Ippudo

Shiromaru Motoaji

Sydney temperature is starting to drop and what better way to welcome the cold weather but by having a nice warm bowl of creamy Ramen. 

Yesterday I had this really strong craving for ramen because the weather was icy cold, so I decided to trek it to the city just to be able to satisfy my craving and warm up my body. I chose to go to Ippudo because my Ramen-addict sister told me that they make the best Ramen in the world. 

I ordered Shiromaru Motoaji with the noodles done normally. It had rich Tonkotsu broth, pork loin, bean sprouts, black mushroom and shallots. To be honest, I think I expected too much from this ramen. My sister hyped me up so much that my expectations were so high up there that when I tasted it, it didn't live up to my expectations, but nevertheless I was happy because my craving was satisfied. 

If you're looking for a ramen place, I would still suggest that you go visit Ippudo, but there's nothing special. Their ramen just tastes like every other ramen in Sydney.

Rate: 6/10

Address: Westfield Shopping Centre, 5021/188 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000

Phone: (02) 8078 7020

Website: http://www.ippudo.com.au

Mappen - Japanese Noodle & Rice Bowl Bar

Mappen is a self service udon noodle bar. We decided to give this place a try since it had good reviews and the price is relatively friendly. When we arrived there was a long queue, quite expected for a Friday night at the city, however, since it's a self serve place the line moved fast. The ambience of the restaurant made me feel like I was in Japan, something I enjoyed. It's quite small with limited seats however most people ate and left which I thought was considerate.
The menu had quite a lot of variation. We could choose between large or small bowl.  I decided to get the large ontama bukkake udon's with two eggs. You could pick your own sides to go with your meal which costed around $2-$4. I chose tepanyaki balls and kimchi. In total my meal cost $12 which was fairly decent for a meal I thought.
I really enjoyed the udon noodles however the dish lacked soup, it need more of it. Since it's a self serve place, the soup was already pre made and my soup was lukewarm. The tepanyaki balls however were delish, crispy on the outside and hot in the inside. The 63 degrees eggs were made perfectly which I appreciated.  All in all the dish was average. Would I come back? Yes, to try some of their curry udon dishes that appealed to me.

Address: 11/537-551 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000

Rate: 7/10