Amen for Ramen!

Featured Reader: LISA outNabout at Wailua Falls on the Hana side of Maui Hawaii!

One time…. In NYC, I found myself addicted to Ramen noodles. ADDICTED. I craved it. Ever since eating at Sategaya (see my earlier blog on Sategaya), I have been on a Ramen Binge. I’ve been eating Ramen outNabout as well as at home almost constantly. I discovered that the East Village of NYC seems to be the war zone for the battle of the Ramen restaurants. On almost every block you can find a Ramen shop. So how do I know which one to choose? I ask my soul mate who took me to Sategaya in the first place (he is somewhat of an expert). This time, he recommended Ippudo, another Ramen house that is famous amongst Japanese locals, as well as in Japan.

Most of you still think of Ramen as the freeze dried sponge of noodles that you make at home. But really good Ramen starts off with the soup.
There are several types of soup bases, but really good ramen doesn’t take 3 minutes to make in your microwave, but rather days of boiling meats and vegetables to make luscious and sometimes creamy and flavorful soup bases. Ippudo is known for their amazing soups. Then there are the noodles. Ippudo makes their noodles fresh in their basement. You can even watch the noodles being made on a machine through a glass window while you wait your turn to use the restrooms.

This Ramen adventure to Ippudo began with a phone call to Robert who works at the Little Hair shop in the East Village, just blocks from Ippodu. I knew that Robert, being both Japanese and from Hawaii, would appreciate a good bowl of SAIMIN (what we call Ramen in Hawaii). “I get off of work at 6:30” said Robert. “Meet me at the salon, and I think maybe some of my co-workers will join us if you don’t mind”.


“Sure!” I say. Herbelicious and I love Robert’s co-workers-- a Hodge-podge of hair artists who are just great people with great energy to be around. We get to the salon just as it is closing and the last customers leaving. After a quick clean up, Petra the owner counsels and supports her staff on the rough diamonds they encountered that day. I think Petra is an amazing boss. She then gets one of her staff to pour us all a shot of Don Julio! And then it was off to Ippudo.


On our way to Ippudo who did we run right into but Ms. Top Model herself TYRA BANKS! She was being assisted by to people and appeared to be limping. She was even more beautiful in person. Herbelicous called out his favorite stalker line that he says to all the celebs he meets on the streets of NYC: “OMG I LOVE YOUR SHOW!”

“Thanks” she replied with a smile as she limped away.


Ippudo is located at 65 Fourth Ave at 10th street (just across the street from the Astor Place Train stop. Upon walking in, you will immediately notice the trendy atmosphere. Almost like a nightclub.
Who knew that you could build such a trendy place based on noodles and soup? Our table wasn’t quite ready so we all sauntered up to the bar where FREEZE DRIED RAMEN NOODLES with glass over the top as the bar itself.
Behind the bar the wall was lined with bowls! We all ordered a Japanese beer and settled in the corner and talked about our day, and how Petra should have us over sometime and make us some kicking Caribbean food (hint hint). Petra is Asian, but was born and raised in Trinidad.



When our table was ready, the host led us into a large dining room where immediately the whole staff stopped what they were doing and all yelled Irrashaimase! (Welcome in Japanese). In the center of the room was another trendy piece of art, what appeared to be a giant tree or umbrella made of bamboo.

Our host led us to our table complete with tatami mat seats, ropes, and Japanese writing engraved into the wall behind us. Though I could read (pronounce) the characters on the wall, I did not know what they meant. To the right of our table was the glass enclosed kitchen where you could watch the noodle chefs make our meals.
We decided to share an appetizer platter complete with Octopus salad, fried fish cakes, and the most luscious piece of pork with fat that just melted in your mouth. The pork was like eating Kalua Pig (pig cooked in the underground oven) from Hawaii. We also ordered edamame.



Upon looking at the menu, we realized that unlike Setagaya which only has Shoyu (so sauce) based ramen soups, Ippudo had several different kinds:
Tonkotsu which is a meat based soup, Miso Ramen which has a Miso based soup, and the regular shoyu based ramen.



Petra and Victor (her Husband), Dane, and Me ordered the Akamaru Ramen: “The original tonkotsu soup noodles with Ippudo’s special sauce, miso paste, and fragrant garlic oil; slices of simmered Berkshire pork, cabbage, onions, kikurage & scallions".


Herbert ordered the Miso Ramen: “Soy bean paste ramen noodles soup, tonkotsu based soup with slice of Berkshire pork, minced pork, cabbage & scallions”.


Robert ordered the Shiromaru Hakata Classic: "The original tonkotsu soup noodles with slices of simmered Berkshire pork, kikurage, red pickled giner, menma, hard boiled egg, sesame & scallions".


And Dustin ordered the Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen because he likes it spicy: “The original tonkotsu soup noodles with hot sauce, ground pork, cabbage, onions & scallions. Your choice of spiciness, mild, spicy or extra spicy". Dustin ordered it Extra Spicy.


When the food came it was sheer bliss. Nothing could be heard except the moans, grunts, and slurps of the ramen being eaten.
In Japan, it is actually proper to slurp ramen so that you get the noodles and the soup at the same time and experience the sophistication of the flavors on your palate.


Personally, I liked the noodles at Setagaya better, but there was no arguing that the broth here at Ippudo was nothing short of amazing.
We ate everything in our bowls and drank all of the soup.


After dinner, we all shared some Green Tea Creme Brule which was just the perfect amount of sweet along with hot tea or Ocha. In Japan, it is known that all the good restaurants serve you ocha for free.


One quick stop to the bathroom where the giant face watched you pee, and it was goodbye to everyone. It was a wonderful night of good food, with good friends, and good conversation. I got my Ramen fix for the night! I only wished that my soul mate, who recommended this place to me, was there to go home with. I miss him a lot, some days worse than others, but I know that he is doing great things on the other side of the world. I’m doing great things on this side of the world.

For Real! Seriously!