Reviews Ippudo

I was there since day one and have seen their ups and downs. No restaurant is perfect but what makes them different is how they make up for their mistakes and learn from it. As a ramen-addict, I have tried most, if not all, ramen places in the country and this is the only ramen house that I keep on coming back. I am very particular with the taste, texture, aroma, presentation and service. As i love anything spicy, I always order their Karakamen Special. Whenever I order something new, I usually ask for the ingredients, proportions and how it is being prepared so at least I know what i'm getting at and to set my standard on the dish that i have ordered. Presentation - Nori shouldn't be falling, the chili beef, leeks/spring onions should be evident as it adds color to the bowl, the chasu should be in a perfect circle (though torched, it shouldn't be dry). Texture - very hard thin noodles (my preference), chasu is still soft though its torched and due to this it adds depth to the broth but still not overly rich. Aroma - you really cant resist the smell of a perfectly prepared bowl as it tickles your appetite as it goes to your table. Taste - though they use the same broth as their base, with the added ingredients mixed up in the bowl, it has created a perfect balance of spiceness and richness of pork. Service - i always feel welcome whenever i dine in this restaurant ( i always frequent the Robinson Ermita branch where they take good care of me always by rachel, mel and the whole team. Rockwell and SM Megamall did the same thing with me also. Most of all, they always listen to what you have to say to improve their work or at most exceed their best). Let me end by saying, this is THE BEST RAMEN HOUSE IN THE COUNTRY.

Whenever I go to Ippudo Philippines, I'd often choose their Akamaru Ramen— a Pork tonkotsu ramen with black garlic, as well as the usual trimmings of noodles, char siu and spring onions.

But this time, I switched things up by ordering their Karaka Ramen. This spicy variant comes with thin wavy noodles (which looked just like instant noodles), slices of pork belly, and a special mix of spicy ground pork in miso plus spring onions— all swimming in a pork tonkotsu pork. The spiciness was mild, nearly negligible for me, but that's on a subjective basis.

I did though add more garlic cause I wanted to fill the void with some tangy garlicky flavors. And call me strange, but did you know that it actually tasted even better when you add some vinegar in it? That sour acidity really brought out the flavors of the ramen (though it could still use a touch of heat— easily remedied by the chili oil they serve on the side).

And the Gyoza? Let me tell you— it may look small, but these potstickers come with tons of meaty flavor. Plus, I just can't get enough of their sour-spicy sauce. Yum yum yum! 💕

Had ordered their shiromaru special with medium as the firmness of the noodles and it comes with pork loin and tamago. I must say I was pleased and surprised with my order as it exceeded my expectation. It wad good and immediately finished my bowl of ramen. The noodles were great, so is the broth. The tamago egg melts in your mouth and so is the pork. I loved it! Service was also pleasant, they trained their staffs well to be courteous and hands on to the needs of their customers. Overall satisfied and kudos to their team!

It was my first time dining here at Ippudo and definitely not my last. The servers were so attentive and friendly. Upon entering the restau, the server accompanied me to my seat and immediately gave the menu. They asked me if it was my first time and I said yes. They recommended to me their new mushroom ramen with tofu. I was a bit hesitant to order it because I don’t like tofu. But since it was my first time, i trusted my guts and hope that I can finish it. I asked if it’s okay to separate the tofu because I don’t think I would eat it and they said it’s okay. I also asked for chili oil because i like my ramen spicy.
I didn’t wait long for my order to arrived. The broth was flavorful and light. The noodles was perfectly cooked (medium), and the veggies were crunchy. I tried eating it with tofu and I loved it! The tofu added texture to the ramen and it didn’t affect the flavors of the food. I finished all the 2 slices of tofu which I didn’t expect. Definitely good for you hungry tummy.
You’ll enjoy dining here not just because of the food but also the ambience. It has a fancy ambiance and even though there are a lot of costumers, you’ll not feel crowded and disturbed.

Shout out to my server, Ms Rochelle. You’re so nice!

