The sign was unique. Everything else around Ippudo had cement, but its store front had bamboo (or was it wood?). The characters in red says Hakata, and the black characters say Ippudo.
The wall behind us. I can't read the characters, but thought it was an interesting decor.
My cocktail: Calpico High. Tastes just like the Japanese Calpico yogurt drink, but spiked! The alcohol taste was very light, but after the shots from the first bar, it took me a while to drink even half of the glass.
The pointy chopsticks with pointy ends. I usually don't like using pointy chopsticks, but these surprisingly didn't tire my hands out even though they felt weighted.
The soup spoons they distributed to us. They look more like serving spoons.
Appetizer: Hakata Buns
Yelp reviews seem to have more mentions of these buns than the ramen itself. They remind me of the Vietnamese Tacos I had at the Cheesecake Factory a few weeks ago, but the pork was definitely tastier. It tasted like a spicy version of the Chinese pork belly dish. There's a piece of crispy lettuce sandwiched in between as well, which took away some of the oilyness from the meat. The buns themselves were also very soft and fluffy.
Appetizer: Avocado and Tofu Tartar - Avocado and tofu with kelp and seaweed, served with sesame and kuromitsu (brown sugar syrup) dressing.
Close-up
The avocado and tofu textures are very similar, and the crunchiness from the kelp and seaweed helps adds contrast when you put everything in your mouth. At first I thought the kuromitsu was soy sauce, and the sesame was peanut butter. The dressings made this appetizer perfect.
Akamaru Modern - 'The original tonkotsu' soup noodle with Ippudo's special sauce, pork belly chashu, cabage, kikurage, scallions, miso paste & fragrant garlic oil.
I like the soup base with a strong pork flavor, and the red glob of miso wasn't overpowering. The pork was also very tender.
Shiromaru Hakata Classic - 'The original tonkotsu' soup noodle with pork loin chashu, kikurage, menma, 1/2 boiled egg, red pickled ginger, sesame & scallions.
The half boiled egg tasted very smooth! I wish I could make eggs like that at home.
Miso Ramen - Soy bean paste flavored ramen noodles in tonkotsu soup with pork belly chashu, cabbage, spinach, manma, ginger & scallions
We were allowed to order separate toppings and additional servings of ramen for a lot less than the original bowl, only catch is you can't finish your soup when you order seconds. Somehow, we forgot to order dessert.
The final verdict...would I go back to Ippudo? Yes. Maybe not until I try the other ramen places in the NY and NJ area though. But the drive into the city and the wait significantly brought down the points I would've given to Ippudo. Good thing we found free street parking, otherwise it would've been lower. I would say it's better than Santoka and Batten. Most likely the best ramen I've had so far.
