The buzz about Ippudo Tonkotsu Ramen Specialty Store Penang is that it’s new and has a long queue outside their flagship store at Gurney Plaza.
I missed the grand opening of the ultimate meal-in-a-bowl iconic Japanese dish that the world fell in love with.
When we found time to go, we went on hump day before 7.00 pm.
Amazingly, it was packed to the rafters. We peered in.
The diners didn’t look so happy.
Our happiness to be the sixth in line was soon to be tested.
We were shown two seats at the bar, directly in front of the sink!
I wondered why since the other end of the bar was empty.
A view of the Ippudo Bar with the external seating area.
What is Tonkotsu Ramen?
Tonkotsu—(pork bone-based soup) Ramen (noodles): To the uninitiated, Tonkotsu broth is impossible to achieve in terms of taste and texture compared to other noodle soup broths.
Creamy and milky white, the broth (not soup!) is thick and full-bodied, reduced from boiling pork marrow bones and pork fat for hours.
This simmering process nailed, making the soup a perfect balance of body, meat, and aromatics.
It’s not too porky, not too brown, and not too oily. I would call it a sophisticated and refined broth.
It’s almost manly and handsome.
The wonderful world of Ramen
Japan’s 47 prefectures (県 ken) and urban cities have ramen specialties and local ramen creations.
The variety and deliciousness of the pork bone broth are what memories are made of.
I remember a trip to Tokyo and Osaka where we queued for almost 40min in the cold before we got to savor our ramen.
Funnily enough, my travel companions and I can’t remember the name of that hot bowl.
It was a specialty shop that only sold one type of Ramen: Bouncy noodles with a firm al dente bite, three slices of meltingly tender Chashu Pork (チャーシュー) (Marinated Braised Pork Belly Roll), and half a soy sauce marinated egg Ajitsuke Tamago (味付け玉子) or Nitamago (煮玉子).
What remains years later is the fond memory of hot, thick, silky milk broth that warmed our tummies and cold hands.
Everyone Has Their Favorite Way of Savoring Ramen
Miso, sea salt broth, soy sauce, it is the ultimate savory pork bone broth that evokes a real Tonkotsu mania among fans and connoisseurs.
Our Orders
Starters
Edamame is a tasty young soybean that is power-packed with clean protein. I’ve had this boiled as a snack with a sprinkling of sea salt.
We asked the young waiter if the soybeans were shelled before wok frying.
He doesn’t know except to recommend that it is a popular item on the menu.
There were three types of Edamame on the menu.
Boiled Edamame (RM8.50)
Peperon Edamame (RM8.50)
Pan-Fried Edamame (RM11.50)
When it arrived, it perplexed us about eating it without staining our fingers.
The bean arrived coated with garlic chips and garlic oil.
We should have stuck to ordering the boiled Edamame.
Peperon Edamame is wok-fried with garlic chips. Nothing extraordinary.
Kushi (串) Not Yakitori
As the waiter explained, in Japanese, kushi (串) refers to the skewers used. He couldn’t explain how the food was cooked.
We’re used to Yakiton, a similar grilled creative combination of meat and vegetables typically seasoned in shio (salt) and dipped in tare (sauce).
As the menu doesn’t have a photo and the waitstaff doesn’t know, we looked up Ippudo Malaysia’s Instagram for photos of what we could expect!
Image credit: Ippudo Malaysia Instagram
Image credit: Ippudo Malaysia Instagram
Image credit: Ippudo Malaysia Instagram
What You See Is Not What You Get!
Our pork kushi (RM8.90) and bacon tamago kushi (RM8.90) were pale and cold, served without any condiments except some grated cabbage.
I wanted asupara-bacon (bites of asparagus wrapped in bacon), bacon-wrapped cherry tomatoes, or anything wrapped in bacon and grilled with a sweet teriyaki sauce.
Our sorry-looking Kushi (串) looked nothing like Ippudo’s photos on their official Instagram!
We were disappointed with our order, as it did not include a picture menu, and the service staff was not trained to explain the difference.
For part-time wait staff in attendance, perhaps a quick note to ask the restaurant manager to explain would be the order of the day (or night, sigh!)
Drinks – Avocado Smoothie (RM18.90)
Avocado Smoothie
Ippudo Tonkotsu Ramen Kuro Special (Main Dish)
The choice for Japanese ramen comes in 3 levels of spiciness, which are available for the soup base.
There are original to spiciness levels 1 to 3 (extremely spicy).
There is a choice of noodle textures from regular to tough.
Below is a photo of the Ippudo Kuro Special from Ippudo Malaysia’s Instagram
Photo: Ippudo Malaysia Instagram
We chose the Ippudo Ramen—Kuro Special (RM35.90). Ippudo’s Original Tonkotsu Broth is served with ultra-thin chewy noodles, salted onsen tamago (poached eggs), pork loin and pork belly, bean sprouts, kikurage, spring onions, and seaweed. This is classic Hakata-style ramen.
The noodles are springy and perfect.
The signature Tonkotsu Broth is not a delicate, creamy broth. It was flavorful, but the soup was darkish in color and not milky (see the above promotional photo).
Even though we enjoyed this large one-bowl dish, an hour later, we experienced extreme thirst akin to the “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome.”
We were very thirsty and drank copious glasses of water about 2 hours later. My dining partner developed a headache. Could this be due to the excessive use of MSG?
Ippudo Ramen – Kuro Special (RM35.90)
Does the food taste as good as the food on the menu?
Below is a photo of the actual Ippudo Kuro Special we ordered. The broth is darkish instead of milky white.
The Ramen looked very different from the Photoshop version.
Review of Ippudo Tonkotsu Ramen Specialty Store Penang
The food at Ippudo Tonkotsu Ramen Specialty Store is overrated. We expected more from such a premium brand.
The level of service and the food were not extraordinary. As bar snacks, the pork kushi and bacon tamago kushi were a huge disappointment and tasted ordinary.
Ippudo Gurney Plaza
170-G-37, Gurney Plaza,
Persiaran Gurney,
10250 George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Business Hours:
Daily 10:30 am – 11.00 pm:.