Attentive staff. They offer to refill your water automatically. They keep on checking on their customers. The food is good. The ramen we ordered was perfect. Too bad they don't offer free soup unlike other Japanese restos.

Ippudo has slowly become one of our favorite ramen places because of the good selection of food and also because of their awesome service. We love their ramen, chicken karaage, pork bun, and okonomiyaki.

Couldn’t resist and went to Ippudo second time in a row, just to a different branch.

I was curious about their other food, not just noodles, so that’s what I tried. It didn’t disappoint.

Pork bun was super delicious and mouthwatering. Tender pork with tender bun... I’ll stop now kasi nami-mis ko na ito 😆

Okonomiyaki. Perfect blend of sauce, gulay at pork. The size is not huge, so you really need to follow this up with a dessert.

And that’s what I did! I’m not a fan of Creme Brûlée but their Matcha Creme Brûlée made me reconsider this decision. This is so far the best Creme Brûlée I’ve had. Hindi ito matamis. Sobrang creamy at fluffy. Ang sorbetes sa taas ng dessert ay perpekto para paghaluin.

It’s not often when I’m truly excited about food but Ippudo delivers. Even the tea was amazing!

Awesome service, I really love how thick their chashu was! The firmness of the noodle fits for my preference since there are indicated choices. Looking forward to my next meal here in Ippudo.

They have such flavorful broth. And that’s such a big thing for any ramen. We tried the Shiromaru Special and their Limited Edition Tantanmen. The Shiromaru’s pork was great and seasoned well! The Tantanmen would have been better if cilantro wasn’t added.

Their Tamago was boiled perfectly soft, which we really enjoyed.

Now on to the Pork Bun. That was amazing! A single bite made us go wow. Would recommend this place to anyone 10/10.

Awesome service. Our server was friendly and you feel super welcomed upon your arrival.

It is one of the best ramen that I've tried. The broth was extremely rich and creamy. The noodles had the perfect texture and grasped the broth well. Their pork was tender and delicious. Overall amazing ramen!

Their Ramen is on point, the price? What can I say? You're definitely getting your money's worth. You just have to save same extra cash if you wanna invite your friend's over some good 'ol ramen.

Place looks great. Service was nice. I can't say that it's perfect, it's always that damn line that gets --because of our tight sched. So you better mark your calendars.

Its pricey but you get what you deserve. If you want an equal mix of of tonkotsu broth and creaminess on your bowl of ramen, I suggest you dine here. You’ll love the gyoza too but I find it too small for P210/5pcs.

We’re still in search for the best ramen in the metro, and I’m surprised as to why Ippudo is not always on the list of one.

It’s my first time to dine here and I’m not disappointed. We were assisted by the staff very well, very promt service. Our orders arrived in a timely manner.

We ordered Shiromaru special and Akamaru special both noodles in very hard I can say that the consistency of the noodles is perfect. Ippudo’s original tonkotsu broth was very rich and flavorful and it was not that salty. The tamago was also boiled perfectly! I love everything about this ramen 🍜

We also tried their pork bun and Hakata style gyoza 🥟 I love that the dumplings were pan-fried, gives it a unique taste!

Kudos Ippudo! will def comeback! ❤️

The best ramen for me! I love their Yokohama - best tasting broth and great consistency of the noodles.

Also the best Torch salmon roll! I wish they had more servings of this!

We also tried their pork buns and hakata style gyoza which are also great with ramen!

Great food, but a lil bit pricey. :) The chashu was soft and tender, and the miso soup was savory. Di nakakasawa yung ramen nila unlike sa ibang ramen na natikman ko halos di ko maubos. Anyways, babalik balikan ko yung Akamaru Shinaji Ramen. 😍

The best ramen in the metro. A bit pricey but the taste is totally worth it. I usually eat either their Akamaru or Shiromaru. People who love spicy foods would crave their Karaka-men.

