo-mandarin-gallery.html

This place needs no introduction. Probably one of the most famous ramen in Singapore?
This is our favourite ramen so far. Love the noodles, love the soup. I never fail to finish every single drop of it. The soup is very concentrated (some may find it a little too salty), but I like the way it is, with a layer of fats floating on it and chucks of fats swimming around in the soup.

On a weekday night, the queue is exceptionally long.
It was not my first time there and according to my friend, the last time she came she queued for 40minutes to get seated.
The staff were warm and friendly and service was quite prompt.

SGD 24(Dinner)

Went to the highly raved ramen shop, Ippudo for the first time to see what the hype was about!Ippudo Original Gyoza (SGD6)
It was a tad too oily (like you could see the plate glistening after you finished the gyozas) and your lips just got new gloss!
Vinegar dip wasn't strong enough but the gyozas were fragrant. Akamaru Tamago (SGD17)
Original recipe enhanced with Ippudo's special blended miso paste and fragrant garlic oil. Served with thin noodles, Buta Bara (Pork Belly), kikurage and spring onion. Ippudo's original refined modern-style ramen.

It was hard to take a pretty photo of this. I did my best.

The ramen was not bad, we were given a choice of soft, medium or hard and us being us, went huh?
Then just chose medium and went suaku-ly like "Wah, I didn't know can choose the noodles' level one. I thought beef then can". :/
Love the feel of the noodles, just right!
The soup was pretty salty, and it's the kind that taste fine when you first eat but the more you eat, the less appealing the taste became.
Oh! And the Nitamago (Flavoured Egg) was runny! Love.
And and and, omg I can't believe I ate the Buta Bara.
PORK BELLY, in MY MOUTH, down the GULLET, into the STOMACH.
Okay I picked out the fats!
But the pork belly don't have those super porky taste, y'know!!! (Y)

Overall verdict: Well I guess it's okay only. The more people raved about something, the higher the expectations I have for it. Worth coming back again? For the ramen perhaps!

2011-11-25

SGD 24(Dinner)

Walking into Ippudo, you’ll be greeted by their staff in Japanese. The restaurant has cozy decoration and warm lighting, making diners feel very comfortable. I went to dine at around 4pm, so there wasn’t really any customers there. I really enjoyed their ambience. Their staff were also patient and helpful. My friends and I approached them to help us take a photo and they gladly agreed.

Food is a little on a pricey side. A bowl of charsiew ramen cost about $20, excluding the service charges. To be fair, the bowl was rather big so it’s quite worth the money. At least you’ll not go home with an empty wallet and stomach.The noodles were super smooth and yet quite Q, so it’s really great to chew on. Soup was very thick and the just the aroma of it makes people salivate. You can’t even see the rest of the noodles under the thick soup base. One of the best ramen I have tasted I will say. The charsiew came in big pieces as well. I’ve been to Japan and tasted the ramen there. I suppose Ippudo has the closest taste to the authentic japanses ramen, in my opinion. So if you’re looking for great tasting ramen, It’s really worth it to give Ippudo ramen a try!The dishes were not only looking great on the outside, but taste delicious as well. Not having enough of it, I descided to order a fruit pie as a dessert. It cost around $5, and I was expecting a much larger piece, but sadly it’s only less than a palm’s size ): Felt a little cheated by the pictures, but still it tasted great so I didn’t mind it that much.Overall a very pleasant place to dine at with friendly staff and great food, just a little bit on the pricey side.

SGD 35(Dinner)

I had a bowl of Shiromaru Tamago ($18)- Ippudo’s original tonkatsu broth served with their delightfully thin, silky noodles, chasu and egg. The pork broth soup was absolutely heavenly- each spoonful is very fragrant and flavourful and I couldn’t help slurping more soup together with the thin QQ noodles. The noodles were also garnished with additional condiments like pickles and chives which I really loved. The chasu provided was tender and the whole egg served together is was of the perfect Japanese egg I’ve eaten- nice semi cooked runny egg yolk encased in the surrounding firm egg white. These small parts together make up the perfect bowl of Ippudo ramen, and I now understand the popularity of this joint!

This is a spicy mayo shrimp. It is not as spicy as you think it is. Furthermore, the presentation of this spicy mayo prawn is very attractive too. the prawn is soft and tender on the inside and the outside is a bit crispy. The prawn is very flavourful too.It is chashu ramen. It is quite okay. The chashu is a bit too tough, i think. and, the ramen is nice. It absorb the sauces taste , making the ramen very flavourful!~

2012-06-02

Was lucky that there was no line when we went cause we went early, however, when we were leaving, the place was pretty much packed.So happy to have finally experienced the rave that all the New Yorkers are on about.Condiments on the table. Was a little surprised as I thought the presentation would have been a little better for this. The interior of the restaurant is really quite nice. My favorite section is the wall with all the plates/bowls.5 Flavored Potato balls that had a couple Japanese sauces, Curry, and Cheese flavor. My pick would have been the Mentaiko flavored one. I felt like I couldn't taste the Cheese so much.This was the side that came when the fatty pork and the Egg was ordered. Loved how the egg was served up chilled just like the hot spring eggs that we'd eat in Taiwan. The fatty pork that was on the side wasn't very unique but still tasty.Ramen that my friend orderedMy bowl that I ordered. Loved how there was no Seaweed and i twas fungus instead. The egg here is warm though, probably due to the heat of the soup. The bowl may look small in the picture, but I assure you that it's filling. The ramen that I ordered had a modern zest to it so it wasn't the traditional ramen taste, however, at the end of consuming the ramen, the saltiness did get to you.

