Ippudo, Westfield Sydney

Ippudo is a famous Japanese ramen franchise, and its first store in Australia is proving very popular among the Sydneysiders. We dined here 3 weeks after its grand opening, and clearly the hype was still there, because there was a queue when we decided to dine there for lunch. There were about 10-15 people in line before us, but the wait wasn't too bad. The staff was courteous, and we were given menus to browse through and decide what we wanted to order. Then after about 15-20 minutes, we were brought into our table. (Note: we were a group of 5, so it took a bit longer for us to get a table, compared to individuals or people in groups of 2 or 3, who could more easily be seated at the communal table or smaller tables).

Say cheez!! :D

The lighting of the place was rather dim, with polished wooden furniture and a cool, wavy ceiling, creating an intimate and somewhat "fancy" dining environment. But I guess this is to be expected, since it's located in Westfield Sydney, a shopping centre that pretty much screams "classy".

Ippudo pork buns ($4 each)

Would you look at that beautiful creation?? The bun was just so soft, and the pork was just so tender and flavoursome, I could eat this over and over again if it wasn't $4 each. I mean, if I ate two, it'll be like *poof* almost $10 gone (yes, I round up. And I say poof because you finish it pretty quickly). But anyway, it makes a delicious entrée and I felt it deserved all the raving reviews that I had heard about from other people. So definitely give it a try if your wallet is up for it (although I understand the ramen price is pretty steep too).

Shiromaru and akamaru ramen  ($15.00 - $17.00). Extra $2 if you want nitamago (hard-boiled egg)

So now for their famous ramen! Firstly, I'd like to point out that I like how they colour co-ordinated their bowls to easily distinguish between the shiromaru and akamaru ramen (with my limited Japanese, I recognise that "shiro" means white, and "aka" means red). The presentation looks good, and it smells good, so what about the taste?

Shiromaru motoaji ramen ($15)

Thumbs up! The ramen tasted fabulous too - in fact, one of the nicest ramen I've had in Sydney. I'm not a ramen expert or anything, but there was something about this ramen's creamy and dainty broth, together with its fine pork loin and springy noodles, that made this bowl of ramen super tasty. The rich pork flavour (as it's a tonkotsu-based ramen) was very much infused in the broth, yet not overpowering at all, and the simple, quality ingredients were in good balance - definitely to my taste, and it was one of the few times where I actually finished my entire bowl of ramen, including all the broth as well. 

Akamaru tamago ramen - $18.00 ($16 if without the egg)

From my understanding, the main difference between the shiromaru and akamaru ramen is the broth - akamaru is also tonkotsu broth, but with a blend of miso paste and garlic oil added to it. My fellow diners were also very pleased with their ramen! :)

Anyway, a little ramen summary. So as you know, everybody is different, and we all have different tastes and preferences. I have many friends who rave about Gumshara's ramen, but personally, their ramen was too porky (and salty) for me. Similarly, while Menya Noodle Bar's ramen is also very delicious, when I get near the bottom of my bowl, it just gets way too salty (for my friends as well, on both the occasions I've been there). I've tried a variety of ramen places in the city, but of course, I've yet to try them all. But definitely, Ippudo is one of my favourites now, and I hope the quality and standard remains high the next time I visit. :)

Ok well, thanks for reading, and here's a bonus, random picture of our mad, kidney-shaped table (if you can see the outline). It's completely unedited, and the effect is due to the lighting of the place.

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Ippudō Sydney

Shop 5021, Level 5, Westfield Shopping Centre/188 Pitt Street  Sydney 2000

Ph: (02) 8078 7020

Website: www.ippudo.com.au