Ichiddo ramen might just be my new favorite spot for lunch. It's located right here in Minneapolis off 27th and Nicollet Ave (East Street). and I had originally planned to stop at a nearby Vietnamese restaurant to get Pho but I had a change of heart and was craving ramen after seeing the word on Ichiddo Ramen's doors. This was my very first visit to this restaurant and I was pleasantly surprised. We ordered two appetizers to share and our own orders of ramen.
Char Siu Pork BunĀ
I like any style of steamed bun and I love how fluffy the bread is! I was impressed when this bun arrived at our table. The contents were fairly simple- steamed bun, Ā lettuce, roasted pork belly, Japanese mayo, and house made sauce.Ā
The savory house made sauce gave the pork belly a sticky/caramelized BBQ taste. I probably could've used less mayo. Japanese mayo has a wide range of flavor already, for those who are unfamiliar, it has a slight tang from it's garlic and vinegar ingredients. Next time I'll ask for less mayo when I try the other buns on the menu.
Chicken Kara-age
These small bite sized pieces were juicy and tender on the inside and beautifully crisp on the outside. It was perfectly seasoned in it's marinade and required no sauce. Squeezing the lemon on top helped to lift the flavors with it's acidity.
Niku Soba RamenĀ
Hakata-style niku soba ramen in tonkotsu (pork bone) broth. I've haven't had the opportunity to try different styles of ramen and I was lucky to choose this ramen because it really suited my taste buds. The broth was light, not heavy and full of flavor. I see a lot of asian fusion restaurants that miss the mark with ramen because they try to cut corners with pre-made broth.
The ramen was topped with green onions, roasted sesame seeds and thin sliced pork belly. I'm not a big meat eater so I really appreciated the thinly sliced ribbons of pork. The savory special sauce combined with the caramelized onions helped to balance out this dish. It was perfectly seasoned and nothing needed to be added.Ā
I'm excited to come back and try other dishes from Ichiddo Ramen when gets back from his work trip.
After lunch we left to pick-up from his brother's house and I was spoiled with attention from all the pets.