ippudo ramen in kl

it was about two months ago when i first saw its picture on instagram. 

i was tempted. 

as i read more about it, i was convinced to try it as soon as i could find a food buddy. 

actually i first heard about it almost a year ago. i was researching on the food scene in tokyo to complete my food itinerary, ramen was on my must try and this place was one of the two options i had a hard time picking out. (funnily we ended up not having either lol cos {ym} recommended her fav, which was located in tokyo station)

i was a tad disappointed when i missed out while i was in tokyo. i also missed out on the opportunity to try it out while i was in nyc since one of the branches was opened in the big apple..i suppose you could say third try is the charm

i've been waiting far too long, ippudo :) omg it's finally happening! hehe.

located in pavilion, it is actually NOT in tokyo street. instead, it is situated next to nike and chatime on pavilion's restaurant row aka 'connection' section. since my introduction to pork broth ramen noodle, which is ippudo's signature ramen, it's my number one ramen to go to these days over shoyu and plain miso. (so yeah, this restaurant is definitely NOT pork free)

the decor was a modern take with an asian twist with main hues of wood, red, black and white. the bowls and spoons are used as decor pieces, which i thought was rather cool. there is also the option of sitting at the counter where you can watch the chefs hard at work. one thing i was not too keen of was there were a few communal tables that i think should not be adopted by restaurants anymore because of the awkwardness of dining with strangers.

from my research about ippudo, the one to try was akamaru and if i were gonna do it, i was gonna do it right. surely, the special was what i would go for so i could try different aspects of the chef's mastery.

ippudo original tonkotsu :: akamaru special {赤丸スペシャル} | akamaru with flavored egg, pork belly & seaweed (rm 36)

as ippudo describes akamaru as "ippudo's original tonkotsu broth enhanced with a special blended miso paste and fragrant garlic oil. served with thin noodles, belly chashu, kikurage and spring onions. a refined, modern-style ramen."

tonkotsu broth means pork based broth. let's start with it since we are on the subject - it was rather flavorful, packed with pork sweetness mingled with miso paste with a hint of garlic and whispers of heat. the broth was rich, smooth and a fullness in a deliciously balanced way but i have to agree with {mw} that it was borderline salty. a lil greasy yes, but expected and comparatively less greasy than the other tonkotsu ramens i've tried.

when u place your order, the server would ask how firm you'd like the noodles to be ranging from soft, firm or hard, where i went for firm. noodles are what makes a bowl of ramen. i could taste the freshly made noodles and it was cooked well.

when i saw pork belly on the menu, i just had to try it out cos i've been missing pork belly for a while now. however, i was a tad disappointed because despite the fat on the pork belly,  the meat didn't fall apart like how i would imagined it. in fact, it was almost a little dry - which i found surprising. i wished it could have been seasoned a little more.

the final thing that would complete the ramen ensemble is the seasoned egg. this seasoned egg while cooked very well, it lacked the marination in shoyu like a few other seasoned eggs that i've had before.

overall, the bowl of akamaru ramen noodle was not mind blowing but it was yummy that i'd like to return for a second time - perhaps to try something else to see how it compares. although the serving was big that i was stuffed at the end of the meal, i have to admit that the price of the noodles is steep so i might have to think twice before going back. regardless, give it a try if you are in town and are in the mood for some hakata tonkotsu ramen :)

ippudo malaysia | locations

lot c4.07.00, connection level 4,
pavilion kl, 
168, jalan bukit bintang
55100 kuala lumpur, malaysia

{yummy-ness | 3.5 forks out of 5 }

{worth trying | haven't tried enough to give
 a calculated recommendation}

disclaimer this is written based on personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.