Finally Got To Try Ippudo's Ramen

After a busy morning on the Upper East Side and a late breakfast, E and I were very ready for a late lunch. While in New York City, I wanted to take E for some good ramen. There are so many places in the city, so selecting a place was a bit of a challenge. In the end, I decided to take E to Ippudo, near Astor Place. I chose this place for a couple reasons: (1) everyone I know raves about this place, (2) it is always crowded, and (3) I've never been, but have been wanting to taste their ramen.

Normally, when I walk past Ippudo, there is a line around the block. Easily a couple hours wait. I am not a very patient person, so I have never felt compelled to wait on such a long line. Frankly, I can't justify it. Ramen is delicious, but not something I will wait hours for. That said, since it was getting late in the day and closing time was nearing, I figured, there should be no line --- and I was right!
The bar counter has ramen in it --- love it!
Trendy interior
Cool wall decoration

I''ll be honest, I was a bit surprised by how small Ippudo's menu is. I mean, I wasn't expecting pages, but I was surprised to see only 5 styles of ramen. Considering how extensive ramen culture is in Japan and how famous Ippudo is, I thought there would be a bit more selection. Oh well. As long as the food is tasty, that's what counts! 
At the recommendation of our waiter, E and I split an order of the steamed pork bao. It was simple and tasty, but not mind blowing. The pork was very tender and flavorful, but the single piece of lettuce -- I  thought it was a little sad. Still, I enjoyed it. 
For lunch, I ordered the "Akamaru Modern." This ramen dish consisted of "pork soup with Ippudo's secret umami miso paste, pork chashu, cabbage, sesame kikurage mushrooms, scallions, and fragrant garlic oil." Essentially, ramen made with a red miso paste --- not something I've really seen before. I was intrigued.

The ramen was tasty, but I wouldn't say it was out of this world. It was good, but I've had better in Japan. I thought the red miso was an interesting twist and gave the ramen a nice depth of flavor. The chashu and all of the other accompaniments were seasoned and cooked beautifully. My big issue was with the noodles. They seemed really hard for some reason and a bit course. I dunno, the consistency of the noodles was weird to me and for that radon, it didn't knock me socks off.
Although I didn't fall madly in love with Ippudo's ramen, I'm delighted that I finally had the opportunity to try their food. After hearing so much about this place, I can now say that I have eaten at Ippudo and that in itself feels like an accomplishment. One thing I will be frank about, I wouldn't wait on line for hours for Ippudo's ramen. Ten minutes, max, but no more. 

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