What: Ramen date
Where: Ippudo
65 4th Ave, New York 10003
Btwn 9th & 10th St
A friend of mine who visits Japan every year HATES Ippudo. He warned me, a seasoned traveler like him, that I would hate it too. He told me it’s not like the ramen I had in Japan and I’d be disappointed too. The broth, the noodles, and the prices all had a negative effect on him.
Yet, I wasn’t disappointed. In fact, I went twice. I mean, I have to ask, what is up with their noodles? To me, it’s too thin and too much like the Chinese chow mein, and too hard to be ramen. I was, however, fairly impressed by their broth. Okay, so maybe it isn’t like Japan, but it was still good. And I can swear that their they put the oils from which they braise their berkshire pork into their broth, which makes it that much fattier and tastier.
If you want noods, you better be sure to go early b/c … they might close on you!
The atmosphere: Very fun and unique. The bar is clear topped with rows of packaged ramen noodles and the walls are lined with ramen bowls. Inside the dining room, there are several areas of seating, including one where every two seats are designed to make up a loveseat couch.
The noodles: Upon the recommendation of the waiter, we both ordered the Akamaru Shin, ‘that’s suppose to come with the special Ippudo sauce in their broth. The broth is thick so the noodles do absorb a good amount of the broth, but not enough for me. As with all ramen places, I wished there was more pork. The second time I went, I tried the spicy broth because they took the dipping noodles off the menu.
The berkshire pork. Tiny portion, but it was delicious. It was tender, flavorful, and not as fatty as most pork belly.
Overall, I say it was an experience worth having. The prices are too high for ramen, and I don’t enjoy the noodles, as I’ve said before, but it’s worth it for the broth. Also, go during non-prime times. Don’t do the wait.
Or have connections so you don’t have to wait ;)
Ippduo is my favorite ramen chain in Japan and I’m glad to see it in NYC. It is by far the best ramen option in the city IMO (not counting Santouka in NJ). That said, it is different from the shops in Japan. The place in NY is huge and the menu is more izakya style. The soup itself is not much different though, of course not quite as good as the stuff in Japan ;-)
The biggest thing for me about the NYC shop is lack of condiments. Check out Ippudo NYC for more ramen goodies.
Wow….I hope I can taste Ramen someday too.