BAR IPPUDO discreetly locate at back street of the Orchard road. Even though the bar is inside the shopping mall, there is a feeling of hideout with limited twelve seats.
Wall occupied by sakes from Fukuoka, where IPPUDO originated from. There are about 200 permanent sake from 66 breweries.
IPPUDO is known for pork bone soup ramen. And their waiting bar in front of IPPUDO in New York became popular.
So Ippudo decided to push this idea of waiting bar to be sake specialize bar in Singapore.
When I made a visit to the IPPUDO BAR, coincidentally sake breweries called UMEDA from Hiroshima introducing their sake “Honshu Ichi”.
I tried their honzojo, daiginjo and junmai with salmon sashimi. Honjozo is easy drinking sake, good for sake beginner with its pear like aroma and taste.
Daiginjo goes together well with salmon fat. Both honjozo and daiginjo have good strong taste, but for me Junmai was the best with its distinct taste and cider tree like aroma.
Just like this, BAR IPPUDO plan to invite many other sake breweries regularly, so worth checking their latest update.
Then I began tasting sake from Fukuoka, Komagura summer sake ninoya (second arrow) with sake, ash topped on beautifully decorated sliced cucumbers.
Just for your information, Komagura also has winter sake called ichinoya (first arrow). This sake is using original sake rice from Fukuoka called, yumeikkon.
Sake has a unique taste of shiitake that blends with cucumbers freshness and mineral of the salt. After a while, you can gradually taste fruity yogurt.
This bar has limited sake for BAR IPPUDO from Fukuoka region. I tried them with previously mentioned cucumbers.
Rokuju yoshu has bland aroma but there is a strong after taste of banana, caramel like bittersweetness and umami around middle of tongue.
JUGEM uses unique sake rice called jugemu. Jugemu rice is a blend of two sake rice, Yamadanishiki and Yumeikkon.
There is a yogurt like aroma and taste with mild acid, slowly expands at the deep end of tongue. Both sake are equally unique and delicious.
Then I had their signature dish, Pork Bum with another BAR IPPUDO limited sake “nonal” at 40 degrees. Bacon like taste of sake, rich meat taste and sweetness of bum blends well.
Bar master Nakasuji recommended his homeland sake Izumo Fuji from Izumo region. Aroma is rather bland but there is mild acid, bittersweetness at deep end of your tongue.
It goes without saying that IPPUDO is famous for their ramen and gyoza. I had gyoza with Komagura, matured junmai ginjo.
There is an aroma of honey with hint of sesame taste, bitter, sour and umami taste goes well with spicy oil of gyoza.
To complete this drinking session, I had their signature ramen akamaru. Soup consists of red miso and garlic source on pork bone soup.
Paring sake is juji asahi brewed at 2007, using sake rice gohyakuman goku. According to Nakasuji, shiromaru goes well with Tanzawasan. I started with hot sake of 50 deg.
There is a sweet and sour aroma, bitter and bread like taste at first, that conflict with the ramen.
Then tried again the same sake with 40 degrees. Amazingly just like how god and man encounters on the last judgment by Michelangelo, miso, pork bone soup and sake made miracle match.
It is worth just have a bowl of ramen with this sake. And of course you can visit to enjoy delicious sake from Fukuoka region with their food or to meet the sake brewers over there.
BAR IPPUDO
1 Scotts Road, #04-23 Shaw Centre Singapore 228208
6235-2547
Operating Hours
Sun – Thu
11.30am – 10.00pm
Fri & Sat
11.30am – 11.00pm