Ippudo NY

http://www.ippudo.com/ny/

This east village outpost of a Japanese chain restaurant claims that it has the best Ramen in New York. In my opnion - that's true.

I haven't had much ramen at all, but I liked all the restaurants that I have been to. My friends had been to Ippudo before, and knew the wait is extremely long. We were in the area for a happy hour, the perfect time to put our name down and come back later.

The wait ended up being 2 hours (we only had to wait at the restaurant for half an hour), but it was worth it. The staff greets you when you come in, making you feel like you're in Japan. The menu contains many appetizers, but only 6 main courses - all 6 of them ramen soups. I hadn't heard of most of the names on the menu, and even some of the ingredients listed in the descriptions. It's a good thing I came with friends who had been there before and knew what to order.

We ordered three appetizers to share. They weren't that great but good enough to order different appetizers next time. The ramen selections seemed very similar to one another and they all cost $13. I ordered the Modern Ramen: noodles, pork broth, pork, scallions, seaweed, mushrooms, red pepper paste, and sprouts.

I expected something like what I had tasted before: soft noodles with light pork broth and a couple of vegetables. What I received was beyond my expectations. The bowl was huge and I was full to the brim by the time we left. The nooldes are hand-made and I could taste it. They tasted like a mixture of whole-grain, buckwheat, angel hair, and the ramen that comes in the styrofoam container. They were a little tough and meaty (like there was subtance in them) but gentle and smooth at the same time. The broth was very pork-y and thick. I anticipated a light broth, which I knew wouldn't give me a problem because I don't like pork. I couldn't escape the porkyiness of Ippudo's broth, but it was okay - even better. First of all, the pork pieces themselves were so soft that I didn't mind eating them. Second of all, the pork used for the broth was probably very high quality, which made the broth 10x better than anything I had even tasted. Third of all, the thickness made it substantial so I didn't have the weak taste of broth I usually get at cheap restaurants.

The whole thing together tasted excellent. I would recommend it to anyone who isn't a vegetarian. The price isn't bad either.

Ippudo NY
65 4th Ave
New York, NY 10003
(212) 388-0088