We're celebrating my friend kath's belated birthday and me and my other friend C decide to treat her to dinner Kath suggested Jap food and C recommend this place! Apparently its quite famous and even Kath's friend tell her that its a must try! I wonder how come i never heard of it? Anyway when i got to the place there's already a queue outside at about 6 plus! My girls were already inside where there's another queue Anyway this appear the only restaurant at that area with a queue so there must be some charm to it I love the chandelier lamp and exquisite bowl decor. It was quite spacious inside and i would actually recommend to have a more efficient seating arrangement as we find the tables too far apart and there's actually more space for extra tables! Luckily we didn't have to share table like some people we saw and we got some nice seats near the corner. All of us ordered the first ramen we saw on the menu that cost $15, think it's the basic choice and we add the tamago! Anyway i really treasure the egg as it cost $3 addition just for it! Luckily its the best jap egg that i've eaten so far! It's like the inside is soft gooey orange colour and that you can taste the soya sauce inside! Whats interesting about the ramen is that you can choose between soft or medium? Think it has to do with timing of cooking! Next visit would have to be an even earlier one hoping no long queue and im already dying to try other stuff!

2012-05-27

Classic ramen with char-shu - well balanced, meat is slightly tough, broth is light but flavourful. Noodles are spongy and at just the right texture. (I opted for medium)
However, ingredients seem a bit little with a price that steep. you can choose to top up for more ingredients, such as adding half boiled egg,, char shu etc. but it can be expensive.

convenient, good ambience, service staff are polite and helpful
go at non-peak periods to avoid the queue

2012-04-18

SGD 20(Lunch)

https://thechosenglutton.wordpress.com/2010/12/25/queue-for-ippudo/

Located on Level 4 of Mandarin Gallery, you need not know the exact address of Ippudo, Singapore – you just need to know that it’s the only restaurant with a queue snaking out from the entrance of the restaurant. I was pleasantly greeted by its interior design upon reaching the outside of it. It’s cleverly built – its pieces of mirror on the wall makes the restaurant looks spacious and comfortable. The color scheme of reds and blacks suits me just well. Thus I felt really at home, all ready to sit, eat and let my hair down, under the dimly-lit area. Anyhow, in actual fact, the restaurant can only house about 50 So, be prepared to wait if you haven’t got any reservations made (I really have no idea what their reservation policy is – when I called, they say the minimum pax is 6. And then I’ve read somewhere that says they don’t take reservations, and another source says they only take reservations of at least 3 pax. I’m guessing it depends on the season).

Yes, before you start asking, the spotlight on Ippudo is for its ramen. Basically, you’ll be all so lost and spoilt for choices when you open the menu. There’s such a wide range of ramen, there ought to be one that is your cup of tea (or bowl of ramen). After a bit of reading up, I personally went for Akamaru Chashu.To me, it is rocking. But let me warn you how it tastes and feels like – it tastes salty (sometimes maybe a little too salty), it feels like MSG is all over the bowl, and I can’t stop eating (it’s too addictive). But the overall feeling I get from it, is, joyous and satisfying. So I don’t care what makes up of it. I had my ramen of medium hardness (and I’d suggest that for you, or even soft, because medium is already quite solid). The portion of meat given is generous (although it’s not as much as when compared to Baikohken). But really, it’s enough, and I’d choose Ippudo over Baikohken any day, for its ambience, service and choice of food. My friends had Akamaru Tamago (with just egg) at $17.00 ++ and Akamaru Kakuni at $19.50 ++. They taste generally the same, it’s only the sides that sets them apart.

And then we were off to ordering side dishes and desserts (like there’s no tomorrow).I haven’t been the biggest fan of Gyoza. So to me, this is just another Gyoza dish.Even though there were only 4 – 5 pieces of the lip-smacking chashu, it was well worth it. Look at it! I almost left it alone, because it looks so good and appealing, that by looking at it makes me full already. If you’re a fan of the triple layer meat, have a go at this, take bites bit by bit, the heavenly feeling will last longer.When the dessert was served up to our table, I was SO amazed by its presentation. It’s some fine-dining standard. Considering the cheese cake to be rare (literally.. just kiddin’!), and the effort taken to have this dish up, 7bucks is well paying for it. Although so, I do believe this cheese cake isn’t for everyone. It tastes more towards the salty kind of cheese cake – it’s not like any other new york cheese cakes you find and eat regularly. If you’re adventurous and would like to try some new taste of cheese cake, try this. I wouldn’t say it’s spectacular, neither do I think it’s negative.

Gateau Chocolat ($7.00 ++) :: Some cream. Some cake. Some dessert. I wouldn’t encourage ordering this. It’s pretty ordinary.

To be honest, from the following day on (after all the Ippudo-ians have settled down in my stomach), I’ve been craving for another Ippudo trip. Soaking in the reds and blacks, the brilliant design and decor of the restaurant is enough. The reasonably priced desserts and ramen just tops it off well. It’s the perfect spot for those who just knock off from a long day of hard work.

—> NOTE #1: Try calling and making a reservation. Who knows, you might get it (and save all the hassle).

2010-12-25

SGD 22(Dinner)

finally we got the chance to try out this again

this round with additional friends

we had this hot clay bowl of soup .. it was really hot and nice

looks like those chinese hot and sour soup

we also had guo tie... the japanese style!

the meat was tasty and moist

really nice and worth it

yum!

Craving for ippudo ramen again! Went there for lunch and as usual, have to queue for at least 45minutes - 1 hour...

Had never ordered their side dishes before except the salad. So today ordered their Ippudo Pork Bun where there's a star beside it...i suppose it should be one of the chef recommendations. It's actually a steamed bun with braised pork and ippudo original sauce. To me their so called original sauce tasted a bit sour and just like mayonnaise to me. Pork meat is tender but frankly speaking i still prefer the chinese style version of " kan bak pao" !

2011-12-11

SGD 30(Lunch)