Hakata Ippudo

[dagordon]

We were there on Friday night and had a blast (despite waiting for 2 hours). The two of us had the akamaru modern, shiromaru, and shoyuramen. They were fantastic. The noodles in each were perfectly al dente. The biggest surprise for me was the shoyuramen; to my tastes it was the most complex of the three.

Also, though we weren't expecting much, we got the fried chicken to start and were very pleasantly surprised. A light, delicate coating that remained crispy despite the tangy, spicy sauce that was on top of it; the chicken inside was perfectly moist, tender, and flavorful.

The hardest part will be deciding which ramen to get when I'm by myself -- 3 for 2 people was way too much, but at least somewhat defensible. Would it be weird to ask a stranger next to me at the counter if they'd like to split 2 different bowls with me?

[dagordon]

Also, a question: anyone know what the base of the broth is in the shoyuramen? (Well, other than the shoyu?) It seemed almost beefy to me, though it's possible that my brain is just associating dark intense broth with beefiness. Or is this pork-based too? And how on earth did it take so long for a place like this to open here?

[JWangSDC]

Anyone know if anywhere in the tri-state area makes red miso ramen?

[raji]

The base of the shoyuramen should be the same base tonkotsu tare - just a lot less of it, plus the soy sauce. Probably the complexity you tasted was that you taste more of the fish or even chicken broth.. I wouldn't be surprised if they have a really good konbudashi in there, maybe ichibandashi.

How did it take so long, I don't know, the Japanese business community just could not get it together. I bet you could get a good ramen in NYC in 1990.

And the akamaru ramen I had at Ippudo had a big ball of red miso in there- aka = red

I think Santouka also makes a misoramen with red miso

[JWangSDC]

And the akamaru ramen I had at Ippudo had a big ball of red miso in there- aka = red

I think Santouka also makes a misoramen with red miso

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Aight thanks, I'll check it out tomorrow. Santoka does not have red miso unless they define it as "spicy miso ramen". I stop by there once a week for grocery shopping. Any thoughts on Batten Ramen?

[raji]

Haven't tried Batten... I'll have to when and if I decide to bike the bridge.

here's a pic, nb its not a misoramen, it's a tonkotsu ramen that happens to have some miso in it..

http://bp3.blogger.com/_XxeuiLHbZo0/R_q6iQ..._22c3ac70ab.jpg

Edited April 8, 2008 by raji (log)

[raji]

Ed Levine compared Setagaya to Ippudo and concludes Ippudo the clear winner

http://edlevineeats.seriouseats.com/2008/0...aiting-for.html

but the fact that he enjoyed momofuku's ramen is kind of a credibility-kill. But, in he went out in search of a real ramen and does a good writeup

[dabestspooner]

Ed Levine compared Setagaya to Ippudo and concludes Ippudo the clear winner

http://edlevineeats.seriouseats.com/2008/0...aiting-for.html

but the fact that he enjoyed momofuku's ramen is kind of a credibility-kill. But, in he went out in search of a real ramen and does a good writeup

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It is a credibility kill

Then again I enjoy Jonathans and Nakamuraya, I shouldnt talk.

[raji]

Dude, Jonathan's is the best. That's pretty much the best family restaurant you can go to in Japan. You get add'l credibility!

[dabestspooner]

Jonathans was actually my first meal ever in Japan, which was the first time I ever had Japanese style demiglace.

[raji]

Last night I hit Ippudo - even at an odd time like Tuesday at 10pm, me + 1 had to wait 10 mins for a seat at the bar. Seems like it's the honkies lingering around - move it along whitefolks! Same reason I always hear complaints only from the Americans about being rushed out of Yasuda -

Had the shiromaru NY. Instantly we felt that the current ramen's are slightly smaller, bit less noodles, and those during opening week were slightly better - standard operating procedure if you ask me. I think I prefer the akamaru modern and now that I've had the shiromaru, I agree with whoever said they wanted more veggies and toppings. That would be cool. That said, I feel like the akamaru had enough. Still going to try the shoyu and miso ramens. All the ramens share the base tonkotsu (pork bone) reduction, so that is the mother "tare", but from there, they vary wildly. This is also SOP for a Japanese ramenya - they put a fanatical amount of effort into their "secret sauce" essentially - I've been to dozens all over Japan and most have a particular fish, chicken, pork, whatever stock, some kind of magic they claim is their own trade secret so some won't even say everything that's in it -

As to the yelling - as some of you know it's customary for the entire staffs to greet customers on their way in and out. Furthermore, Japanese restaurants are fanatical about the attentiveness and swiftness of their service. Therefore, a lot of the yelling you hear is, say a waitress receives an order for an additional plate of noodles - she'll yell it out, and then the first line chef will repeat the order, and then down the line. It's so that everyone hears it, or at least so it gets to it's recipient. Think of all the submarine movies where the captain orders, the XO repeats, and then down the line from one end of sub to the other, military-style. Same thing here. So, they have to yell pretty loud because by Japanese standards this space is cavernous.

