Inspecting Ippudo

After hearing Ed rave about this fabulous ramen place which he went to in New York, was really glad to find out that Ippudo had made its way to Singapore (Mandarin Gallery).

In a bid to beat the queues (according to their website, they serve 800 customers a day!), we decided to head there for a super early dinner and was thankfully seated within 5 minutes. After gleefully ordering our ramen, I waited in anticipation.

While it was reasonably good, it definitely wasn't the sort of ramen to die for and the portions could have been slightly more generous (esp in view that I was STARVING). If I recall correctly, the stewed egg was also a tad overcooked while the anorexic looking gyoza was another disappointment. An unexpected highlight though was the spicy tofu and minced pork served in a sizzling hotpot. The instant noodles nestled within this steaming broth made this a sure winner!

Starters: bakuretsu tofu - spicy tofu and minced pork in hot stone pot, yoza-nya lasagna style dumplings 

Shiromaru Classic with egg: original recipe tonkotsu soup served with thin noodles, rosu chashu (Pork Loin), cabbage, kikurage & scallions

Akamaru Modern with egg: original recipe enhanced with special miso

Perhaps there has been too much hype surrounding the restaurant and my expectations painted an unrealistic idea of how the ramen should taste. I sort of had this mental image of myself oishi-ing away.

In view that Ed's New York experience was definitely better, this less than stellar experience could also be attributed to the restaurant's teething issues (since it was barely 2 weeks old when I first visited). Thus, I would need to plan a return visit and re-assess this review. Otherwise, the remaining option is to head to Japan for the real McCoy. *looks around nonchalantly*

Tentative verdict: This is a food stop I wouldn't mind heading back to only if there are no queues.