Ramen Love: Ippudo

Ever since we brought Uncle H to Ippudo, he has been craving for more. He messaged R that he wanted it for dinner last Saturday but he had an event to attend to. He couldn’t help think about it and messaged R again the next day and said that he wanted it for lunch. But since R and I already had plans for lunch, Uncle H just ate at home. The urge though was strong and he went to BGC and picked us up to join him have dinner at… you know it.

Hello again, Ippudo!

I had no idea that the operation hours of this branch is not the same as SM Megamall’s. It has a break in between and resumes its dinner operations at 6 p.m. (until 3 a.m. for those craving for ramen at odd hours). 

The place wasn’t packed then as we arrived at 5:50 p.m.. We were asked to wait for a bit outside as they prepare our table. In less than 2 minutes, we were ushered to our table. 

R’s parents went with the usual ramen bowls and Uncle H’s favorite gyoza. I spotted a new product offering and went with Hakata-Style Classic Tsukemen (PHP485) with cold noodles. 

It took my bowl a bit over 20 minutes before it was served. R’s and his parents’ ramen bowls were already half empty when my bowl arrived. I guess it was because it is prepared differently. I just wished that the staff informed me about it so that I could have prepared myself and ordered another appetizer while waiting instead of just staring at my companions eating. 

It was worth the wait though as it was really good. I loved the contrast of the cold noodles and the hot dipping sauce. I’m so glad I listened to the server’s recommendation. I also liked that I have full control on how flavorful each bite will be. I could dip and soak my noodles in the broth for a while to make my noodles warmer and for a more flavorful mouthful or I could just lightly dip it to take a break and avoid being too overwhelmed by the richness of the broth. 

If you order this dish, make sure that you also dip the diced chashu, nori and negi in the piping hot broth for additional bite and flavor. (I ate the shio tamago separately to enjoy the delectable soft egg’s taste. It also served as a nice break after a flavorful bite.) 

For dessert, R and I decided to share a bowl of Black Sesame Ice Cream (PHP160). It has the same price as my all time favorite Matcha Crème Brûlée but its serving size is way smaller. Fret not as though the scoop may be small, it is one mean delectable scoop of black sesame ice cream. 

Each teaspoonful was rich with black sesame flavor. It also didn’t have a rough texture compared to the other black sesame ice cream I had before. It also went well with the red beans and chocolate wafers. I would love to order this again soon. 

Overall, it was a great dinner! Service was just a bit slow that night. I hope though that they bring back the remarkable service they had during the stress test. Nonetheless, I will be back!

Ippudo is located at Ground Floor, Uptown Mall, 9th Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.