Happy Birthday Everyone! Today is the 7th day of Chinese New Year, also known as “Ren Ri” 人日 (Literally means Human Day). This was the day Human beings were created according to Chinese customs, and the Malaysians and Singaporeans celebrate this day with Yee Sang. I won’t be doing much eating today though after countless bowls of Mee Sua and other delectable food in Sarawak (by the way, some goodies to giveaway in my next post). But here’s a quick review of my favourite thing: Noodles!
It’s no secret that I’m a Ramen fan. Although I have not tried every joint in KL, my firm favourite is Marutama in Fahrenheit Mall. When I heard that the famous Ippudo Ramen is going to be open for Business at Pavilion, I’ve been anticipating a visit, wondering if it could rival Marutama. I couldn’t make it on the opening day due to my gig at Nerofico (it was a fun gig by the way) so we scheduled our catch up session yesterday afternoon at Ippudo.
No queue!
Apparently at 12noon, there was a sizable queue but this was what we saw at 1.30pm. Take note of the shorter opening hours during the soft opening or you might not get your ramen.
Lovely bowls.
The restaurant was pretty packed, but it wasn’t too long until we got the big table for 6. Upon surveying the menu, the first thing that we noticed was the significantly higher price than all the other Ramen joints, even Hokkaido Santouka, which is also located in Pavilion. A full bowl with everything added will cost you RM36++, that’s pretty steep for noodles. The rent must be super high.
We made our orders respectively, with most of us going for the Karaka Special, which is the Tonkotsu broth with Spicy Miso and Ground Pork, with all the toppings.
Karaka Special: Ramen with flavoured egg, pork belly and seaweed. RM36++
The red hue of the broth is tantalising indeed. Upon the first sip, the broth is rich and creamy, with a great mouth feel thanks to the little bits of pork fat (you can definitely see it in the picture), and also bits of ground pork. It’s very aromatic and not too salty, though it can get a little cloying towards the end for some. The spicy note is definitely there but not too strong. You can choose to have your noodles al dente or softer, and we all went for al dente, of course. I enjoyed the noodles, they were cooked perfectly and thus very addictive.
There is also the option to add some crushed raw garlic for that extra pungency, but most of us did without.
The egg test.
The next 2 component were a little disappointing though. For the egg was hardly flavoured (I suspect it’s not as the white remained completely white), even though the yolk was still perfectly runny. The Pork Belly was not as tender as I expect and lacks in taste compares to the broth. Still it was pleasant enough to eat.
Shiromaru Special RM34++
Irene ordered the Shiromaru Special which is the classic Hakata-style Ramen. I had a sip of the broth and it was great without the spice too. The taste of seaweed is more prominent here.
Akamaru Special RM36++
The Akamaru Special features the Original Tonkotsu Broth with Miso Paste and Garlic Oil. I didn’t try this one, but Kc commented that the saltiness is slightly more prominent due to the miso paste, and it’s just a little to rich to finish. In fact, none of us did. One thing of note too, the green tea is served per glass and is RM2.50++ each. So savour every sip. The service here can be a little lacking, but that could be teething problem. Just make sure you pay attention to the last call even for your drinks.
So was the bowl of noodles worth the price tag? You be the judge. Because when it comes to Ramen, we all have our preferences and this might turn out to be perfect for you.
Hakata Ippudo Ramen,
Level 4, Pavilion Shopping Mall, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2110 6233
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/IppudoMalaysia
I’ll go when the hype dies down… cos I dont like queuing for my food
Yeah thank goodness there wasn’t a queue there yesterday. I guess just don’t go at peak times. When they extend their opening hours that is.
人日快樂！I tried the one in SG. I think I spend too much time on photo taking. So eventhough I order the al dente version, it became soft when I had it, lol.
Lol! Luckily you didn’t order the soft noodles then.
Looks real good but personally, I prefer our own local noodles – Sibu Foochow kampua for the win! LOL!!!
Different thing la. Kampua is only RM2.80 lol. I commented I can have more than 10 plates of Kampua (with Teh O) for the price of this ramen.
