Ippudo Ramen in Robinsons Place Manila, Ermita
At last, I got to try Ippudo Philippines. All thanks to its promo of Buy 1 Take 1 (for the first 100 pairs), and to my friends who were in the ramen mood. I've been longing to try this one, but I haven't gotten the opportunity and budget to do so. The promo came in perfectly, through it, I finally had a taste of Ippudo!
This is the first branch that I visited, so I am not much sure if the interior is similar across branches. Regardless, I found the interior of this particular branch very neat looking with good amount of space. Unfortunately, what I didn't enjoy much were the heavy unrelaxing chairs. Both the design and the heaviness curtailed the comfort it may potentially give. Ultimately, it affected my ramen experience.
Okay, now that I finished showing you the interior, let me now go to the food.
Let's begin with the buns, which unfortunately I don't have a good photo of. I want to give it a brief albeit shimmering highlight because I really enjoyed how awesome the taste was. It had this balanced flavors that were united by the authentic sourness coming from the Japanese mayo. Overall, it was creamy, light and very relaxing to munch!
Alright! Now, we are ready for the ramen!
Karaka-men || P390
Ippudo's original tonkotsu borth served with thin wavy noodles, pork belly, and spring onions. The special spicy minced meat, miso paste and fragrant garlic oil add a kick to the senses
The Karaka-men had this significant yet tolerable kick that made my palate flare with excitement. This spiciness also added to the flavor which made the ramen interesting.
Akamaru Shinaji || P390
Ippudo's original tonkotsu broth enhanced with special blended miso paste and fragrant garlic oil. Served with thin noodles, pork belly, kikurge and spring onions. A frefined, modern-style ramen
The Akamaru Shinaji was garlicky and flavorful. It possessed this mild and controlled spiciness with the broth being tasty and the meat sufficiently, but not ideally, tender and delectable.
Shiromaru Motoaji || P375
Ippudo's original tonkotsu broth served with ultra-thin noodles, pork loin, bean sprouts, kikurage and spring onions. Classic Hakata-style ramen
I wasn't able to try this Shio Ramen a try, but I got the chance to snap a photo, due to the inaccuracy of order. For my next visit, I may go for this one.
Now, there you go! I hope you found this blog post helpful and interesting. By the way, here is a photo of us the Chikiting Patrol in Ippudo.
Ippudo Ramen - Overall Ratings and Summary
Note: Unshaded stars are equivalents of half-stars. The ratings apply solely to this dining experience.
Place ★★★★
Taste ★★★☆
Service ★★★
Value for Money ★★★☆
Budget: At least P430 each for a bowl of ramen
Overall, I was able to appreciate the ramen. Unfortunately, my experience was negatively influenced by the uncomfy chair as well as the "still yet to adapt" service. Due to this, Ippudo just falls on 6th in my Incomplete Top 10 Ramen List (read more).
I'll be returning back here to have the Shio ramen a few months from now, so I hope by then, my experience will so awesome.
Ippudo Ramen
Location: Ground Floor, Pedro Gil Wing, Robinsons Place Manila, Ermita, Manila
Service Charge: 10% before VAT
