After that memorable trip to Ippudo (一風堂)at Mandarin Gallery, my forever-itchy mouth has been craving for that creamy pork broth!
The chance finally came in the form of Ippudo Tao, an unlikely collaboration between Ippudo Ramen and Tao Entertainment, a Japanese drum performance group.
Expecting a long queue typical of the original Ippudo back in Mandarin Gallery, i was surprised to have seats almost immediately at a prime dinnertime slot; 7pm. In fact, the whole place was only half filled.
The ordering stage took a longer time as we were faced with an extensive menu compared to normal ramen restaurants, especially the section on kushiyaki!
It was a mere two hours after our meal at claypot laksa and after much discussion and deliberation (mainly between Mr Kon and I), the following dishes were decided.
Tao Kuro (黑) Ramen
The special ramen available only in Ippudo Tao, the soup was exactly what i was craving for all this while, albeit creamier!
I had a complaint though.
Why are they using thicker, pasty noodles that should belong to the hokkien mee in tze char stalls?!
Without doubt, i slurped the soup greedily while trying my best to leave the noodles on its own.
Tao Aka (赤) Ramen
Another ramen found only in Ippudo Tao (they do have the usual ippudo ramen but we decided to try these unique ones instead), the gang of four generally agreed that we HATE this spicy broth.
All's not lost!
The thin, curly and maggie-like noodles were a perfect complement to the spicy miso paste broth! If only Ippudo Tao used this type of QQ noodles for their Tao Kuro ramen; I would have downed the full bowl!
Buta Kakuni Onsen Tamago
This was much better than Marutama Ramen. The palatable soy sauce mixed with a barely cooked egg was incredibly appetising even with my full stomach!
Layers of cholesterol-rich fats in between juicy, chewy braised meat were delightful for the carnivore in me! But nothing really wins my mom's Hokkien version of braised pork belly!
Except for the exceptionally good one i had in Yunnan.
Buta Bara Kushiyaki
Japanese skewers (kushiyaki) are really expensive, considering the small amount of meat on the stick! However, i cannot resist not ordering this particular pork belly on a skewer!
Coupled with delicious teriyaki sauce, the sinful meat juice excreted with every little chew i gave! I found it to be terribly good, so much so that i am impatiently swallowing my saliva while recollecting the taste in typing this post!
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Mom shall have a chance to dine in this place after her chicken pox virus has weaned off!! I shall order the original ippudo ramen then! Main problem is, i have promised to bring her to a lot of dining establishments!!!
*cash has been running very low these past few months*
Location
207 River Valley Road
#01-55/56, UE Square, River Wing
(facing Mohamed Sultan Road)
Pricing
Tao Kuro Ramen - S$15.00
Tao Aka Ramen - S$15.00
Buta Kakuni Onsen Tamago - S$12.00
Buta Bara Kushiyaki - S$3.80
Subject to Service Charge and GST.
(Plain water served upon demand)
Additional Information
All the while, i thought Ippudo Tao was an entirely alfresco restaurant with big fans located at various areas to cool down patrons wolfing down the hot ramen.
Wrong thought because an indoor area was available and it was really packed!
The above eggs at S$2 each are the better ones i had amongst the ramen establishments in Singapore. As i said before, tea leaves eggs are more desirable.
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