Ippudo Midtown: Great Ramen and Creative Appetizers

A midtown branch of Ippudo, the Japanese ramen chain, opened recently, serving terrific bowls of tasty ramen and a host of creative and delicious appetizers.

lj080113ramen02

And while the lines at the downtown location of Ippudo are legendary, we were able to get in without a hitch for a pre-theater meal one early Wednesday evening.

Sarah’s cocktail, the EESJ, with tequila, spicy sriracha sauce and pickled cucumbers:

lj080113ramen01

My Pomm Choi, with sake, campari and Pomm liqueur, garnished with lychee. Delishy.

lj080113ramen03

Boo had Ippudo’s take on a sazerac. Smoky!lj080113ramen15

I also ordered a sake.

lj080113ramen16

Our first appetizer was salmon sashimi with yuba (tofu skin) wrapped in cucumber and served with a sesame-wasabi sauce:

lj080113ramen17

Super refreshing and light. A great start to the meal.

Then we had this:  Yasai Pinchos with Anchovy Herbs. Little stacks of potato, zucchini and eringi mushrooms served with a toasty brown butter infused with anchovy and rosemary. A revelation!lj080113ramen18

One of the best dishes I’ve had all year!

These panko-crusted croquettes with crab and shrimp and a tonkatsu sauce (an earthy, soy-Worchestershire sauce usually served with pork cutlets that have been breaded and fried.)lj080113ramen19

Oh these were terrific: gooey and slurpy, sweet and crunchy. So fun.lj080113ramen20

Ippudo is famous for its chicken wings, and rightly so. These are like Korean-style — double fried, I’d bet — with that super-crunchy skin and juicy meat. They’re tossed in a black pepper sauce. Heavenly.

lj080113ramen23

Sarah and Boo chatting:lj080113ramen21 lj080113ramen22

Now to the main event. We ordered two of the three ramens available, Classic  (in the white bowl) and Modern (in the red bowl);

lj080113ramen32

The menu describes them as follows:

Shiromaru Hakata Classic: “The original “Tonkotsu” (pork) broth with Ippudo Westside’s signature dashi; thin noodles topped with pork loin chashu, sesame kikurage mushrooms, memma, red pickled ginger and scallions.

lj080113ramen25

Akamaru Modern: A more bold, modern translation of the original “Tonkotsu” (pork) broth; thin noodles topped with Ippudo’s secret “Umami Dama” miso paste, pork chashu, cabbage, sesame kikurage mushrooms, scallions and fragrant garlic oil.

lj080113ramen24 lj080113ramen26

They were both fabulous: rich, complex, wonderful.

Modern was a little more earthy, while classic was a little more bright and acidic. lj080113ramen28 lj080113ramen29

We ordered pork belly and egg as extras on both, and also got a spicy paste to mix in.lj080113ramen30

Completely and utterly fabulous!

The 411 on Ippudo:  The Japanese ramen chain serving terrific bowls of tasty ramen and a host of creative and delicious appetizers. Don’t miss the potato-zucchini-mushroom skewers or the chicken wings, and save room for the complex, addictive ramen, too. 321 W 51st St. near Eighth Avenue, Manhattan. 212-974-2500. ippudony.com

Comments are closed.