Sumptuous Sundays: Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen

Ramen’s making big waves in the country nowadays. Well, I guess it’s because Filipinos will very much appreciate a bowl of hot noodles and soup in this rainy weather. One of the newest Ramen restos in town is Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen.

Ikkoryu Fukuoka claims to serve authentic- style Japanese ramen. The restaurant originated in Japan, and has been around since the 70’s. All ramen dishes come with the signature Tonkotsu pork cut.

PRICE RANGE: P200.00- P500.00

The restaurant has this modern Dojo- inspired interior. You’ll see tons of these wooden planks in the restaurant with Japanese characters written all over them. I was told that these characters recount a love story and I don’t know what it is because I can’t read Japanese! :D

Click READ MORE to see my orders!

AJITAMA TONKOTSU- Or popularly known as #2. If you don't wanna bother saying the whole name of the dish and be at the risk of getting the wrong order, just say the numbers-they're written in the menu beside the name of the ramen. #2 comes with a slice of Tonkotsu (which is really tender, btw), two Japanese- style hard-boiled eggs, dried seaweed, mushrooms, and a special soy base. You also have the option to go for al dente (hard) noodles or soft noodles. The waiters recommend al dente and that's what I got. I actually liked it because it made the whole thing easier to eat.

The Ramen was very flavorful, but the entire thing was TOO OILY and when I started mixing the bottom, it became TOO SALTY. Ack!

There are also various condiments to enhance your Ramen. There's sesame oil (which you wouldn't be needing anymore since the soup's too oily, unless you wanna have a heart attack), white pepper powder, soy sauce, and vinegar, and sesame seeds.

There's actually a way of eating the Ramen, as suggested by Ikkoryu Fukuoka. You can find the instructions on the paper place mat. One of the suggestions is to add grated fresh sesame seeds into the bowl. Didn't make so much difference though, but I like sesame seeds.

IKKORYU ORIGINAL TONKOTSU- Known as Ramen #1 and my mom's order. It's pretty much like #2, but this one has bamboo shoots. Flavorful, but then again, TOO OILY AND SALTY!

GYOZA- Finally, a dish that I actually liked wholeheartedly. It's generously filled with meat and the carby flour wrap isn't too overwhelming

We actually called the attention of the supervisor and told him about our oily and salty concerns and he said that that's how authentic Japanese Ramen really is and that's how it tastes like. Uhm, I've been to Japan, ate Ramen there thrice, and I can clearly remember that the soup of the three Ramen dishes I had (from three different restaurants) were not super oily and salty-in fact, they tasted healthy. I don't know, maybe in another part of Japan, they favor oily and salty ramen, but please, have a little heart for the health- conscious. :p It's also odd that this Japanese restaurant does not serve hot tea. I might go back, but not anytime soon. :p