New York: Day 3

Intro: Eating Our Way in the Big Apple
Roosevelt Hotel
Day 1: Doughnut Plant, Cafe Habana, Peter Luger, Momofuku
Day 2: Shake Shack, 9/11 Memorial, Chelsea Market, The High Line, Babbo
Element by Westin Times Square
Day 3: Ippudo
Day 4: Shake Shack, Wafels & Dinges, Eataly
Day 5: Kyotofu
Summary

Ippudo is a famous ramen place that is apparently really well known. Every time I asked for food recommendations, Ippudo was always on the list. I heard that the wait was typically 1-2 hours long on weekends, so we decided to skip the weekend and try our luck on a weekday for lunch.

Ippudo (that is me taking picture :)

We were pleasantly surprised that there was NO line! Woo hoo! We passed by the bar area, which I assume would be really crowded on the weekends. There were bowls on the wall, as well as dried ramen noodles placed inside a see through glass--interesting decor idea.

Waiting Area

We were seated immediately around the fireplace area. The music was quite loud but very lively--the whole place was so lively. They announced whenever a new customer arrived (in Japanese), and gave you a warm, loud welcome. It felt like all the employees were pretty happy and friendly. Whenever an order was ready, they would also shout something else in Japanese. It was quite interesting to watch.

Our seating area

There were also booth eating areas for larger groups. The decor was really nice for a ramen place. It's probably the nicest looking ramen restaurant that we have been to.

Booth seating area for larger parties

For appetizer, we ordered the pork buns, which is slightly different from Momofuku's. Momofuku's was served with hoisin sauce, and the pork was braised. At Ippudo, the pork was grilled and served with spicy mayo sauce.

Ippudo's Pork Bun

Dan ordered the regular Shiromaru Hakata, and I ordered the AKamaru Modern. The prices were a little steep for ramen in our opinion: Dan's ramen was $14, and my Akamaru Modern with extra Chashu was $17.

Shiromaru Hakata

The noodles were thinner than other places we've been to (in the Bay Area), and the broth was very smooth and did not feel as heavy or salty as other places, which is probably why it was so good! The Shiromaru broth was a little creamier compared to the Akamaru broth which was more hearty. The toppings were actually pretty simple--we chose not to order other toppings (like egg) for an additional charge--but everything worked well together!

Akamaru Modern

Our total bill after tax and tip was around $50, which we thought to be quite expensive for ramen!  We liked this place, and we're glad we got to try it.