Back in January 2009, three of us were walking through the streets of Kyoto. Feeling a hankering for ramen, we walked into the basement food hall of Daimaru and asked a friendly staff member if they had ramen. She replied that they didn't, but suggested a famous shop just outside and around the corner. This was my first experience with Ippudo. With some hazy details, I remember the ramen was good but not cheap, and they also had possibly the smallest burger I've ever seen which my friend ate in only one or two bites. I probably prefer the variety at the ramen floor in Isetan next to the JR Kyoto station, but Ippudo good is still good.
I don't think I understood the significance of a branch opening in Sydney until I started reading about the endless numbers of ramen comparisons there recently. The choices seem to be between Ippudo, Menya, Gumshara and Ikkyu. Even David Chang had an article giving his two cents worth.
Feeling the emptiness of leaving behind my favourite Bone Daddies, ramen seemed a good idea for an evening feed. In the end I selected Ippudo, moreso for its reputation of tonkotsu (my favourite type) and also that was open until 9pm on this Sunday evening. It also happens to be located in the swankiest Westfield shopping centre I've ever seen, which is a far difference from the mediocre food options at Westfield in Melbourne.
The staff all speak Japanese (although the English is a mix of Aussie, US and Japanese) and the loud floor staff placing orders to the irrashaimase on arrival and arigatou gosaimasu on departure tries to keep things original.
- Shiromaru special - the signature tonkotsu broth called motoaji sounded a bit strange (aji no moto means MSG. Maybe I'm translating it incorrectly.) In any case the special served with additional fatty pork belly, bamboo shoots, seaweed and more was a solid delicious bowl. I do prefer my broth thicker and porkier, but this was still great with ground sesame and shichimi spice. The ramen was marginally overcooked and didn't have as much bite to it, but it didn't really bother me;
- Tori shoyu ramen - a cleaner broth of chicken and soy with bonito that seemed much healthier. Wavy noodles were perfect and seemed an nice alternative if the thick gelatinous tonkotsu isn't your style;
- Ippudo pork bun - identical to the one I had at Shoryu in London and similarly underwhelming. The bun is flat and not so fluffy, the pork slice is thin, and it is served with lettuce. I'd forgot this and save all these efforts for the Chinese-style/David Chang/Yum Bun versions;
- David tofu - a refined version of agedashi tofu which a thin fried shell surrounding silken tofu and served with a thick sauce rather than the usual broth-style. Not as heavy in flavour or texture as the usual. Different and nice.
It's not cheap but this is Sydney in a swanky department store in the middle of town. I'm not surprised. The food is good and I would gladly go back. I still prefer Bone Daddies thick and heaviness with the added garlic I used to add. For that reason I'd probably try Gumshara next time to see if their reputation for the thickest tonkotsu around lives up to expectation.
Next time I would order the shiromaru special again or tori shoyu if I wanted something lighter. I did like miso versions back in the day (rather than salt or soy) but these days I prefer the straight tonkotsu. But I wouldn't mind trying them for a change. There are other things to order here, but they are known for ramen. Stick to the ramen and complement it with a few small things if you want something extra.
