Hakata Ippudo 一風堂

Rating: ❤❤

I loved Ippudo in NYC so I was excited when I learned that Ippudo was opening in HK! I was put off by the long times at the TST branch initially, but they had since opened up a new branch in CWB which was more convenient for me. I came here here on a weekday for lunch and luckily didn't have to wait in line. The restaurant was quite spacious with plenty of seats. 

When I looked through the menu, they had most of the items that was available in NYC and Japan like the Akamaru Shinaji for example. I should have ordered that as my first time here but I was attracted by the Wasabi Tonkotsu Ramen since it was a limited edition that was only available at this branch! So I ended up ordering the Wasabi Tonkotsu Ramen and the pork bun which was another one of my favorite in NYC. 


Wasabi Tonkotsu Ramen - the wasabi tonkotsu broth was rather interesting. It wasn't overly done so it still tasted like a tonkotsu broth with a hint of wasabi in it. I had to be careful while slurping my ramen though as there was a couple of times where the broth got near my eyes and they started to water a bit. I guess it was something unique that you can try once. There were 2 pieces of char siu where the size was decent but the texture was not as soft or buttery as it should be. The noodles were a bit too thin for my taste - I didn't like the texture of it.

Next the pork bun came. This is where I got really disappointed.
Pork Bun - in NYC, this dish was one of the most popular dishes to order because it was soooo good. The pork belly was nicely grilled and served with a special bbq sauce wrapped in a soft bun. The one I got in HK looked like it but tasted nothing like it. The pork was thin and smeared with some mayo instead of bbq sauce. WTH?! I expected some quality control here but the taste shouldn't be that much different across all the branches. 

Verdict - I've been to Ippudo in NYC and Tokyo, but unfortunately the branch in HK just cannot compare to the other locations in terms of quality and consistency. Nothing special here in Ipuddo HK in my opinion - you can find better ramen elsewhere. 

Hakata Ippudo
2/F, 8 Russell Street, Causeway Bay
2892 2387

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