On top of most people's heads, such time is perfect for some hot liquid food. However, I was growing tired of instant noodles and soup. I was craving for something a bit more authentic and made from fresh ingredients. That is why I grabbed the opportunity to visit Ippudo when I decided to meet up with my girlfriend at SM Mall of Asia.
Upon reaching the restaurant's entrance, my girlfriend and I were greeted by one of its staff and then he made us wait for a bit as people prepared a table for us. From the entrance, I can see that the restaurant was packed with customers and I felt really lucky that we did not have to wait that long to get seated.
Now, as I was about to take my seat, I thought that if I were to write a review of Ippudo, it would be based on four (4) things: ambiance, food, price and customer service.
And since I decided to push through with the review, here is my impression of Ippudo.
AMBIANCE
The restaurant was decorated in minimalist fashion with Japanese influences found in its architecture and furniture. Instead of being cluttered with decorations and whatnots, each table has pepper, sesame seed and garlic crushers, in addition to a bowl of chopped garlic in water.
With seats being positioned close to each other, there is not a lot of room for customers to move around in Ippudo but not to the point where you will feel uncomfortable.
FOOD
It goes without saying that you come to a ramen house for the ramen, and that is what my girlfriend and I exactly did. We ordered a bowl of Shiromaru Special and Karaka Tamago with very hard noodles, as recommended by the wait staff, to go along with Ippudo's Classic Okonomiyaki.
We kicked things off with the okonomiyaki, which was served on a sizzling plate and topped with chunks of chasyu. As seen on the picture above, the dish was rich with okonomiyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise, which gave it a pleasantly sweet, salty and sour taste.
Further, this Japanese pancake has a crunchy outside and creamy inside. The crunchiness comes from the Japanese flour and shredded cabbage mixed in it while the egg was responsible for the creaminess.
Paired with the tasty and juicy chasyu, the okonomiyaki comes off as a tasty and great appetizer or side order.
On to the next dish, the Shiromaru Special, which came in a huge ceramic bowl. At first sight, the soup appears to be thick and rich but it is not actually the case. While delicious, the tonkotsu broth is not as I hoped it would be, especially in comparison to my experience with Ramen Nagi. Even the saltiness from the soft-boiled egg and seaweed did not help its case, but as mentioned, it is still good.
The rest of the ramen's ingredients -- pork loin, bean sprouts, kikurage and spring onions -- made the dish more interesting and gave it some crunchiness, but I still cannot get over the fact that it was not as flavorful as I hope it would be.
Then, we had the Karake Tamago, which was mildly spicier than the Shiromaru. This ramen was very fragrant thanks to the garlic oil poured into it, while the red minced meat promised a hot surprise for its consumer.
However, just like with the Shiromaru, this ramen did not meet expectations. I was hoping that the hot sensation from its spicy ingredients would clear my head and cure my sniffles, but I am afraid it was not spicy enough for me. Blame it on my Bicolano lineage or my high tolerance to spicy food, but I managed to finish my bowl of Karake Tamago without drinking water in between.
As for its taste, the Karake Tamago is slightly more flavorful than the Shiromaru but I easily got tired with its taste, or as they say in Filipino, na umay.
Still, the Karake Tamago is delicious in its own right. Although I am not very impressed with it, I believe it would earn praise in some other person's palate.
PRICE
The Shiromaru Special and Karake Tamago is priced at Php 490 and Php 430 respectively.
Do I think that is a lot for two bowls of ramen? Yes, I do.
Do I think it is worth it? Meh.
The thing is, when compared to my previous ramen experience (Ramen Nagi), the taste just does not hold up. Yeah, it is delicious but I have tasted better for almost the same price so I cannot say it is totally worth it.
However, since taste varies from person to person, there is a chance that there are people who would prefer Ippudo over Ramen Nagi, and when that is the case, spending on Ippudo can be a rewarding experience.
As for the Okonomiyaki, I would say that it is reasonably priced at Php 270 and I would even go as far as recommending it to other people because it tastes that good.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Perhaps the best part about the Ippudo experience is the customer service. Mon, the guy who greeted us at the entrance, made sure that my girlfriend I were seated as soon as possible, while Niko constantly checked on us to make sure we were seated comfortably and had everything we need, in addition to having our food delivered as fast as he can.
Considering the presentation of our food, I think it is safe to say that the rest of the Ippudo staff at SM Mall of Asia are all hardworking people dedicated to providing quality service to their customers.
VERDICT:
In summary, Ippudo delivers good food but is just not up to my standards. That is not to say it is a terrible restaurant, on the contrary, it seems like an awesome ramen house in its own right.
The price of the food here is not exactly budget-friendly, but considering the ingredients used on them, I would say it is somehow justified.
With its topnotch customer service, I guess Ippudo can win the heart of other ramen lovers, as evidenced by numerous customers who were eating alongside my girlfriend and I during our visit.
I encourage other people to visit this ramen house and tell me how our opinions regarding Ippudo's food differ.
Rating:
3/5
RECOMMENDATIONS:
I think it would be better for Ippudo to start making small servings of their ramens at a lower cost. Think of them as samplers. This is a great way to encourage more people to try out their food without the risk of overspending.
Further, I believe they should have different levels of spiciness for their spicy food in order to cater to more people with various levels of tolerance to spiciness.
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