Hakata Ippudo

[raji]

I doubt they bring the real deal on a consistent basis from Japan, but you never know...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katakuriko

Katakuriko is now often processed from potatoes, which are much cheaper, as true katakuriko is now quite costly and is rarely available in stores.

An old friend decided she wanted to get schooled and is working in the kitchen at Ippudo, so I'll ask her.

btw I overheard a local Japanese businessman talking about opening a Kyuushu-style ramen shop in midtown, bemoaning the price and Gyukakization of Ippudo. If so, you heard it here first.

Edited July 24, 2008 by raji (log)

[dabestspooner]

btw I overheard a local Japanese businessman talking about opening a Kyuushu-style ramen shop in midtown, bemoaning the price and Gyukakization of Ippudo. If so, you heard it here first.

←

I've heard about Gari being an investor in bringing a new chain to manhattan.

I wish Gyu Kaku here was 25,30,35 all you can eat like in japan.

[raji]

I wish Gyu Kaku here was 25,30,35 all you can eat like in japan.

Unfortunately, the quality and size of meat is about the same

[prasantrin]

Since there's no Ippudo topic in the Japan forum...

What's the black stuff in the Akamaru ramen? It looks like ground black sesame seeds in some kind of liquid, but it doesn't really taste like goma. I looked on the NY website, but they don't have any information about their menu items, and the Japanese website is a wee bit advanced for my comprehension levels.

[raji]

Japanese comprehension wouldn't have helped, they don't tell you on the website. It's like their "secret sauce". I asked an old friend who works there and she said she wouldn't divulge trade secrets! If you wanna spring for a ramen, I'll happily go and identify it for you... if I can't, the ramen's on me. Gourma-challenge!

[prasantrin]

Japanese comprehension wouldn't have helped, they don't tell you on the website. It's like their "secret sauce". I asked an old friend who works there and she said she wouldn't divulge trade secrets! If you wanna spring for a ramen, I'll happily go and identify it for you... if I can't, the ramen's on me. Gourma-challenge!

←

OK, next time you're in the Kansai area (I went to the one in Kobe), you're on! And I think we should include gyoza as part of the reward. I really like their gyoza!

Edited September 30, 2008 by prasantrin (log)

[Hiroyuki]

I did some googling and learned it was "ma yu". It's made with garlic, oil, and other ingredients.

You can make it by yourself by following a recipe like this (sorry, Japanese only).

[prasantrin]

I did some googling and learned it was "ma yu".  It's made with garlic, oil, and other ingredients.

You can make it by yourself by following a recipe like this (sorry, Japanese only).

←

Interesting! So there's no kurogoma in it, but the colour comes from the browning of the garlic, onions, etc.? No wonder it didn't taste like goma.

Thanks, Hiroyuki!

[sickchangeup]

The wait on a Sunday night at 7pm for 2 was just over an hour. When we left around 9 things were probably worse, or at least as bad at they were from 7-8. The place is still kicking ass, can't be too long until expansion occurs somewhere in that area right?

Tried both the pork buns (while waiting at the bar) and the chicken buns. Both come with mayo (guessing kewpie) and cabbage leaves, which I far prefer to the pickle/hoisin combination. Pork was the best.

The "almond tofu" dessert was also incredibly good, we ordered a second one as soon as we tasted the first.

[sickchangeup]

Got a new camera and we decided to play around with it at Ippudo:

Shishito Peppers:

Shiromaru Ramen:

Akamaru Ramen:

[philadining]

Who knew Ippudo served ribs?

We were a cumbersome group of 7, so we had a bit of a wait (about an hour at noon-ish on saturday) so we were so crazy hungry that we inhaled some pork buns, kara age and wings before I even remembered that I had a camera. They were all good - especially the wings, which were nice and crisp, yet coated with a slightly spicy, sweet, tangy sauce. The ribs are insane. They're falling of the bone tender, with a great sticky sauce, and some fruity accents on the platter if you felt like adding that note.

But we were really here for the noodles. Akamaru Modern, of course.

The special Szechuan Ramen was also very good

A real revelation for me was the Tori Ramen, a mixture of chicken broth and the pork tonkatsu broth. It tastes vibrantly chickeny, as if the pork is amplifying those flavors. It'll be hard to get me off the Akamaru Modern, but this one might just do it... it feels lighter and clearer, might be especially good during the summer.

As always, really delicious, and the service was very good - I think they might have thrown a couple extra ribs on that platter...

Edited June 15, 2010 by philadining (log)