Excellent food and service.
You’ll get what you pay for. 👍🏻

This is my first-line restaurant whenever i am craving for Ramen. It is flavourful and delish.. to the point that ive eaten all of it by myself 😂😁
The gyoza is also succulent. Tbh, im very meticulous in choosing gyoza because it’s my
cherry-picked dumpling and this resto is one of my favorites to try. ❤️
The chicken bun is my nephews’ choice.. it was my first tiem to try and all i can say it is palatable. The sweetness flavor of the chicken with a touch of sourness of the mayoinnaise is very perfect. It is sooo soooo gooood!! 😍

Overall, this restaurant deserves a high-five rating.. will always come back here ❤️😍

Ippudo is among my go-to places for my ramen fix. What's not to love in the ambience and delicious broth in each bowl of ramen? Service is always prompt and the noodles are always done to desired cooking.

Ippudo is one of the well-known japanese restaurant in Asia, so when I craved for ramen (again) I thought I should give it a try.
The ambience was good. They have welcoming and attentive staff.
Shiromaru special was delicious. The tenderness and taste of the meat blends well with the salted soft boiled egg and seaweed. The richness of the broth is mild for me but it tastes good. Gyoza wasn't dry even its pan fried.
They have service charge. Prices of the ramen are a bit pricey for the small serving.

I have been making rounds checking out the best ramen in MManila. I went to 12 top rated ramen houses and I can firmly say that Ippudo is the best of the best. I had tonkotsu ramen and indeed it is so good, so satisfying that you wont even mind the price as it is worth it. The noodles are cooked to perfection, chewy which is what you want in ramen noodles. You get 3 slices of pork which is very tender that it almost melts in your mouth. The egg is like molten lava when you break open it. And of course the soup, it so good, so rich but not overpowering that you will definitely have a moment with it, slurping it non stop... I mean you really do not want to stop. No doubt in my mind this is the best ramen house MMla. This is ranked #1!

Their food tastes good, ambiance is inviting, and the staff are friendly and attentive. But I really find the price expensive. The dessert we ordered is good too but the serving is too small for the price .

Very good service and very accomodating. They always approach you. The food is also good but only 3 choices of ramen. All in all its a pop....................

Date of Visit: December 18, 2017

We decided to have our pre-christmas date at Ippudo since we'll not see each other on the day of Christmas. It's our second visit at Ippudo. First was at their SM Megamall branch. I ordered the same Ramen, Shiramaru Special. While my guy ordered Akamaru Special. I must say, their ramens never disappoint. I know some wouldnt call Ippudo's ramen the best but for me, since I havent tried other quality ramen places, Ippudo is the best if u want to try really really good ramen!
Their servers were very attentive to ur needs and were really easy to talk to. The ambiance was good, too. I highly recommend Ippudo for a quality ramen experience!

Great food! - 3.5 for the food. I got the shiromaru ramen and my fried got the beef ishiyaki. Both were nice. The beef was tender. The broth was flavorful. But the price though was not that worth it for me.

Best service tea- I can’t even with their service tea. It’s so delicious. Definetly would recommend this to anyone who like tea and it’s for free!!!!!!

Awesome service- the service was definetly one of the hightlights! Very attentive! 6/5!

Still would recommend for people to come here and eat.

One of the tastiest tantanmen ramen in the metro! The place is cozy and enticing to eat. Staffs are friendly 😄 prompt service. best place to eat. Btw, RP Manila branch

I'm a ramen lover so I tried Ippudo right away. I ordered karaka chashu and I loved it so much! Best ramen I've had so far as compared to Ramen Nagi and Ramen Metro. The place is also very cozy and the staff are very accommodating and friendly.

I love how customizable the ramen orders are. And the salmon rolls! I am NOT a salmon roll person. But their salmon rolls were REALLY good. They were able to take the usual fishy flavor I associated with salmon away! The only hangup we had wad that we had a bit of trouble with our credit card. It wasn't until one of our party went up to the cashier that they told us that they were having troubles with our card. Aside from that though, will be going back here again. 😁

I love this branch's service! The staff is very accommodating and attentive to our requests.

