The other day when we were in Tokyo, we had a real craving for ramen. Our go-to has always been T’s Tantan, however, I thought we should probably try somewhere new this time. That’s when I remembered I had seen that Ippudo has a vegan menu I had yet to try, so this was as good an excuse as any!
Plant-based ramen at Ippudo
Slowly but surely, smaller restaurants and chains in Tokyo are starting to offer vegan items on their menu. (Have a look at the 3 most reliable places to get vegan food in Japan).
Ippudo, a well-known chain ramen shop, is one such place that released new items alongside its regular menu. They wanted to recreate a plant-based version of their famous tonkotsu ramen, (a rich, creamy ramen made from pork and pork bone broth) so that anyone, no matter their dietary or religious beliefs could try the dish.
The plant-based “tonkotsu” ramen, is made without pork or any other animal products. Instead, the broth is made from a mixture of soymilk, miso, mushrooms and kombu seaweed to add richness and flavour. Tonkotsu ramen is always topped with pork slices and they have managed to replicate the ‘meat’ by using kidney beans and wheat protein. They also use ramen noodles without eggs and now their restaurant is open to so many more customers with many different dietary requirements.
Currently, the plant-based menu is only available in Lumine Est in Shinjuku. However with the popularity of the plant-based dish and with the surge of travellers coming into the country, hopefully, they will start offering the menu to other branches too!
Ippudo plant-based menu
At this Ippudo, there were 6 different ramen on offer, two sides, some extra topping options, and some drinks as well as an option to have an extra serving of noodles. 4 out of 6 ramen are plant-based and so are one of the sides, the gyozas.
At the restaurant, they have a drinks station where you can help yourself to iced water or tea for free.
Plant-based ramens:
- Multi-colour vegetable shio ramen, ¥900
A vegetable broth ramen based on mushrooms with green noodles made from 10 kinds of vegetables.
- Rich flavoured hot karamiso, ¥1,200
Exciting spices and garlic in a rich miso soup. The curly shape makes sure the soup sticks to the noodles and therefore lets you experience the whole level of spiciness. High-quality garlic chilli oil with Habanero will stimulate your tongue. This miso ramen is a must-try for spice lovers.
- Plant-based shiromaru, ¥990
We recreated a Shiromaru that only uses plant-based ingredients. The base is a tonkotsu-like soymilk soup with truffle oil.
- Plant-based akamaru, ¥1,090
Akamaru plant-based version was the first of our plant-based ramen series, accentuated with the deep-flavoured soymilk soup, fragrant oil and miso paste
The atmosphere of Ippudo
This Ippudo restaurant is on the 8th floor of a popular and busy shopping mall, surrounded by other restaurants. It has a casual and fast food feel to the place with plenty of tables to choose from. Food is reasonably priced and they serve it pretty fast. It’s the ideal place to come after a busy day sightseeing, shopping or a day enjoying the parks.
What we ordered
You order and pay for your meal at the counter. In exchange, you will be given an electronic buzzer which will vibrate and alert you when your food is ready. Simply take it to the pickup window to exchange it with your order.
Plant-based Shiromaru | プラントベース白丸
How did it taste?
A soymilk ramen with truffle oil for added fragrance. It’s warm, creamy and comforting topped with mushrooms, green onions and plant-based ‘Char Siu’.
Why you should choose it?
It’s a safe option that’s great for any ramen lover, especially if you’re not a fan of spice. Err on the side of caution, this may not be for you if you don’t like rich and creamy flavours.
How much was it?
¥990 / £5.90 / $7.50
Plant-based Akamaru | プラントベース赤丸
How did it taste?
A soymilk ramen with fragrant oil and spicy miso, also topped with green onions, mushrooms and plant-based ‘Char Siu’. Another creamy and delicious dish but with an extra depth from the spicy miso. It has a kick but is not spicy.
Why you should choose it?
Another great dish for any ramen lover, unlike the other one this one has different levels of flavour to it.
How much was it?
¥1090 / £6.60 / $8.25
Shiromaru VS Akamaru
The two ramens we chose were both absolutely delicious and exactly what we were after. The noodles were chewy and deliciously paired with the creamy broth.
Out of the two, I preferred Akamaru ramen. Although the shiromaru was enjoyable, after a few mouthfuls, it became very rich and the flavours ended up being quite one-dimensional. Akamaru on the other hand had the extra added heat to it which gave extra depth to the creamy and yummy dish.
The toppings on the ramen, mushroom and green onions, added a nice texture and aromatic flavour to it.
The ‘char sui’ looked pretty realistic, like an extra processed version of what you’d normally get. Although it had a nice taste to it, I personally could have done without it. The texture was a bit mushy and soft and the dish would have been delicious even without it.
Both ramen felt ‘naughty’ and ‘bad’ but in a good way! They won’t be winning any awards for being healthy but they sure are delicious!
If you like soymilk-based ramen, you might like this one too!
Gyoza | 餃子
How did it taste?
When I took the first bite out of the gyoza, I was shocked by how realistic the ‘meat’ texture was. The gyoza skin is thin and chewy and with a tasty flavoured filling.
How much was it?
5 pieces ¥350 / £2.11 / $2.65
10 pieces ¥680 / £4.10 / $5.14
Things that are close by
- Lumind Shinjuku – Ippudo is in the same shopping mall
- Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden – 10 minute walk
- Yoyogi Park – 30 minute walk
- Shinjuku Golden Gai – 8 minute walk
- Meji Memorial Museum – 32 minute walk
- Omoide Yokocho – 4 minute walk
- Free View from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building – 16 minute walk
- Godzilla statue, Shinjuku Gracery Hotel – 10 minute walk
- Kabukicho – 9 minute walk
- Yayoi Kusama Museum – 15 minutes by taxi, 22 minutes by train
- Tokyo Skytree – 39 minutes by train
- Hanazono Shrine – 8 minute walk
- Tokyo Dome – 20 minutes by train
Other vegan restaurants close to Ippudo
- Wired bonbon : vegan parfaits | 6 minute walk
- Plant-based Tokyo | 9 min walk
- More than bakery: vegan bakes and cakes | 18 minute walk, 10 minutes by train
- Green Italian TORCIA | 7 min walk
- Mabre Vegan | 11 min walk, 9 min train
- Ain Soph. Journey, Shinjuku | 8 min walk
- Vegan & Wine bar KiboKo | 8 min walk
- SOJO Esperanto-Vegana Kafejo | 44 min walk, 32 min train
- Linio | 26 min walk, 16 min train
- Great Lakes | 35 min walk, 23 min train
How to get to Ippudo
Address: Lumine Shinjuku- 3-38-1 Shinjuku (at Lumine Est, 8th Floor), Tokyo, Japan, 160-0022
Nearest train station: 1 min walk from Shinjuku Station
Open times: Monday- Sunday 11:00 – 21:00 (LO 20:30)
Phone: +81-363804473
It’s nice to go into a restaurant and see there are more plant-based options than regular options, especially in a country where the terms ‘plant-based’ and ‘vegan’ aren’t very well known. Ippudo has done a great job offering plant-based options at a very busy and popular mall. A great way to get those who are curious to try a plant-based meal.
The akamaru ramen is definitely the closest I have tasted to what people would classify as a traditional bowl of Japanese tonkotsu ramen, or I suppose what I remember of it. With reasonable prices and delicious bowls of ramen on offer, it’s very well-liked by the vegan community- and definitely somewhere to try if you’re in the area!
Notes:
- They have an English menu behind the counter, you just have to ask.
- People with egg allergies beware! No egg ingredients in plant-based products but, the noodles are boiled in the same water as the usual noodles with eggs
