A couple months ago I was approached to do a review at Ippudo Sydney. Unfortunately due to busy schedules on both our ends – it didn’t end up taking place.

Now, skip a couple months forward, and here I am – ready to stuff my face with Ramen.

Ippudo Sydney is located at Westfields on Pitt St, Sydney.

Simply, take the lift up to level 5. Conveniently named Food on Five.

We went for dinner on a Tuesday night, and since Ippudo is situated amongst other restaurants, and a Food Court that operates during the day – you could imagine the area to be a little lifeless at that time of night.

However, Ippudos presence is made obvious as the sound of restaurant patrons talking, and music playing fills the atmosphere. There was a little bit of a line-up for a Tuesday night. I can imagine it being chockers on a friday and saturday night.

Bar area near the entrance, and singular stools for the lone diner.

The restaurant space inside Ippudo is not really designed for prams, but the Ippudo staff were definitely more than accommodating to our needs.

Nice parking job by the Pram Valet.

We were seated at one of the tables outside. Not as much going on out here. But with a energetic one year old, the quieter area was a good choice.

I did manage to grab some snaps of the inside though.

Cool spoons for the little man. Why don’t they make stuff like this for adults?

Well designed minimalist style menus. Typical of the Japanese aesthetic.

Ippudo’s origins go as far back as 1985 in Fukuoka. Its first international outlet opened in 2008 in New York and has been expanding globally ever since.

Enough with the history lesson. We are here for the food.

Steamed bun with braised pork and IPPUDO original sauce

I quite enjoyed this. Full of flavour and the pork was perfectly tender. The sauce creamy and almost Caesar-like. The bun, although nice, was a little on the verge of sogginess. A little more fluffiness/sponginess, and we would be looking at a cracker of an entree.

CAMEMBERT TEMPURA

Camembert cheese dipped in batter and deep-fried

Holy clogged arteries – look at that amount of rock  salt on that cheese. I was a little concerned seeing the amount of salt on it to be honest, but thankfully it wasn’t. The Tempura Camembert alone is a little too oily and too cheesy, but the greens and vinaigrette  help balance the dish. I recommend stacking the greens on top and eating it like that.

I think I was a little too hungry, and way too eager to eat Ramen that I didn’t realise I hadn’t taken a photo of the star dish. Doh!

I ordered the Spicy Black. A seasonal dish.  Good spicy kick, and nice heat from the sesame and black oil. A nice springiness to the noodles. Probably would go a little better with some extra bean sprouts. I think I will get the extra Ramen toppings the next time I go!

VEGETARIAN NOODLES $13

Topped with avocado, cherry tomato,
cucumber, yogurt, mandarin, corn flakes,
mixed nuts, and a side of greens.
Noodles mixed with special sesame
based sauce and topped with balsamic vinegar.

Wait what? Mandarin? Cornflakes? Strangely enough though, my partner did enjoy her food, and actually does want to go back for more.

It would be interesting though to see if  Ippudo does create a soup based Ramen  that is Vegetarian friendly in the future.

Getting Ready for dessert.

Matcha Anmitsu

Vanilla ice cream served with shiratama mochi, matcha, and milk kanten (jelly cubes), sweet black and red beans with Kinako (roasted soy bean flour) 

Not a bad dessert. You can taste a slight bitterness that pairs well with the sweetness from the vanilla ice-cream. I grew up eating desserts like this all the time.

Jockey glass man reveals  that his feelings towards the dish is satisfactory.  I agree.

Winter in Sydney

Deep fried green tea ice cream tempura served with fried noodles, topped with cream and fruit

Not really a aesthetically pleasing dessert. (The fried noodle decoration is quite nice though). Pretty tasty overall.

Overall

Overall I enjoyed the experience. The staff were very  attentive, friendly, and accommodating to our requirements. However they were perfectly aware that I was there as a reviewer, which makes me wonder what it would have been like if I was just a regular patron?

The Ramen is definitely amongst one of the best I have tried in Sydney. And I have tried some pretty good Ramen all over Japan.

I do  think the average of $20 for a bowl of Ramen is a little on the dearer side – as it is considered to be a quick, and affordable street-style food. It is pretty on par with the pricing of other eateries, and the general demographic of shoppers within the center.

They do say however, that you get what you pay for. Whether that statement holds true or not, that is a subjective matter, and for you to decide for yourself.

We will definitely be back.