1) Can you ask for your noodles to be of a particular done-ness?

yes - you can ask for them hard, soft, whatever you want. I didn't specify on my ramen order, but I ordered kaedama (extra noodles) and they immediately asked me (in Japanese) whether I want it hard or soft. I ordered hard as the broth was still relatively hot, so as the noodles swam in the broth for a bit, they reached perfect doneness. There is a zen to all of this..

2) Can you ask for your broth to be more or less salty? If so, how do they accommodate a less salty broth? Do they have two stocks, or water down the base stock? Or something else?

I didn't ask because I wouldn't... but, they only provide black pepper and ground sesame, so yeah, if you want a more or less salty broth, I'd say it's worth a try.

[wilsonrabbit]

Any thoughts on Batten Ramen?

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It's been a while since I've gone...maybe a year now? I no longer remember which ramen I ordered but I was unimpressed. So unimpressed, I can't remember what it tasted like. Santouka on the other hand...mmmm.... Considering how relatively close the two are by car, I wouldn't bother with Batten. I don't understand why folks rave about it. It's just...ok to me. I must be missing something...ordering the wrong ramen bowl...something!?!? I can't wait to try Ippudo though!

[JWangSDC]

Any thoughts on Batten Ramen?

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It's been a while since I've gone...maybe a year now? I no longer remember which ramen I ordered but I was unimpressed. So unimpressed, I can't remember what it tasted like. Santouka on the other hand...mmmm.... Considering how relatively close the two are by car, I wouldn't bother with Batten. I don't understand why folks rave about it. It's just...ok to me. I must be missing something...ordering the wrong ramen bowl...something!?!? I can't wait to try Ippudo though!

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Yea right now I think I'd like santoka's broth with setagaya's noodles, that'd be my choice combo.

[Nathan]

while trying the akamura modern last night (my friend was a ramen virgin so that was fun...), I sampled a couple starters, of which the standout was the tofu in a meaty broth cooked very hot in a stone bowl.

[Mayur]

I really like those mayo shrimp, but I'm weird that way.

[johnder]

Had lunch for the first time there today with weinoo. Pretty awesome.

Although I am sitting lethargically here at my desk after that broth.

They have a lunch special, 16 bucks for the ramen of your choice, pickles (which was a piece of pickled carrott, daikon and tomato) and your choice of either spicy cod roe over rice or pork over rice.

The rice bowl was really good also. Gotta love the kewpie mayo.

John

[raji]

Warm day = shio or shoyuramen - you want an "assari" ramen with the sun out. liquid lard would definitely drag you down

Cold day and/or drunk = tonkotsu ramen which is what you had

If that was ikura instead of mentaiko, I'd say that lunch special is a decent deal.

Ikuradon rocks my world. Santouka offers a special with their shioramen, ikuradon and an egg, I think it's $13? And spoony bard is saying they'll be open in Manhattan by the end of the year?? Where oh where?!?!?!

[weinoo]

Whatever raji said, I'm down with.

Oh yeah, lunch was really good too - I had the spicy stuff and cod roe over rice. Nice noodles, nice servers, nice chairs.

[raji]

Nice noodles, nice servers, nice chairs.

Yeah... TOO nice, by ramen standards -

I mean a true Tokyo experience would be a seriously fine ramen served out of an utter shithole

[BryanZ]

Showed up at Ippudo shortly after 9 pm on Friday evening. Wait was quoted at 30-40 minutes but was actually more like 45. Not really a problem, but we got there at one of the worst times given the ebb and flow of the tables. We were one of the first parties to sit down as they turned a good percentage of their tables so those who showed up at, say, 9:30 were seated not long after us. If you're averse to waiting, think strategically and go early or go late.

The space feels overdesigned to me and the set up of the room is such that it lacks clear sight lines. There are lots of random pillars, mirrors and obstructions that don't exactly lend an aura of calm. I think service suffers a bit for this as it can be difficult to flag down one of the (very busy) servers.

But, let's be honest, this place is really all about the ramen. We ordered some other items but they were be no means the star of the show. The best was the kakuni, a solid rendition if not near the best I've had. The pickles were also nice and light--fresh vegetables, nicely balanced brine--but perhaps overpriced at $7. The Ippudo roll was a strange item we simply had to order. Stewed pork, cabbage and Japanese seasonings rolled into not-very-good sushi rice. Interesting but not something I'd order again.