The ramen flavors taste so great! My friends orders were Akamaru, Shiromaru, and Karaka ramen and they enjoyed them well!

I ordered Ippudo's newest offer- TANTANMEN RAMEN. I personally enjoyed this ramen! It has thick noodles. The torched chashu and ground pork are very flavorful. And of course, the tonkotsu broth is very tasty too!

We also ordered gyoza and chicken karaage which are yummy too.

My friend and I ordered Karaka and Tantanmen. Karaka appears more tasteful and the Tantanmen is kind of bland. Both orders are in very spicy version but they are not actually spicy, at least for us. As a conclusion, both ramen are good, but for the similar price range for a ramen, Mendokoro Ramenba has way way better, more flavourful offerings.

Ippudo is the best place to get your ramen fix. Akamaru Chashu is so good, and the texture of Kaedama was perfect. Service is good and staff are very friendly! Worth every penny.

I ordered Akamaru Special and it gets saltier as I sip more broth. It was a disappointment considering its price. But I would definitely go back for the Fried Chicken Bun!!! It was to die for! The chicken is coated with a flavorful sauce and the bun is so soft that it would end up sticking to your teeth or gums.

We finished off our meal with ice cream. I had Green Tea Ice Cream. It was so good and not too sweet. And the wafer that comes with it tastes yummy as well.

I will definitely not go back for the ramen, but next time I will only order the Fried Chicken Bun, Green Tea Ice Cream, and perhaps try another side dish.

I looove ramen! Last night my friend and I tried Ippudo, first time for both of us. When I asked about their best seller, I liked that they asked my preference first, so I said, "not too spicy" and he recommended Akamaru. But then, my Bicolana blood kicked in so I ordered Karaka Special and I wasn't disappointed. The broth is very flavorful and the egg was cooked perfectly. The noodles are cooked just the way I wanted and they have generous serving of pork slices. I looove it so much that I'm craving for it right now.

We also had the torched salmon roll and it was heaven. Melts in your mouth, so fresh and creamy in texture. If not for the ramen size, I could finish a order.

My friend had her gyoza and pork bun. She said it was delicious.

Note: they implement a no take out rule and they clear your plates just when they see you finish your meal. Kinda annoying specially when you're talking/having fun with who you're having dinner/lunch with and they excuse themselves to clear your table.

Tried their clam chowder ramen and gyoza. Their clam chowder's one of their limited edition ramen so try it while you can. 😊 It was delicious but will likely try one of their non-limited edition ramen next time. Gyoza was good too 👍🏻

Aside from the spilled sauce matter, we did enjoy our meal. Though there was a mix-up with our bill - manager replaced our order of chicken bun and the server thought we ordered another one and so on our bill it was listed that we ordered 2 buns instead of just one. Matter was resolved easily when we cleared it up - the reason why the chicken bun was replaced was because a huge fly perched on it and the manager saw and said she'd replace it.

They also offer 30% discount off your bill if you use your Citibank card. ☺️

THIRD REVIEW (NOVEMBER 2017): 5/5

My sister and I both love ramen! My mom, not so much, because she thinks it's too expensive for just a bowl of noodle soup. 😂 But a couple of weeks ago, we managed to convince her to eat with us at Ippudo.

We arrived at around 6PM, and there was already a queue forming at this time. We were 2nd in the line, and we were seated after a couple of minutes. I wanted to order something different, so I was a bit torn when they gave us two limited edition ramen choices: the new Ebi Tonkotsu Ramen, and the Yokohama Iekei -- back by popular demand. 💕 Here's what we got:

✔ FOR MAMA: EBI TONKOTSU RAMEN (Php 495) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Seafood lovers will surely love how rich the taste of the broth is, because of the combination of their signature tonkotsu broth and shrimp bisque. For others, it might be a bit too "malansa" for their tastes. This also has ground pork, fresh arugula, fried shrimp wonton, and of course, fresh and huge shrimps. 😍 They also serve it with a lemon wedge to squeze on the soup, to help minimize the umay factor due to the rich broth. 👌 I still like their Shiromaru better than this though. 😁 #purist

