Saturday, January 12, 2013

Ippudo, Westfield Sydney, CBD

Westfield Sydney has opened yet another world-renowned restaurant and this time, it features delicious ramen that is best eaten by slurping. The lines that would snake around just outside were rumoured to be at least 40 minutes long when they first opened. Never having anything like that deter me, I went at times when people would normally not eat - at 11 and 5. Of course we were instantly seated :D

Pork buns, $4.00 each
Who could say no to these cute buns? They were gloriously good. Soft, fluffy, pillowy bun with a soy-braised pork belly with lettuce for crunch and a squeeze of kewpie mayo for good measure. I could order myself multiple of these until I fill up all my stomach space with just these! They do look like the Momofuku ones but I haven't tried them so I can't compare. It will be on my list of go-to's!

Ippudo chashu gohan, $5.50
Underneath the mountain of seaweed was little pieces of simmered pork belly where some of the sauce has gone through to the rice at the very bottom. The soft meat was tender and the fat just melted in the mouth... Delicious! My only complaint would be that there definitely wasn't enough pork belly ;)

Karaka men chashu, $21.00
I was expecting more flavour from the tonkotsu broth in this ramen but the spicy miso definitely overtook the flavour of the broth in this particular ramen. It would be very nice if I was in the mood for that particular spicy flavour though!

Akamaru shinaji, $16.00
The pick of the two ramen dishes was this one. The tonkotsu broth was enhanced with miso paste and garlic oil, creating a rich broth that definitely hit the spot. I loved the addition of black mushroom and shallots. The noodles were thin and were cooked with just enough bite. I was sad there was only one slice of pork belly! It definitely was a good slice though ;)

If I'm craving a good ramen, I know where I can get it now (:

Ippudo Sydney
Level 5 Westfield Sydney
188 Pitt St
Sydney, NSW, 2000

Opening Hours
Open daily from 11:00am - 11:00pm

Ippudo on Urbanspoon

14 comments:

  1. Everyone is talking about Ippudo! I love tonkotsu ramen-the broth is always so rich :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It definitely is very rich and oh-so-flavoursome! Which is what's so fantastic about it :D

      Delete
  2. Yum! Looks absolutely scrumptious. And, as always your photos make the food look so tempting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The ramen definitely is delicious! I can just imagine how wonderful and comforting it would be on a cold winter's day... And thank you - what a nice thing to say (:

      Delete
  3. I like the garlic & miso paste ramen here...the only one I've tried. I'm not a ramen aficionado but I thought it was so tasty...and the pork bun = OMG! I'd like to try the chashu gohan next time...it looks delish.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I definitely enjoyed my miso and garlic ramen! Definitely no ramen connoisseur but this ramen was definitely tasty. How good were those pork buns!! I still think about them yum...

      Delete
  4. I quite like ippudo. I've been a handful of times and have always had a consistent dish. Love the pork buns - bun is so soft and fluffy. I am a lover of spice so think that Karaka Men is the perfect, perfect choice and wins my heart all the time! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I couldn't get over how soft and fluffy those pork buns were!! I have to be in the mood for spice, but I think it would hit the spot if I was definitely feeling like something hot that day :)

      Delete
  5. Dying to eat here! Feel like I'm the last Sydneysider to not have! But gosh I despise queues!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Go for afternoon "snack" or an early dinner like I did - that would definitely avoid any queues! :D But yes, I definitely do not like lines either...

      Delete
  6. Definitely a smart move to avoid the peak lunch/dinner hours! The pork buns were fantastic and I really enjoyed the ramen myself actually, too bad it's a bit too pricey to be a weekly hangout :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I walked by during peak hour once and was quite alarmed at how long the line was! There was quite the crowd happening there... I definitely agree - but eating out in Sydney does get pretty pricey overall unfortunately :(

      Delete
  7. Looks so yummy! We went to Westfield often back in Sydney.

    Sydney is so hot this summer! Can't bother to cook on a hot day like this. The Ramen looks delish.

    We have lots of Ramen shops here.

    Weather wise, even worse here.We have monstrous flood in Jakarta.


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sydney is definitely boiling this summer! It's like an oven over here.

      Ramen is definitely delicious, I agree :D

      Oh dear, I hope the flood hasn't damaged anything too greatly and I hope you're okay over in Jakarta!

      Delete