So we went to try Ippudo Ramen (the acclaimed 'Best Ramen in Town' by many) at its Mandarin Gallery branch. Reached the place at about 5pm+ so there was only a short queue. The place was quite crampy, like we sat pretty near to the next table. And it was quite noisy in the restaurant due to the playing of loud music and customers' conversations. The staff were friendly as they greeted us when we entered and left. They also refilled our water promptly, so it was pretty good service!
5-Kinds of Cheese Jaga Balls ($8++)
Potato Cheese Balls in 5 flavours - Spicy, Taru-taru,
Garlic, Curry & Karaka-mayo.
S: Very cute little looking cheese balls. Although the menu stated 5 different flavours, I felt that they all tasted the same to me. Except the one with some white powder on top - it tasted more salty. Overall the taste is good, but I felt like it is more of potato balls than cheese balls. $8 for these small balls....maybe not so worthy?
D: Personally i like all 5 of these unique flavored cheese balls. They are not exactly very cheesy, just a little bit of cheese blended with potato; just the way i like them to be. The 2 balls with dips below them caught more of my attention. The dip (or sauce that the ball is sitting on) gives the plain cheese ball a whole new taste. This dish definitely makes a good appetizer, simply because it's strongly flavoured and yet too small to make you feel a tad full. Would recommend this dish if you have the budget.
Shoyu-Wanton Men ($17++)
Noodles
in clear chicken & pork broth with succulent shrimp dumplings
S: I ordered this Shoyu-Wanton Men (like Wanton Mee, haha), which is one of the featured ramen in the menu. The type of ramen they used were very thin, and the soup base for this ramen is quite bland, which I did not really like it since I prefer more-flavoured soup base for ramen. But the best part of the ramen was the chashu! It was really very smooth and tender, which I love it!
D: The soup base is nicely
Spicy Miso Tonkotsu ($18++)
Miso tonkotsu ramen with
added spicy miso paste and spicy fragrant oil
D: Seeing that Shwu has ordered a non-spicy soup base, I thought I should try the spicy ramen to see the contrast between the 2 distinct types of ramen. It's pretty spicy but for a spicy-lover like me, it's still manageable. It tasted more like kimchi soup base, a little bit of sour that comes with the immense spiciness. The noodles absorb the soup flavour very well, yet does not get soggy! Best thing about this ramen is the soup base of course. Would recommend this to any spicy-eaters out there! But if you're not good at eating spicy food, watch out! This might not be the ramen for you! (:
S: Very spicy indeed!
S: In my opinion, I feel that the place is overrated and slightly pricey? Definitely not my favorite ramen place to go.
D: Would recommend this restaurant if you are a noodle lover, as their noodle is really special and tasty. Otherwise, there are cheaper alternatives to this ramen shop.
Ipuudo Ramen @ Mandarin Gallery
333A Orchard Road, #04-02/03/04,
Mandarin Gallery, Singapore 238897
Contact Number: 6235 2797
Opening Hours :
Mandarin Gallery, Singapore 238897
Contact Number: 6235 2797
Opening Hours :
| Mondays to Saturdays | 11am-11pm (Last order at 10pm) |
| Sundays | 11am-10pm (Last order at 9pm) |