✔ FOR ME: YOKOHAMA IEKEI (Php 495) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I was initially torn between getting this or the Ebi Tonkotsu Ramen, but since my mom already got that, I chose this instead. And I loved it! I easily understood why there is a clamor for this to be back on their menu. Richer than their signature tonkotsu broth, this one's a combination of paitan broth and their tonkotsu broth, resulting in a rich, flavorful soup that's perfect to keep you warm this season. 💕🍜 The torched chashu is the cherry on top of this awesome ramen bowl! 😍 The fat to meat ratio was just right, and it was melt-in-your-mouth soft. 👌

✔ FOR ACHI: AKUMARU SHINAJI (Php 400) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is Ippudo's classic tonkotsu ramen, modernized by adding miso paste and fragrant garlic oil. My sister is not fond of too much toppings on her ramen, so this was just right for her. This is richer and more flavorful than the Shiromaru option. She enjoyed every last bit of soup on her bowl! 😁👌

The service that day was exceptional! Eventhough the place was packed, the servers and the manager were all very attentive to our requests. Food was served quickly, and everything was piping hot, too. 💜 It's so nice to dine in a place like Ippudo, where service is great and food is delicious. 😉

Definitely coming back again when I crave for ramen! The price tag is sooo worth it. 😉💕

Foodie Tip: If you want your noodles al dente, make sure to have them serve the noodles hard / extra hard! 😄

#EatDrinkSplurge

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SECOND REVIEW: 5/5

I recently went to Ippudo with my two of my HS best friends, M and C. I posted a review about it here below. I was suprised when the management of Ippudo got in touch with me through Zomato and Instagram -- and wanted to do something to regain my trust in them. They offered to give me a free bowl of ramen on my next visit.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks after that, I decided to claim my ramen. Since Josh hasn't tried eating here yet, I brought him along with me last last Saturday. We were warmly greeted by Mark, their branch manager, and led to our seats.

We got an order of the Torched Salmon Roll (MY FAVORITE!) to share, I had Shiromaru Special, and Josh ordered Akamaru Tamago.

✔ TORCHED SALMON ROLL (Php 295 / 5 pieces) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
MY FAVORITE! 😍 I have already described this in my previous review, but I must say, this is really a must-order in Ippudo! 😁 Josh loved this, too! Each bite was a burst of freshness and flavorfulness every salmon lover will definitely enjoy.

✔ SHIROMARU SPECIAL (Php 490) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ippudo's classic ramen. I looove their creamy tonkotsu broth! Its umami taste lingers in your mouth with each slurp. I always get very hard noodles, since it will become softer as it "cooks" in the piping hot broth. The chashu slices are flavorful, juicy, and has the right amount of fat marbling. The tamago is perfectly cooked! 😍 I have nothing else to say besides I reallyyyy love this ramen! 💜👍

✔ AKAMARU TAMAGO (Php 430) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Josh liked it, but said that he expected more flavor depth than what the broth has. I didn't get much feedback from him, though. He just said that he still prefers Ramen Nagi's broth. 😅

The service was impeccable. I felt their sincerity in trying to regain my trust -- and I am glad that my comment about the slight decline in their service during our previous visit made them reach out to me immediately. I hope they regularly do this though, and not just to food bloggers.

Special thanks to Mark, who was patient with us and sincerely apologized for what happened before. After our meal, we asked for our bill -- and Mark approached us and said the entire meal was on the house! 😱 Talk about great customer service / service recovery. 😄

Thank you, Ippudo, for taking the time to hear us out and making an effort to regain our trust. ☺

Disclaimer: The entire meal is paid for by Ippudo as part of their service recovery.

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FIRST REVIEW: 4/5

I had lunch with two of my high school best friends (M and C) yesterday at Robsinsons Place Manila, since it's the "best" mall that's relatively near our residences.