Yup…and the price too! But cheap probably equates no snob appeal, no class…no? Never mind! I’m for the taste…and to each his own, In fact, I’ve never really been into Japanese, that’s why I’m not so keen on ramen.
P.S. It’s RM2.30-2.50. You came CNY time…surcharge 50 sen. LOL!!!
Hahaha true! But in Bintulu it’s about right la.
I heard about the buzz and you are the second reviewer so far. I believe more positive reviews to come! Good stuff
Wilson
Third I believe, eatdrinkkl and Rebecca both visited on the first day.
look pretty good from the pics! I m going next week… the pork slices looked good with layers of lean and fat meat…
Happy Ren Ri!
Yeah! Let me know what you think!
mmm, lots of mixed reactions and different feedback so far for ippudo! but ya, you have a great point about the ramen’s price being quite punishing for the wallet. the complete bowl with all the accompaniments costs basically RM40 including taxes, and it’s not totally filling for some of us who have large appetites, heh
Punishing is right, as I certainly felt the pain. Plus the green tea is not bottomless so if you are particularly thirsty, expect to pay more. I think in general it’s great, but the egg is a definite let down for me.
Their al-dente noodles are good…but their tonkotsu broth is not as slurpworthy as the tonkotsu broth in Menya KL…their chashu is not as thick n awesome as Gantetsu’s….the flavoured egg I leave it until I have tried Marutama…same goes for the chashu…hehe =)
The man has spoken.
We’ve got an Ippudo here and the queues are crazy too! I wonder how many people add the raw garlic. That sounds like it would really change the flavour of the dish!
I didn’t want to have garlic breath hahaha.
I am a huge Ramen fan! Saw all these lovely noodles first thing in the morning is making me so hungry!! I’m off to make us a big bowl each now
Wish I could join you for the ramen!
I’m not really a huge fan of ramen, but I do enjoy them. This one looks good, but expensive!! I guess it’s still worth a try? : )
Worth a try to determine whether it’s the best in your book. I will stick to Marutama though because I can get better egg and charshu for half the price.
Actually I been to Japan few times, at there a bowl of ramen is rm45 and above,so personally I still can tolerate for the price, pay a visit to this pavilion outlet yesterday, for me, quite a pleasant bowl of ramen, but I personally love menya mushashi dry ramen (tsu ke men) and gantetsu thick slices of pork, marutama is great as well
Yeah in the end is down to whether you feel it’s worth the price for the overall taste and experience.
can’t wait to go here tomorrow! looks damn yums
Looking forward to your review!
Yummy Japanese foooooooooood! <3
Yummy indeed! I don’t mind having more now.
Wow I’m impressed at how many Ippudos have opened all around the world
They opened up in Sydney and Hong Kong last year, I’m not really a huge ramen kinda girl, but quite liked Ippudo when I tried it last in HK ~
Ooh. Yeah there are quite a few around the world! I’m just glad we have good choices other than Ippudo too, something for everyone.
I was surprised to hear that it wasn’t so fantastic given the hype. I guess I will have to go to Sydney to judge for myself!
It might be because we are quite spoilt for choice here in KL. Yeah do try in say deny. Another factor to consider is the pork used because apparently this branch uses local pork. The flavours will vary a little.
too bad about the disappointing flavours.. hmmm, I hope i have better luck here!
You are going tonight? Enjoy!
there are getting more and more ramen chains out there. hard to judge which is the best
but i love the side dishes at this new ippudo!
Latest: Dine in the Garden
Yeah I think the aim is not to judge which is best but which one suits our taste more. No doubt this will be super popular anyway.
Kelly, Gong Xi Fa Cai to you! I love mee kolot the most!
Have you been to Sarawak?
sounds disappointing. i shall give a try after they are really settle down.
love marutama’s. and menya one is good too
Yeah I’ve heard various complaints about current Ippudo mainly with their noodles and even broth too. I think it’s best to wait a while until the teething problems are solved.