Since the ’80s, Ippudo’s been gradually expanding their chain of swanky ramen joints across the globe. If you want to taste the hype in Beijing, though, you’d better take a number. Lines form early, from 11am at lunch time, and the smart, contemporary setup rings with the sustained roar of the crowd for hours afterwards. Be prepared to wait for a seat.

The siren call that brings in the crowds is the soothing, rich ramen– and it delivers. Ippudo offers a sampler of traditional standards and regional variations, customisable by tossing in an assortment of extra goodies like seaweed or a runny, slow-cooked egg. You can decide how firm you want your noodles and choose to get an extra serving once you’re down to the broth. Order them straight up or stretch your stomach with a ‘special’ version that comes with an extra amount of toppings.

Good ramen should be a comforting tonic for everything from a bad cold to a cruddy day. Popular standards like Akamaru Shinaji do that with a garlic-heavy, red miso broth that mixes thinner noodles and slices of lean pork with a mild spiciness.

The hearty, comforting fattiness of the pork-bone broth comes right through here; it’s like a hug from your mum in a bowl. The colourful bowls aren’t huge, but there’s a number of top side dishes to make up the slack. The barbeque pork buns don’t cut it: flavourless pork balls that leak scorching fluid out of their breaded exterior. Instead, try munching on the crispy, chewy squid freckled with seaweed flakes. Or, even better, take on the gooey, cheesy mashed potatoes crowned with a poached egg. Beat it all together for one big carb-tastic hit.

Address: B23a, B/1F, Kerry Centre 1 Guanghua Lu 光华路1号嘉里中心地下一层B23a

Source: timeoutbeijing.com