Ippudo

And so after two previous failed attempts at going to try the famous ippudo ramen, I guess it was third time lucky? The wait this time was only a little over an hour, as opposed to two hours... Which still makes me wonder, is all this hype and wait actually worth it for a bowl of ramen.

Ippudo

Having finally gotten in and seated, it was quite nicely laid out. I didn't expect it to be just a basic place serving noodles, but appearance wise it did exceed what I was imagining. The cleanliness always makes things a little better.

Ippudo

I was given a spot at one of the middle tables, which had tree branches and logs, and candles set out like an open fireplace. It was actually much larger than I thought it would be, but I can see why there would be a long wait. The layout is actually designed to be more for single or couple seating at bar style tables.

Teba Gyoza

I wouldn't just be satisfied with having noodles, and of course given how hard it was for me to get in, I had to try some of their special starters. I went with their teba gyoza, their version of gyoza dumplings. Appearance wise, definitely impressive. Chicken wings stuffed with ground pork and vegetables. Deep fried and served with vinegar shoyu. The catch, there's only limited quantities available each day.

Pork Hirata Buns

Their famous hirata buns. I went with the steamed buns filled with pork, served with their spicy bun sauce. This is not your typical bbq pork bun, and a very different take. The flavours and texture are very different to the norm, and although appearance wise doesn't look anything flash, the taste is well worth it.

Shiromaru Hakata Classic Ramen

And the whole reason I came... shiromaru hakata classic ramen. The original tonkotsu noodle soup topped with pork loin chashu, kikurage, menma, red pickled ginger, sesame and ginger. Of course, that not being enough I added the optional nitamago. A seasoned soft boiled egg where the yolk is still runny. This was definitely good ramen. Actually more than just good. I could easily say this is the best ramen I've had.

But the issue comes down to, is it really worth that two hours of waiting just for an excellent bowl of ramen. Possibly... When you also factor in the cost, there's always a lot of considerations to make. If you're after one of the best ramen, then definitely this is the place to go. I would willingly come back, if the wait is going to be less than two hours.

65 Fourth Avenue
(Between 9th and 10th Street)