All Hail the King at Ippudo
On 30th September, the Ramen King’s Ippudo opened its doors for the first time in Pacific Place, Jakarta, Indonesia. This latest expansion adds to the brand’s impressive portfolio of 80 venues in Japan and 40 globally in sprawling metropolitan cities such as New York, Singapore, Hong Kong, Seoul, Sydney, Beijing and London. Ramen enthusiasts in Jakarta can now enjoy a new home at Ippudo, where they can get ramen of the highest quality, hospitable service with attention to detail and unique ambience. This is perfectly in line with Ippudo owner Shigemi Kawahara’s aim of creating an exquisite and delightful ramen dining experience for customers throughout the world.
Seeing the long line of people outside every weekend since day one, it is clear that the discerning citizens of Jakarta have welcomed Ippudo with arms open wide. I wouldn’t be surprised if the mall’s management filed a complaint regarding the amount of people queuing on some days.
The interior design of Ippudo automatically explains that guests can expect to find authentic Japanese taste, but the placement of the décor and styling of the tables, chairs and eating utensils also denotes a loud and clear distinction from any common roadside ramen vendor.
The best-selling appetizer across all Ippudo venues worldwide is the Ippudo Pork Bun—a juicy braised pork belly served with a special sauce. The juiciness of the pork belly is finely balanced by the freshness of the lettuce. The classic pan-fried pork dumplings in Ippudo Hakata-Style Gyoza are also a popular opener. The Spicy Boiled Gyoza contains a deliciously spicy chicken gyoza, the perfect selection for those looking for a non-pork alternative.
If you fancy a hot plate dish, try the Bakuretsu Tofu—a classic Ippudo spicy tofu and minced pork served with crispy noodle bits in a hot stone pot. The non-pork alternative is Saikoro Steak – grilled rib-eye steak cubes on a hot plate served with asparagus, carrots and broccoli topped with teppan sauce.
The Salmon Salad with Japanese Dressing offers freshly diced salmon served with assorted greens and wasabi dressing. This is perfect with the Spicy Shrimp Mayo – lightly battered and deep fried succulent shrimps with homemade spicy mayonnaise dip. As for sushi, the recommended Seared Salmon Roll with Mentaiko is a lightly seared fresh salmon roll seasoned with delicious mentaiko and topped with cod roe.
On to Ippudo’s most important dish: the ramen. Original ramen noodles from Fukuoka city are made from pork bones simmered for long hours, resulting in a white creamy texture with full flavour. Using the same basic principles, Ippudo noodles offer both a springy texture and deep flavours. These noodles, with all their vibrant, natural aroma and wheaty taste, are the essence of Ippudo – just as ramen is the soul food of Japan.
Ippudo also holds a secret recipe for the creation of its very own delicious broth. Only rigorously selected ingredients can make their way to a tonkotsu broth, with as long as 15 hours required to extract the essence of the premium ingredients and obtain the perfect meld.
The goodness of Ippudo’s signature ramen is easily reflected in the Shiromaru Motoaji ramen, which contains original tonkotsu broth served with ultra-thin noodles, pork loin, bean sprouts, kikurage and spring onions. The Shiromaru Special combination is highly recommended, as it adds salted soft-boiled egg, pork loin, pork belly and seaweed.
The Karaka-men also offers original tonkotsu broth, but with special spicy miso, cashew nuts, bean sprouts and ground pork. The Karaka Special is highly recommended for spicy food lovers.
Take the Panna Cotta to savour the Japanese take on this international dessert. It is a classic homemade soya panna cotta served with honey and palm sugar. It is not as sweet as the regular panna cotta you might be familiar with, but the soft texture provides a really nice finishing touch to end your dining experience.
