Ippudo Visited 7/17/2011 4 Forks

Ippudo 65 4th Ave., (between 9th St & 10th St), New York, NY 10003

 I've actually been to Ippudo twice before but that was before I had started this blog.  I wasn't really looking to eat at Ippudo today but given that the last 3 times I've tired to go there for dinner there were 2+ hour waits, I've been determined to re-visit it one more time.  This afternoon Dan and I just happen to be in the neighborhood and it was only 5pm on a Sunday, so I figured it was damn time we tried again and this time I couldn't imagine that it would be crowded at all. 

Well, I was wrong.  It was definitely crowded and there was still a wait, but luckily it was only a 10 minute wait.  When they walk you into the main dining room, it's like being in Japan where all the cooks and waitstaff yell/cheer things as you walk in. I have no idea what they are saying but it's kind of funny.  We were seated at the counter which I always like because then you get to see the inside of the kitchen.  We split the asparagus special ($9), which was asparagus wrapped in pork belly and then deep fried and served with aoli mayo.  I ordered the miso ramen ($15) and Dan got the modern ramen ($15) with pork belly ($4).  We also split the special cocktail of the day ($10) which was a ginger cocktail with sochu (it was incredibly ginger-y and refreshing for the summer).  The asparagus was thick and crunchy and the pork belly was nicely fried on the outside.  But of course I burned and cut the roof of my mouth, but the spicy mayo definitely made for a nice dipping sauce.   I wanted to get the famous pork buns but at $9, I really had a hard time justifying the price. 


It's been a long time since I've had really good ramen and this was amazing.  It wasn't the noodle that made it delicious it was the miso (soybean) broth.  It came with a big lump of fresh shredded ginger that I had to stir in with the broth and it really added tons of flavor.  The broth wasn't overly salty, which is usually the case with ramen, it was just pure goodness.  I ended up drinking up all the broth at the end of my meal if that gives you an indication of how good it was.  My ramen came with slices of pork, spinach, cabbage, and bamboo shoots that each absorbed the flavors of the broth really well.  Dan's broth was bit more spicy but light tasting and the pork belly that was added as essentially slices of heart-stopping fat.  The only reason I didn't give this place 4.5 forks was because frankly $15 for ramen is really kind of expensive and to charge an additional $4 for pork belly and $2 for egg (shouldn't all ramen come with an egg in it?!) is just kind of ridiculous.  But it really is the best ramen shop in town these days so I guess they can charge all they want.  Total bill: $34/pp with tip.