Hi everyone, if you follow my Instagram, you have probably noticed that currently I am not in Jakarta, and therefore starting from this post, I am going to write about my culinary findings in Sydney, Australia! 😉 Honestly, there are so many things to try (and eat) here, since Sydney itself is such a HUGE city to begin with. And if you happen to have recommendations about where to go and what to try, please don’t hesitate to contact me, thank you! <3
This time I am gonna write about the ramen shop from Japan which just arrived in Jakarta last month. Yes, you guessed it right, Ippudo! Since my experience with Ippudo Indonesia wasn’t too satisfying, I wanted to try the one here just for comparison, especially the broth. Ippudo in Sydney is not a new stuff as their first outlet was opened few years ago in Westfield, Pitt Street. I went to the newly-opened second outlet in Central Park shopping center, Chippendale, because it’s simply newer and I also had never been to the Central Park itself.

Central Park Shopping Center from the street
The Central Park lies directly across the road from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), and it’s a very nice location because there are so much greens all around. Getting there is quite easy, you can take train and stop by Central Station, then continue walking for about 0.5 kilometer. It’s not a far distance but now Sydney is getting hot so it can be a little torture during the day! XD
Ippudo is located on the Lower Ground Floor, there is a separated dining area outdoor called Dining District and Ippudo is easily spotted once you go there. 
The beautiful Dining District of Central Park

Since the restaurant is opened from 11AM everyday, I came earlier to avoid queue because it is new outlet and I am still traumatized by the queue in Indonesia, LOL. The interior is not much different from the one in Jakarta, with the exact same colors (red, yellow, black), same kind of tables and chairs, etc. The indoor seating is not too big, probably about the same size with Jakarta’s outlet, but here they have outdoor seating that overlooks the other restaurants in the area, and could be a better option if it was not that hot.

For the menu, the variety of ramen is kinda similar with the ones in Jakarta, so if you’re interested to know, you can read my post for Ippudo Indonesia HERE. 
Mini Salad
As an appetizer, we ordered a mini salad that comes with the lunch set if we order a ramen bowl. Basically a fresh green served with Ippudo original Japanese-style dressing, the salad was a refreshing start! Since I am such a sucker for Japanese dressing which is light and healthy, I was totally satisfied with this.

Akamaru Special AUD 24
Since I tried this one in Jakarta, so I also ordered this here for comparison. Akamaru is original tonkotsu broth enhanced with special blended miso paste and fragrant garlic oil. This is served with thin noodles, pork belly, black mushroom and shallots. When I ordered special, it means I got additional flavoured egg, simmered pork belly, roasted seaweed, flavoured black mushrooms, flavoured bamboo shoots and spring onions.

First, when the waiter brought the bowl to the table, he put this big red bowl in front of me and said “The Special is coming soon”, so I wondered why he said that. After he left, another plate was served beside the bowl and in fact it is the “special” ingredients. I was like, WHAT?, because the bowl was already big and looked so full. That is the first difference from what I experienced in Jakarta’s outlet.

The broth was still not thick enough as I expected from Hakata ramen, and since I have never tried the one in Japan yet, I don’t know if it’s actually really like this or not. But as much as I know from Hakata ramen, the broth is usually thick and (almost) sticky that makes it different from other areas! But well, just by trying this broth, I wasn’t satisfied enough but taste-wise, it was very bold and delicious! 😉

Miso Tonkotsu Ramen AUD 17
This is Ippudo’s signature tonkotsu broth with red miso, topped with pork belly chashu, cabbage, spring onions, bamboo shoots, corn and bean sprouts. And with addition AUD 2, we can get Karaka Base to make this ramen Karaka Men! I don’t really like miso ramen but spicy miso, YES! And Karaka Men is so tasty that I would easily recommend this to anyone who wanna try Ippudo ramen and can handle some spices!

Miso Tonkotsu Ramen AUD 17

Karaka Base AUD 2 – special spicy miso and ground pork

Ippudo Chashu Gohan AUD 6
I was greedy and when I looked at the menu, this didn’t look too big so I thought maybe we (2 person) could finish everything. In the end, I barely survived finishing my Akamaru Special (trust me, the portion was HUGE, not mentioning the additional ingredients that were given generously) so I just could eat 2-3 spoonfuls of this. The chashu was very tender and tasty, the rice was very well-seasoned, it was delicious! This is a great dish on its own and I think when I go to Ippudo again, I will order this instead of ramen. XD

Although the price for the ramen bowls are quite high (almost 3 times higher than prices in Jakarta), but I think they are worth it because you get much much more. The service was excellent, attentive and informative staffs with warm Japanese greetings as we can find in all Ippudo outlets. Overall, I had a good time here and I think the locals also love it. See you another time!
*AUD 1 = +/- IDR 11K
Some of the pictures are taken from my brother’s blog ELECTREATS as we are cooperating during this Sydney trip (because, too bad my photographer a.k.a. Mr. K can’t join this trip), so big thanks to him for letting me use his photos and make sure to visit his blog too! <33

*The Food Escape team are not paid whatsoever for writing this post.
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IPPUDO SYDNEY (CENTRAL PARK)
Central at Central Park 
RB 07 (Lower Ground)
28 Broadway, Chippendale
Sydney NSW 2008
Phone. +61 02 5698 3495
Opening Hours:
Mon – Wed 11AM – 10PM (9PM last order)
Thu – Sat 11AM – 11PM (10PM last order)
Sun 11AM – 9PM (8PM last order)
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