Yummy Ramen @ Ippudo TW, Taipei

After coming back from our pleasant Jiufen trip in the evening, we had to scrap the rest of our day 2 plans due to lack of time. Goodbye to dining at Din Tai Fung (original shop), Du Xiao Yue and Woolloomooloo. My sis suggested ramen at Ippudo (Zhongshan branch) since it’s near our hostel.

I’ve not heard of Ippudo (一風堂) prior to this therefore I have no expectation whatsoever except that I demand a bowl of delicious ramen to cure my hunger and tiredness for the night. After coming back from Taiwan, I found out Ippudo is a famous Japanese ramen restaurant chain. The best thing is we have Ippudo right here in Malaysia which I plan to try someday.

My yummylicious shiromaru classic ramen. 😋

Ippudo serves Hakata ramen which specialize in milky rich tonkotsu broth (pork-bone) and the noodles are thin and straight (like wan tan mee). The name Hakata ramen means it originates from the Hakata district in Fukuoka city, Kyushu.

We went to Ippudo of the Zhongshan branch on a Friday at 7.30pm and there were no queue (lucky us!). The place were packed and thankfully there were an empty table.

Complimentary aromatic tea.

The two out of the three must-have toppings in Hakata ramen are garlic and beni shoga (pickled strips ginger). I’ll introduce the 3rd topping in another photo. Beni shoga is different from the pickled ginger (gari) you usually find in sushi place.

Ippudo’s wet towel. Complimentary as well.

Akamaru modern @ NT$230. Thin noodles with pork belly, garlic oil, black fungus (kikurage), bean sprouts, spring onions and chili paste with tonkotsu broth.

Shiromaru classic @ NT$200. Similar ingredients with akamaru modern except there are no garlic oil and chili paste (if I’m not mistaken). I ordered this. Love the flavorful tonkotsu broth and the whole sensory experience. Did ya notice there are only two slices of pork belly??? Gosh… gimme three at least. Two is just too stingy. Oh and I drank all the broth!

Ippudo’s original gyoza @ NT$80. The skin were super crispy. Delish!

Oh yes freshly crushed sesame seeds as the 3rd topping.

Overall, I had a great time at Ippudo. Besides the delicious ramen and side, the restaurant atmosphere and the service were great. The waitress was attentive and helpful despite the language barrier.

Address:
Ippudo TW (一風堂)
No. 85, Sec 1, Zhongshan North Road,
Zhongshan District,
Taipei City 104,
Taiwan
or
一風堂中山本店
台北市中山區中山北路一段85號1樓

Tel: (+886) 2 2562-9222
Opening hours: Daily 11.30am-12am (midnight) ~ last order: 11.30pm
Nearest MRT: Zhongshan MRT

Website: http://www.ippudo.com.tw/

Map: