Ah it’s the cumin beef hot pot. Thanks for the clarification. Have you tried that one?
I tried Ippin the other day and can attest that the ramen is very good. Don’ t get me wrong, this ramen is not at the level of Ivan Ramen or Ippudo, but it is more than serviceable and much less expensive than a trip into Manhattan. Like the posters above, I had the Kakuni which added just enough spice to kick up the flavor of the broth. The noodles and the charshu were also top notch. The service and the space were a bit cold but who cares when you are getting a quick bowl of quality ramen and will be out in 30 to 45 minutes. I will definitely return.
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Glad you liked it! Agree they could use some work on the hospitality piece of things, but we did have a brief conversation with a tall young guy last time I was there, and he appreciated our praise. I chalk it up to some cultural communication differences…
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Feeling a bit under the weather, I decided to give Ippin another try for a hot bowl of ramen. Same great ramen and same cold service. Not in the mood for something heavy, I decided to forego the delicious but heavy tonkotsu based Kakuni and instead chose to go lighter with the Shoyu ramen. Despite its lack of heavyness, the Shoyu did not lack in the flavor department and was just what I was in the mood for. As with the Kakuni, the noodles were nice and firm while the charshu was seared perfectly and had just enough fat to give it that luscious quality you crave in a nice piece of seared roast pork. Different from my last visit, I decided to order an appetizer and took a flyer on their takoyaki. I’ve always wanted to try takoyaki and while I can assume they were not freshly made (they were too uniform and perfectly identical to each other) they were more than enjoyable with a nice crunchy exterior and soft batter interior along with a flavorful though chewy piece of octopus. The sauces (both mayonnaise and worcestershire based) along with the bonito flakes added just enough contrast to the takoyaki to make each bite very interesting. I could’ve polished off a dozen of these things and intend to order more in the future. So all in all, another enjoyable meal at Ippin Ramen.
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Kind of funny while I was at Heirloom Kitchen last night the chef told me he enjoy’s Pho-99. It just so happened to be Ramen night at Heirloom so I told him about Ippin and what bitchen reviews it was getting from friends of mine. So yeah @CurlzNJ when he goes here I will totally take credit for turning him on to it while I’ve yet to go!! Hahhahahahaa… Go Ho’s!!!
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I think at least 50% of the enjoyment of getting takoyaki is watching the assembly. It’s just a really fun and entertaining cooking show.
Also, it’s just one of those foods that (imo) is best eaten on the street. Nothing like walking down the street juggling a bunch of molten lava hot burning balls in your mouth. There’s a Takoyaki stand in NYC, you might want to pop over for a visit if you’re in the city!
Thanks Joon. I assume you are referring to Otafuku x Medetai. I passed by it recently and would have tried some of their takoyaki had I not just eaten at Ippudo. I will give them a try next time I’m in the area. Thanks again for the advice.
Ah yes, that seems to be the place. I haven’t been there in years (decades?) but was absolutely shocked to see a Takoyaki stand in the US. It’s not exactly destination food, but definitely not something you see often in the states.
Finally got my ass over here. My friend and I split the pork belly buns, fried rock shrimp, and I got the ippin ramen and she got the shoyu.
First thing of note is that the noodles are actually different in the two ramen, which is nice. The shoyu has curlier and glossier noodles compared to the ippin.
I enjoyed everything just fine, but it’s not A game ramen unfortunately. I have a sneaking suspicion that it might be prepackaged product like Sun ramen type thing. The tonkotsu just didn’t taste quite home made.
But the prices are reasonable and I’m happy to have it here. It’s not like we have any other options. 
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