IPPUDO, Bangsar Shopping Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Words by Monica Clear

Photos by The Yum List (Monica Tindall)

Known for it’s upscale ramen dining, but described as “not just a ramen restaurant”, the latest IPPUDO venue at Bangsar Shopping Centre offers a variety of dishes and cocktails that will satisfy completely different food cravings. Fancy a delicately balanced and rich ramen noodle soup, while your friend hankers for some meaty and flavorful pork ribs? Then IPPUDO, BSC is your place; you will both walk away satiated. And don’t forget dessert!

With it’s modern and stylish décor, complete with a full bar and casual, comfortable outside seating overlooking a pleasant garden, this IPPUDO venue is the third to open in Kuala Lumpur, with sister restaurants in Pavilion and Gardens Mall. 

This IPPUDO location offers a full bar, with a discounted price for draft beer and one bar snack from 3:00pm until 7:00pm and 9:30pm onwards every day.  If you are looking for more decorative cocktails – alcoholic or non-alcoholic – there is a variety to choose from.  We began our meal with two different drinks – an Aranciatta Plum cocktail with decorative shaved ice and citrus peel, and a blood orange, passion fruit and strawberry vodka.  Both were colorful, refreshing, and not overly sweet.  We also tasted a delicious pomegranate smoothie with blueberry and banana, topped with whipped cream and dotted generously with pomegranate seeds.

Moving onto appetizers, we sampled a wasabi shrimp with avocado and mayonnaise dish; grilled eel roll with teriyaki sauce; and spicy pork tacos. The shrimp was served with delicate red fish roe on top, and struck the right balance between the richness of the shrimp chunks and the creaminess of the avocado and mayonnaise. As a wasabi lover, I indulged each scoop of the shrimp with a generous portion of wasabi, which amounted to an overall appetizer bursting with flavor and texture.

The eel roll (some may be more familiar with the sushi name, Unagi) was cooked in the familiar method of teriyaki sauce, but offered the unique touch of having teriyaki blended into the rice, as well.  Eel roll lovers will not be disappointed by the soft and sweet melt-in-your-mouth sensation of the eel roll, again topped with an optional but generous wasabi kick if desired. 

Moving onto a little Latin flavor, we sampled the spicy pork tacos. Nestled in the middle of each of two corn tacos, were finely chopped pork, fresh tomatoes, crisp romaine lettuce, and the delightful flavor of BBQ, supplied by the surprise ingredient of miso paste. A terrific and tasty appetizer or bar snack, and a lovely example of cuisine variation done well, these tacos were a crowd pleaser. 

Main courses also spoke to the assortment of flavors offered at this IPPUDO and started with a dish of braised pork ribs with caramel and marmalade sauce. The first striking characteristic of these ribs was the amount of meat on each one. The second was the delightful flavor of caramelized orange, with the ever-so-slight touch of chili paste. A generous portion for pork-lovers everywhere and finger-lickin’ good!

Although we were impressed by all the food thus far, we would have been remiss to not try a ramen noodle dish, and when we did, we understood why the IPPUDO name is synonymous in Japan with the art of the ramen noodle. Chef Shigemi Kawahara, also known as the “Ramen King” is the Japanese CEO and innovator behind the IPPUDO name, and trains all the regional chefs in his art form.  Proclaiming that ramen is “cosmos served in a bowl”, Kawahara’s ramen reputation lives on through 65 restaurants in Japan, as well as international establishments in New York, Sydney, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Shanghai, Singapore, and here in Malaysia. 

We sampled the Kuro or “black” Ramen dish, only found at this BSC venue of IPPUDO.  A creamy, rich broth with ramen noodles, smoky thin and tender BBQ pork slices, chewy black fungus mushrooms, the delicate crunch of spring onions and distinct flavor of miso paste, this ramen was indeed bold and bountiful, and would delight any palette.  The three other ramen options on the menu – Shiromaru Motoaji, Akamaru Shinaji, and Karakamen – include your choice of soft, normal, hard, or very hard noodles, allowing for a diner’s personal taste option. One can understand the ramen craze that has struck Malaysia recently after tasting this dish; ramen done right – as this one was – is filling and satiating and delicious.

We left just enough room for dessert, and were delighted with the traditional green tea ice cream served in a mint leaf with an unexpected twist of red bean paste on top. The slight bitterness of the ice cream with the sweetness of the red bean offered a soothing finality to a meal full of flavors. 

Likewise, the Caramel Pudding dessert recommended by our hostess was decadent, with its homemade pancetta topped with caramel and strawberries, all sitting on a painted splash of chocolate sauce adorning the plate.  

Reasons to visit: A tried and true offering of high quality ramen noodles plus a plethora of variation in other tasty dishes, complete with a full bar and great atmosphere, IPPUDO, BSC is definitely worth a visit. 

IPPUDO Ramen Dining
Ground Floor 
Bangsar Shopping Centre
(between La Bodega and WIP)
285 Jalan Maarof
Bukit Bandaraya
59000 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
www.ippudo.com.my
+6 03 2110 6233
Open 11am – 12midnight daily