Restaurant Love: Ippudo

Ippudo has always been my number one ramen joint in Manila. With its light yet umami packed broth, I could easily finish a bowl. And after weeks of not having a decent Japanese meal, I figured that it's time to end it and indulge in my favorite Shiromaru Tamago.

Hello, Ippudo.

One of the things I love about Ippudo is its impressive service. I used to frequent its Uptown Bonifacio branch and the staff never fail to give me a pleasant dining experience. And I'm glad that same is true with its Ayala Malls Vertis North store.

Ippudo Launches Zero Ramen

Ippudo has been one of my favorite ramen joints in town. It has the right balance of flavors--umami yet not overwhelming. And to celebrate Ippudo's 33rd year anniversary and 4th year in the Philippines, it goes back to its roots and features its base ramen--Zero. 

Hello, Ippudo.

I was invited to Ippudo's anniversary celebration not knowing what to expect. So it was a big treat to be able to sample the ramen that started it all. 

Ramen Love: Ippudo

Ever since we brought Uncle H to Ippudo, he has been craving for more. He messaged R that he wanted it for dinner last Saturday but he had an event to attend to. He couldn’t help think about it and messaged R again the next day and said that he wanted it for lunch. But since R and I already had plans for lunch, Uncle H just ate at home. The urge though was strong and he went to BGC and picked us up to join him have dinner at… you know it.

Hello again, Ippudo!

I had no idea that the operation hours of this branch is not the same as SM Megamall’s. It has a break in between and resumes its dinner operations at 6 p.m. (until 3 a.m. for those craving for ramen at odd hours). 

The place wasn’t packed then as we arrived at 5:50 p.m.. We were asked to wait for a bit outside as they prepare our table. In less than 2 minutes, we were ushered to our table. 

R’s parents went with the usual ramen bowls and Uncle H’s favorite gyoza. I spotted a new product offering and went with Hakata-Style Classic Tsukemen (PHP485) with cold noodles. 

It took my bowl a bit over 20 minutes before it was served. R’s and his parents’ ramen bowls were already half empty when my bowl arrived. I guess it was because it is prepared differently. I just wished that the staff informed me about it so that I could have prepared myself and ordered another appetizer while waiting instead of just staring at my companions eating. 

It was worth the wait though as it was really good. I loved the contrast of the cold noodles and the hot dipping sauce. I’m so glad I listened to the server’s recommendation. I also liked that I have full control on how flavorful each bite will be. I could dip and soak my noodles in the broth for a while to make my noodles warmer and for a more flavorful mouthful or I could just lightly dip it to take a break and avoid being too overwhelmed by the richness of the broth. 

Restaurant Love: Ippudo

One Sunday morning, R got a message from his dad saying that he’s craving for ramen. Knowing my intense love for food, R’s dad asked me for recommendation. I suggested Ippudo’s newest branch in Uptown Mall. And soon, I found myself rushing to dress up as we were being picked up for lunch.

Hello, Ippudo!

The newest Ippudo branch was busy when we went. All small table were occupied so we settled with the huge communal table. 

Everyone was hungry so we quickly ordered Shiromaru Motoaji Special (PHP495), Akamaru Shinaji Special (PHP495), Karaka-Men Special (PHP495), Beef Ishiyaki Rice(PHP495), Pork Bun (PHP125), Fried Chicken Bun (PHP125), Hakata Style Gyoza (PHP210) and Matcha Crème Brûlée (PHP160). We also got some shakes (PHP110) for drinks.

Service was quick and our gyoza and pork buns were served in less than 10 minutes. 

Uncle H loved the gyoza. It was meaty, succulent and packed with flavor! He liked it so much that he asked me to order another. 

The pork bun was a hit with J. She got half of the bun and ate it blissfully. We also ordered another bun after finishing our first order. 

Sadly, the fried chicken bun did not get the same love as it was hardly touched. It was good though. It was just a bit messy to eat as the fat fried chicken stuffing was a bit too thick for the bun. 

Both R and Uncle H loved their spicy ramen bowls and quietly finished it without sharing with anyone. 

Foodie Alert: Ippudo is now in BGC

I love getting random messages from P as it always mean great news and usually involve food. And yesterday was no exception. It was about Ippudo Uptown Mall BGC's opening this time. Well, sort of. P said that Ippudo is looking for people to participate in the ramen place's two-day stress test. I immediately said that I'm willing to participate as it simply mean that we'll act like usual customers during Ippudo's simulation. 

Hello, Ippudo!

We got to Ippudo early and there was quite a line outside. Since looloo saved us some seats, we went to the front of the line and told the host that we're looking for Denise. Apparently, the ones in line were all for the stress test and probably mentioned her name too, only are affiliated with other groups or probably friends of the owners.

Well, they were just doing some last minute preparations and after a short wait, we got in.

Luckily, C, R1, R2 and P got the table right beside ours so we got to chit chat for a bit over ramen among others. 

R who has never been to Ippudo ordered Akamaru Shinaji (PHP495) while I went with Shiromaru Motoaji (PHP490). We also got Okonomiyaki(PHP270) and Deep-Fried Gyoza (PHP220) as appetizers and Matcha Creme Brûlée (PHP160) for dessert. For drinks, we opted for Watermelon Shake (PHP115) and Lemonade (PHP110).

Service was quick and we got our drinks in less than 5 minutes. We were also served house water before that. 

R's lemonade had a nice tangy taste which was refreshing. 

My watermelon shake was also good. It wasn't very sweet and did the job in quenching my thirst. 

Our other orders arrived right after. 

The okonomiyaki was quite sweet because of the okonomiyaki sauce. 

I loved the harmony of textures of the yam, egg, chasu and black konnyaku (potato). But I felt that the flavor was too overwhelming for an appetizer. 

The deep-fried gyoza was scrumptious! It had a lovely meaty taste and it was flavorful enough even without the ponzu sauce. Don't let the chili and spicy mayo stop you from ordering if you have low tolerance to spicy food like me. It wasn't spicy at all. 

Love at First Bite: Ippudo

I have been planning to visit Ippudo since it opened but the line was so discouraging. I could never wait for over an hour just for a bowl of ramen while my tummy’s staging World War 3. I figured that in a month or two, the line wouldn’t be as crazy. WRONG. But last Friday, which happens to be a pay day Friday the 13^th, there was no line at all. (Okay, it was 4 p.m. then.)

Finally!!! Hello, Ippudo!

First thing I noticed was the bar table perfect for solo diners. I think I just found my new favorite hangout place.

I was famished when we got there as I haven’t had lunch yet. So I decided to go for Shiromaru Motoaji Special (PHP480), Ippudo Pork Bun (PHP100), Ippudo Chicken Bun (PHP100) and Ippudo Hakata-Style Gyoza (PHP195).

First served was the gyoza.

It was served hot and it was juicy with a slight crunch on the fried parts. Yummy though it was more expensive compared to the gyoza of other ramen shops.