Although I'm self-proclaimed "a big fan" of Ippudo ramen, I only have had the real taste of it when I went to Japan this year. I have only had Ippudo in Singapore but already hooked with the thick soup and heavy flavour of tonkotsu (pork bones) soup. Last year, I walked past Ippudo in Ebisu while trying to find Ebisu Garden Place and didn't return for it. That was the most regrettable event in Japan. So this time, I wouldn't miss it.
We got to there at almost 3 pm so the place was almost empty. There were a couple of guys eating there ramen so it was a bit of weird feeling to be just two ladies in the house. I must admit, I have some difficulties ordering the ramen in Japanese as I didn't understand some questions the staff asked. I then realised she asking me how well do I want my noodle to be cooked, I guess that's beyond the lesson I learned from Minna no Nihongo! Anyhow, I got through that once I heard she said "...futsu desu ka?" - Thank god for being a fangirl who watch Japanese TV shows extensively so I able to understand the word!
What I love about Ippudo in Japan is the pickled stuffs they have at every table. My favourite among these are the beansprouts. They were very delicious with some hint of spiciness. It was very enjoyable to eat while waiting for your ramen (with a beer, of course).
I ordered my usual of Akamaru ramen with egg while T ordered her Spicy ramen. I love my Akamaru a lot. The soup was rich and very fragrant. The noodle was think and al-dente cooked. Their charshu was also very yummy and literally melt in my mouth. I asked T about her karai ramen and she was happy as it got the heat from ramen which up to Thai people standard, Japanese spiciness is usually nothing. We also ordered gyoza to share but nothing too impressed to talk about.
For non Japanese speakers, do not fret from my experience as I was paying at cashier, I saw menu in English. So I should have asked for English menu instead of sweating my head of trying to speak Japanese. Then again, if I did that, I wouldn't realise how well my Japanese is!
Ippudo Ramen (一風堂)
Ebisu, Tokyo
Website: http://www.ippudo.com/index.html
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