As usual, I had a list of my recommendations, so it will be easier for us to decide. M and I both love ramen, so we ended up eating at Ippudo (again 😁 Though I still haven't made a review on Ippudo from our previous visit). C is not a picky eater, and is more of a go-with-the-flow type of person.

I included Ippudo in the recommendation list, because I recently saw an ad of its new limited edition menu items, one of which is the Clam Chowder Ramen. I was curious how it would taste like. 😍

When we got there, we were immediately handed the menu, and we checked their new item menu insert. Of course, there's the Clam Chowder Ramen, but when we flipped it, voila! There's an ad of Torched Salmon Roll at the back 💜 We knew we had to get that, too!

✔ CLAM CHOWDER RAMEN (Php 495) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is not your ordinary ramen! It still has that signature Tokontsu broth as base, but everything else tasted very Western. Instead of the usual ramen noodles, they exchanged it with black pepper noodles which is flavorful on its own, and as usual, cooked until al dente. It matched well with the creamy bechamel soup -- which had a strong truffle oil taste. 🙊 I loved how fresh the clams were! They were indeed the star of the show. Oh and the tamago tasted great, too! 👌 YUMMY! Be sure to eat quickly though, to prevent it from becoming cloying when it cools down too much. TIP: Make sure to tear your bacon to shreds and mix it with the soup to fully enjoy your meal. 😊

✔ TOCHED SALMON ROLL (Php 295 / 5 pieces) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
WE LOVED IT! Each roll was bite-sized, and had just the right amount of everything. The salmon was super fresh, and the creamy Metaiko mayo tasted great, too! The fish roe made for a nice topping to this marvelous dish. If I have the funds, I will surely eat a whole order (or two 🙈) by myself! 😁 Each one of us lighted up when we had our first bite. HEHEHE. The only negative thing is that it was quite pricey for its quantity at around Php 60 a piece. 💸

The service was just okay; we requested for cold tea and we have mentioned it to 2-3 waiters, but none was given. It was not until after we followed up again on the Nth time that it was given to us. 😭 Deducting 1⭐ because of this; sorry, Ippudo! 💔

The food was AWESOME! I love love love Ippudo. 😍 It's the second best ramen place in the metro for me, and I'm thrilled that they are continuously developing new menu items for the curious diner like me. 👌

#EatDrinkSplurge

Not the best ramen that I've tasted but it does help satisfy my unending ramen cravings.
I tried their new Salmon Sushi for my appetizer. The salmon was good, it melts in your mouth. The Japanese mayo in the sushi was too much, almost half of the size of the sushi itself. Overall, it tastes good.
I also tried their Pork Bun and Brisket Bun. The brisket bun was very tasty, it reminds me of adobo flakes.
For the ramen, I had the Shiromaru Special. I was very satisfied with it because the broth was well seasoned, and there was a good amount of meat in my ramen.
Bonus points for their service. The staff were friendly, and knowledgeable with the menu. The chef was equipped with hairnet, and cooking mask.

Celebrated my Papa's birthday here at Ippudo Ermita branch since we feel like slurping a ramen that day.
We had Shiromaru Chashu, Akamaru Special and ordered Goma Q and Nanban Karaage as our side dish.

Service is good. Staffs were very attentive.

Food is great. I loved their soup base Nothing to complain about

Ambience is nice but we weren't able to choose a table afar from the noisy customers who were seated just next to us. Even there's still an available table.

Overall dining experience was good. Would come back.

-Shiromaru Ramen
Great ramen! I ordered the Shiromaru Motoaji Special I love their broth very tasty and creamy. The tamago is perfectly cooked and the chasu is tender and tasty.

-Deep fried gyoza
Fried perfectly, you can taste the juiciness of the meat inside.

-Nanban Karaage
This is disappointing. Nothing special with the taste! Unseasoned, lack tasting and insipid! The chicken meat is tasteless.

-Value for money
Way too expensive!

Overall experience was ok! Overhyped ramen joint! Good thing ramen was good!

