Restaurant Love: Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen

I just can’t get enough of Japanese food. Given a chance, I’ll live in Japan and eat all the salmon sashimi I could get my hands on. But of course, that would be too much. So let’s throw in some ramen. There you go. That is the life. Okay, I kid. But I really am too attached to Japanese cuisine. I was so thrilled when I got an email from them before giving me a heads up on their new dishes. I was out of the country then but I promised Riza of Ikkoryu Fukuoka that I will drop by as soon as I’m back. Well, fine, it wasn’t as soon as I anticipated as there were just too many new restaurants to visit. But Black Day was the perfect day for some ramen love. 

For some reason, J and I meet on the 14^th of the month. It started with Valentine’s Day where we traded gifts. (Hey, single people can celebrate Valentine’s Day too you know.) It was followed by Pi/Pie/White Day where we had some beer can chicken and finally, Black Day. And yes, I forced J to wear black.

We actually had no idea where to eat when we met but since we were both famished, we had to think fast. We eliminated the cuisines we do not fancy that night and ended up with around four restaurants to choose from. J initially crossed out ramen but remembered his Monday ramen nights and finally gave in to have dinner at Ikkoryu Fukuoka. 

 

The place wasn’t as packed compared to when it first opened (where wait time was around 30 minutes to an hour). The servers were very attentive and gave us menus as soon as we sat down.

I decided to go for the new ramen, AKA Tonkotsu (PHP380) while J got the Yuku-Tama Tonkotsu (PHP380). I also ordered Mitarashi Dango (PHP130) for dessert.

The AKA Tonkotsu was very rich in flavor. The broth was slightly sweet, salty and spicy all at the same time. The chasu, as always, was tender and flavorful as well. I enjoyed every slurp and bite! The spiciness was very mild as well so I didn’t find it hard to finish my bowl under 15 minutes.

Image from Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen

The Yuku-Tama is somehow similar to AKA Tonkotsu only this one was spicier because of yuzukosyo, one of the popular spices in Japan. I managed to have a slurp and it wasn’t as spicy as I thought. It was manageable as well but I might need a bit more water to finish a bowl.

My dessert was rather weird though. I was expecting, as mentioned in the menu, that my glutinous rice balls will be drizzled with “sweet” soy sauce. But it was saltier than sweet. It felt like I was eating another savory dish instead of something to cap my meal. It was interesting but I think I’ll stick with the ice cream next time or try Mushi Pudding (PHP130).

Overall, it was still a great dinner. I really love Ikkoryu Fukuoka! I wonder which one I should try next.

Ikkoryu Fukuoka is located at 5^th Floor, East Wing, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City.