Ippudo Ramen – Taking Tonkatsu worldwide
Before travelling to Japan for work, I would frequent comic conventions in London and always end the weekend’s fun with a stop in Canary Wharf. After a fun weekend of enjoying Japanese pop culture and sharing my costumes with others, there was no better way to wind down the fun in London than with a stop at one of the five Ippudo locations in the UK.
Ippudo started in 1985 in Tonkotsu’s home, Hakata, Fukuoka. Tonkotsu ramen is identified with its rich, creamy pork bone broth and hand-pulled noodles. Traditionally, the toppings include a soft-boiled egg, cashew, nori and wood ear mushrooms. Ippudo has been described as the most famous ramen shop in Japan, and began life during a low point for Tonkotsu ramen. Shigemi Kawahara, the company’s CEO, intended to blow away the dark clouds and revolutionise the coming era of Tonkotsu. After hitting it off, more stores gradually opened across Kyushu and across the whole country. In 2000, as a tie-up with 7-Eleven, the company released a cup ramen version of the famous Tonkotsu. The chain is often described as a fancy ramen chain and has stores across the world.
Modern-day Ippudo offers customers a very traditional experience with modern twists. Customers can choose between the original broth or opt to try the new modern variant or a flavourful spicy variant. The customer can also customise their perfect bowl of ramen by opting to add extras such as bean sprouts, more meat, vegetables and even request garlic cloves to crush. The firmness of the noodles can be adjusted, as with the spice level of the spicy variant. Customers can also opt to remove items such as nori or the egg. The experience is affordable, and often there is less of a wait than its leading rival in the tonkatsu ramen industry. The ability to customise the perfect bowl of ramen for cheap is what makes them stand out. I loved the ability to crush my own garlic and add it to the flavour of the spicy variant.
The chain is also very generous with its meat thickness; thick, juicy cuts of pork belly can be added, and depending on which location you are at, other meat options can be included. There is also the option to indulge in sides from pan-fried gyoza, rice, steamed pulled pork buns or crispy chicken karage. The restaurants in Japan offer barley tea for the table, and there’s a limited choice of beer if you are winding down from work or wanting to kick off your weekend. Depending on location, mainly the larger locations or city spots, vegan alternatives can also be found.
My favourite variant is the spicy version, which comes with minced pork, pork belly, green onions and hand-pulled noodles. I often add crushed garlic, more green onions and fried vegetables to mine. Making it the perfect blend of spice and garlic flavour. The experience has always been a good one, and I also recommend the fried gyoza, which are bursting with juice and flavour. Overall, my order comes to around 1600 yen for the bowl and sides. Ippudo was a flavour I was enjoying even before coming to Japan, and I can happily say the UK version tastes nearly identical to the Japanese version. So, if you are unable to fly to Japan, you can eat in the London branches and feel assured it’s the same flavours.
Tonkotsu ramen is a must when you visit Fukuoka, and you will find many local variations and even additional twists added by the other prefectures in Kyushu. My favourite ramen is Tonkotsu and Shio ramen; both are great on colder days. The Ippudo cup noodles can be found in most convenience stores and even in Asian stores in the UK and other countries. The cup noodle is fun and conveys the traditional variant well. So next time you are in Japan, give Ippudo a try and customise to your heart’s content.