Had ippudo earlier in the day before the other ramen place. This wouldve been great if you could customize it to your liking. My noodles were soggy and they refused to replace it. Sayang, i thought the broth was great but the niodles were too much of a let down for me to enjoy the whole dish.

I ate here last January 12, 2017. I rated ambiance, value for money, friendliness, and cleanliness as "Awesome". You can choose the softness of noodles. Karaka-men is spicy. I'll come again here.

Almost the same as the authentic ramen I've had while I stayed in Tokyo. Price is fairly appropriate but the long line is a killer. Got good service from the crew too. 💖

Akamaru with tamago - spicy ramen
- soooooo good
- you know you're having good food just be the smell
- the pork cheeks were soft and it's broth served as a good base for this entire dish
- the tamago was cooked to perfection, gooey runny yolk
- also love the mushrooms, but I don't know what type of mushrooms they are
- have the noodles served hard or very hard, so you won't have soggy noodles

Shiromaro
- this reminds me of streetside ramen in Japan you get to pay using a vending machine. Ang sarap! Mas gusto ko ito as it EXACTLY replicates that experience. Plain and creamy legit ramen! I get the basic one (without the egg and other add-ons).

Karaage
Ito naman napakasarap din. It's the counterpart of wagyu steak for chicken. It looks plain and unassuming but the chicken is soo TENDER and JUICY with a crispy flavorful exterior. I had to order rice after getting this.

Gyoza - regular one
- light and flavorful
- the wrap falls apart easier than how I would have wanted it

Deep fried gyoza- preferred this over the regular gyoza
- it's served with mayo, shredded cabbage and some chili flakes
- the creamy - spicy - crunchy thing won me over

Okinomiyaki - seafood version that has shrimps on top
- saraaaaap
- flaky crust with soft core
- they don't skimp on the squid so yey to that 😃
- waiting time is a bummer at 8-10 minutes, but necessary to get quality food
MY FAVORITE ORDER IN THIS PLACE!

Best. Tonkotsu. Ever. 

I always believe my boyfriend in terms of Japanese food (as his tongue has been accustomed to a year's worth of the flavors of Japan). So when he said he'd pretty much only spend his money to Ippudo's Shiromaru is a big thing. And I could somehow understand why. The base of the soup is so creamy and rich, but unexpectedly light. Such contradictions are a reality for this dish and it's pretty darn amazing. Mix along those egg noodles, vegetables, salted egg and nori and your meal is complete. 

I got the Akamaru Shinaji (tonkotsu broth with added miso). I loved it so much, but somehow the Shiromaru left a bigger impression on me despite only having a few bites from my boyfriend's bowl. So I guess I can conclude that for the both of us, the only thing worth getting here specifically in Ippudo is their Shiromaru bowl. Others you can still get and would still taste good, but nothing you can get in other big chain Ramen bars here in Manila. 

I'm so glad for that Hakata way to requesting extra noodles (for a price of course) as long as there is still soup in your bowl. I'm not the type to finish my soup all in one go, but I sure do love my noodles!

Other than Shiromaru Motoaji (with very hard noodles), I also order either the Chicken Bun with it. That's my default order. But during this visit, we also got the Nanban Karaage which was also good! Ippudo is my number one ramen joint in Philippines because its ramen tastes like the ones we've tried in Japan. For those who haven't tried it here yet, I recommend to go in with an empty stomach. Also don't forget to try their mango shake along with your ramen and appetizer!

Food 4.5/5
Portion 5/5
Location 4/5
Cleanliness 4/5
Service 4/5
Price 3.5/5

Given that it's lunch time we were expecting a queue but no there was none - so yeah we got the couch seats. Quick service. I got the Akamaru chasu. Served in a massive red bowl. Delicious, however, the strips of pork innit was thin as a paper, 80% fat and 20% meat. On the brighter side though, the broth tasted better than the ramen I had in Namba at Osaka Japan. Spacious seating. No comfort room inside. Would recommend. Will definitely come back.