Shiromaru Ramen

by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
March 31, 2008

IPPUDO
65 4th Ave
(9th & 10th Sts)
New York, NY 10003
212-388-0088

Celia Sin-Tien Cheng

For ramen-crazed New York City, we have another newcomer. Following in Setagaya’s and Santoka’s footsteps, another Japanese ramen chain has ventured into the U.S. market: Ippudo.

A mere two blocks away from me on 4th Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets, I was excited to learn that I had another noodle option in the East Village.

Ippudo officially opens on March 31st, but since it’s soft opening on March 24th, it’s been packed. I popped in at lunchtime yesterday to see if I could grab a quick bite, but there was a ten-minute wait and I was in a rush. Determined to have my Hakata ramen, I went back today and found myself sitting at a round communal table, full of strangers all equally eager to try this new joint.

Seating at Ippudo includes three large booths, a long rectangular table, a round table made out of a tree trunk, a bar-like seating that wraps around a pillar, and a hidden back room with tables that seems more like a lounge area. The atmosphere is that of a lively izakaya with modern décor and loud J-pop (Japanese pop) playing in the background. Both the atmosphere and the prices show that they obviously spent a lot more money on the place than their competitor, Setagaya. Also in contrast to Setagaya, whose wait staff seem to be mostly clueless, the all-Japanese wait and kitchen staff at Ippudo are polite and enthusiastic.

The man to my left speaking Japanese on his cell phone was saying that the ramen was overpriced and that it was targeted toward non-Japanese. He didn’t think Ippudo was going to survive based on the prices. Indeed, $12-13 for a bowl of ramen is high, and if you add any sides, lunch is easily over $20, which is pricey for fast food. Yet the restaurant was packed and bustling with activity. To my right, another lone diner stayed on his cell phone until his food arrived. I was annoyed at all the cell phone activity, but I suppose this is not a place that encourages true comfort since the ramen business is based on quick turnover.

Ippudo specializes in Hakata (Kyushu-style) tonkotsu (pork bone soup) ramen. The original flavor of tonkotsu ramen or Ippudo’s original version, shiromaru (white) moto-aji (original flavor), is served in a rich white broth with scallions, roast pork, cabbage and seaweed. They have two other types of ramen: akamaru (red) shin-aji (new flavor) that is even richer with a heavier umami flavor, and karakamen, which is spicy. At lunch, you can add a rice dish, such as mentaiko (spicy cod roe) rice or roasted pork rice, for an additional $3. I chose the former. Unfortunately, I didn’t find the rice to be that spectacular. According to their website, the overall menu has been modified to accommodate the American palate, but shreds of cabbage in the rice instead of the traditional Japanese pickles and seaweed just taste wrong. Like the side rice dish included in the lunch set at Soba Totto, these seem like afterthoughts and don’t really match in flavor with either the ramen or soba that they are meant to accompany.

Since my visit, Ippudo NY seems to have made other non-traditional modifications to the menu by adding shoyu (soy sauce) and miso ramen (both $12) and tsukemen ($16). These are not part of the repertoire at Ippudo’s Japan stores as they are not Hakata style ramen. My ramen fanatic friend Sarah told me that New York’s Ippudo is also missing all the table condiments that they have in their Japan stores, including karashi-takana — pickled leaf mustard with chili commonly eaten with Hakata ramen. How can they shaft us on the good stuff?! They need to get those condiments into the New York store! She’s also a stickler for katamen (al dente) and recommends getting an order of the kaedama (extra) noodles if you like your noodles extra springy.

You can read thorough descriptions of Ippudo’s history and philosophy as well as the history of ramen itself on Ippudo NY’s website. I hope they add their menu to the site soon; that’s what always gets my mouth watering. For the time being, here’s a look at the goods on the Japanese site.

All in all, the ramen and soup are good, and I’m sure, despite my neighbor’s comments about price point, Ippudo will do just fine. I’m glad it’s here, but for all this hype around it’s opening, I feel it’s just an ordinary neighborhood noodle shop.

Also in East Village, Japanese, Noodles