アイバンラーメンPlus (Ivan Ramen Plus)
あいばんらーめんぷらす
Cheese mazesoba: 14 / 20
(I recommend to avoid the 全部のせ version, see below)
If you are at least slightly into ramen, you have probably heard about Ivan, the famous first gaijin-ramen-master. I had tried his now-classical shio ramen at his first restaurant, Ivan ramen in Rokakoen, but was not really convinced - it was good, but nothing really remarkable. I wanted to explore more the extent of what he is doing though, and once I was visiting Shimokitazawa, I pushed a few stations further west to go to Ivan ramen plus, his elegant second restaurant. They specialize in many dises, including a cheese mazesoba and a shio ramen. As a big fan of mazesoba, I had to try this one.
Sauce and egg: A good sauce including four different kinds of melting cheeses - mix it with the egg, and you really get some kind of carbonara sauce with a japanese twist.
Noodle: Linguine-shaped, to enhance the italian feel.
Meat: Unfortunately, because of my poor nihon-go skills, I did not understand that 全部のせ meant ‘a bit more of everything’ (I thought it was ‘with all toppings’, and I didn't want to miss any kind of topping), so I ended up with three thick and large pork slices. Way too much, especially given that the meat, though not bad, was nothing exceptional - and too fat for my taste.
Toppings: Some cold bean sprouts which brought a really pleasant fresh touch to the whole dish - I would have enjoyed more of them!
So yeah, it was good, but not up to the hype I heard around it - pretty much like the shio ramen in the mother shop. Maybe it would be a more exotic experience for someone who’s not used to eat carbonara spaghetti. Anyway, it is a good restaurant for sure, so if you are in the area, it’s worth checking.
Now, I have a concern, that would hold for many ramen shops, but that I am going to explain here. Ivan is apparently committed to make healthier ramen dishes, reducing salt content, etc. As someone who wants to enjoy the diversity of ramen taste but is still a little bit concerned about his own health, I applaud those efforts! But then, why does he put prominently, on the ramen machine, the 'mazesoba 全部のせ' rather than the regular version of the mazesoba, which is certainly much healthier, with less meat included? (it is well known that most of us eat much too much meat for a good health, especially if you are a ramen lover like me!) Given the modest difference in price (1030 yen versus 830 yen), I doubt that Ivan makes any substantial money on selling the 全部のせ version rather than the regular one. It is also well documented by cognitive psychology that people are heavily influenced by default choices - and as it happens, in a ramen shop, the default choice is the top left, as it is generally the shop’s recommendation. So if Ivan is concerned about serving healthy food, then I would recommend him to put the regular mazesoba on the top left, and the 'mazesoba 全部のせ' just below. He would prevent a few premature deaths (statistically) by doing so, those who crave massive amount of meat could still order the 全部のせ version, and for people who chose the default, their pleasure in eating his dishes would not be decreased (generally, the less you have in your plate, the more you concentrate on enjoying what you have). My two cents.
More info on ramendb.
Other reviews at: Ramen Adventures, Ramen Tokyo, Like a fish in water, I am gourmand, Go Ramen, Japan Stripes.
あいばんらーめんぷらす
Cheese mazesoba: 14 / 20
(I recommend to avoid the 全部のせ version, see below)
If you are at least slightly into ramen, you have probably heard about Ivan, the famous first gaijin-ramen-master. I had tried his now-classical shio ramen at his first restaurant, Ivan ramen in Rokakoen, but was not really convinced - it was good, but nothing really remarkable. I wanted to explore more the extent of what he is doing though, and once I was visiting Shimokitazawa, I pushed a few stations further west to go to Ivan ramen plus, his elegant second restaurant. They specialize in many dises, including a cheese mazesoba and a shio ramen. As a big fan of mazesoba, I had to try this one.
Sauce and egg: A good sauce including four different kinds of melting cheeses - mix it with the egg, and you really get some kind of carbonara sauce with a japanese twist.
Noodle: Linguine-shaped, to enhance the italian feel.
Meat: Unfortunately, because of my poor nihon-go skills, I did not understand that 全部のせ meant ‘a bit more of everything’ (I thought it was ‘with all toppings’, and I didn't want to miss any kind of topping), so I ended up with three thick and large pork slices. Way too much, especially given that the meat, though not bad, was nothing exceptional - and too fat for my taste.
Toppings: Some cold bean sprouts which brought a really pleasant fresh touch to the whole dish - I would have enjoyed more of them!
So yeah, it was good, but not up to the hype I heard around it - pretty much like the shio ramen in the mother shop. Maybe it would be a more exotic experience for someone who’s not used to eat carbonara spaghetti. Anyway, it is a good restaurant for sure, so if you are in the area, it’s worth checking.
Now, I have a concern, that would hold for many ramen shops, but that I am going to explain here. Ivan is apparently committed to make healthier ramen dishes, reducing salt content, etc. As someone who wants to enjoy the diversity of ramen taste but is still a little bit concerned about his own health, I applaud those efforts! But then, why does he put prominently, on the ramen machine, the 'mazesoba 全部のせ' rather than the regular version of the mazesoba, which is certainly much healthier, with less meat included? (it is well known that most of us eat much too much meat for a good health, especially if you are a ramen lover like me!) Given the modest difference in price (1030 yen versus 830 yen), I doubt that Ivan makes any substantial money on selling the 全部のせ version rather than the regular one. It is also well documented by cognitive psychology that people are heavily influenced by default choices - and as it happens, in a ramen shop, the default choice is the top left, as it is generally the shop’s recommendation. So if Ivan is concerned about serving healthy food, then I would recommend him to put the regular mazesoba on the top left, and the 'mazesoba 全部のせ' just below. He would prevent a few premature deaths (statistically) by doing so, those who crave massive amount of meat could still order the 全部のせ version, and for people who chose the default, their pleasure in eating his dishes would not be decreased (generally, the less you have in your plate, the more you concentrate on enjoying what you have). My two cents.
More info on ramendb.
Other reviews at: Ramen Adventures, Ramen Tokyo, Like a fish in water, I am gourmand, Go Ramen, Japan Stripes.
Closed now. Too bad, I would get a craving for this bowl anytime I was on a train passing Kyodo.
ReplyDeleteThanks again for the info, Brian!
ReplyDelete