We ordered a bowl of the shiromaru and the akamaru. While we generally preferred the latter we found that, by the end, the broth was out of balance. The extra sauce and sesame make the last few spoons of broth a bit bracing. The shiromaru may as well be noodles in pork gravy. It's almost like eating essence of barbecue minus a bit of the smoke. This was extremely rich, but, I felt, a bit underseasoned. I thought the additions in the akamaru (at the onset) really balanced the bowl and added complexity.

The noodles, meh. They were fine; I'm not too into the the thinner style. Cooked well, nice chew, but not enough elasticity for me. The pork loin in the shiromaru was tasty if a bit tough. Quite liked the belly in the akamaru.

All in all, I really liked this place and will go back at off-hours for their lunch deal. With that said, this ramen isn't radically different from what you can get at most decent ramen shops. An order of magnitude better? Probably, but Santouka is a viable substitute for me. Although I haven't been to Setagaya for several months (a revisit is certainly in order) I find that broth, the sharp salinity of it in particular, to be more distinctive if not explicitly better.

Edited May 31, 2008 by BryanZ (log)

[raji]

I think service suffers a bit for this as it can be difficult to flag down one of the (very busy) servers.

Nothing a well-placed "sumimasen" can't fix... _feel_ the nihongo bryan-zan

But, let's be honest, this place is really all about the ramen.

Even at a "ramen brasserie" as Ippudo claims, I'd stick to the ramen, gyoza and/or items that could be toppings but arrive on the side i.e. charshuu. FYI Santouka is known for their toroniku charshuu in Japan, and while they pretty much nail the ramen, they haven't gotten that totally down yet....

We ordered a bowl of the shiromaru and the akamaru.  While we generally preferred the latter we found that, by the end, the broth was out of balance.  The extra sauce and sesame make the last few spoons of broth a bit bracing.  The shiromaru may as well be noodles in pork gravy.  It's almost like eating essence of barbecue minus a bit of the smoke.  This was extremely rich, but, I felt, a bit underseasoned.  I thought the additions in the akamaru (at the onset) really balanced the bowl and added complexity.

The noodles, meh.  They were fine; I'm not too into the the thinner style.  Cooked well, nice chew, but not enough elasticity for me.  The pork loin in the shiromaru was tasty if a bit tough.  Quite liked the belly in the akamaru.

All in all, I really liked this place and will go back at off-hours for their lunch deal.  With that said, this ramen isn't radically different from what you can get at most decent ramen shops.  An order of magnitude better?  Probably, but Santouka is a viable substitute for me.  Although I haven't been to Setagaya for several months (a revisit is certainly in order) I find that broth, the sharp salinity of it in particular, to be more distinctive if not explicitly better.

You say pork gravy like it's a bad thing....

While I'll be the first to admit that it's hard not to like a broth that is SO rich, as Ippudo's is, I still think it's a much better broth than Setagaya. If they put out a well-executed seafood and salt-based broth, then it's just a matter of taste, but they don't.

I was back at Setagaya last week and was even less impressed than I was the time before that. I will write up a review in the Setagaya thread but to be honest, their broth was not exactly flavorful. It was saltwater; I didn't even bother with any spices or chili oil or anything to flavor it towards the end of the bowl, because there was no point, there was no flavor to enhance. This worked out, the watery, mild-flavored broth worked on a blazing hot, sun-beating-down-on-our-shoulders Saturday afternoon last, but honestly, if I'm gonna drop 2 digits on a ramen, I'll wait for sundown and go for the animal fat.

Noodles - that's a matter of taste, if you don't like hosoimen, kyuushu-style, like Ippudo's, you never well and you will prefer the nearly udon-like bouncey Setagaya noodles, but I don't factor my personal tastes, broth noodle or otherwise when I say that Ippudo is far superior than Setagaya.

Needless to say I think all of us are eagerly awaiting what Santouka will do in Manhattan. If I haven't before I'll mention again that this was my favorite ramen-ya in Shibuya.

[philadining]

Sure, the ramen is the primary attraction, but I thought the Kara Age rocked. And the pickles too, although I agree that they are too expensive.

[ned]

Nice pics phila. I just read all three pages on Ippudo looking for mention of Karaage Chicken and here I get the end and you've expressed my sentiments exactly. De-fucking-licious. I'm awfully curious what the breading is. A Japanese friend who is also a chef said something about a special Japanese starch. It's a starting point.

[raji]

I think it's just cornstarch, potato starch and/or rice flour... it varies by region (of japan)

Yakitori Totto has the best karaage in the city, obviously... if I'm not mistaken

[ned]

I think it's just cornstarch, potato starch and/or rice flour... it varies by region (of japan)

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Not sure about that. Something about "katakuriko" starch from Katakuri roots?