Hakata Ikkousha
Hakata Ikkousha offers a “global standard” jack of all trades ramen at a fast casual, fast paced ramen joint.
Tonkotsu with Premium Toppings
Ratings
Broth
Noodles
Chashu
Egg
Toppings
Overall
Date of Visit: March 2018
What I Ordered: Tonkotsu, Premium Toppings (Chashu + Egg), Normal Recipe
Cost: $9.40 + $4.00 (Premium Toppings)
Offers Extra Noodles: $1.50
Offers Extra Broth: Not Offered
Review
This place seems nice because it is open late till 11:30 every night except Sunday. It is also around other places that are open late, so that is cool.
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The broth is actually quite good. It seems to be a nice happy balance of delicious creamy flavor and lightness that does not drown you in richness. Though, that isn’t a bad thing either. The broth does appear to be salty and increases over time. This broth could earn the label of “done just right”.
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The noodles are thin but firm. I chose the normal firmness and they have a very nice chew. They aren’t mushy but don’t feel under cooked either. Cooked perfectly for the type of noodle in my opinion. However, the small straight noodles clump up which makes eating and enjoying them harder. They remind me of the skinny noodles that Kopan serves. I don’t see anything that indicates the noodles are made fresh in house.
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The broth is the clear star, but the noodles have an excellent chew. Together, these work great to form a just right combo.
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The chashu reminds me of a brisket. But it is still soft and melts in your mouth. It is not porkbelly though. It doesn’t have the same richness or fattiness. This one is sliced thin, but still works well in tandom with the bowl.
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The egg is not cooked long enough, it is too soft. The yolk is entirely goo. It is also not marinated enough to have a nice rich flavor. Nothing tastes bad about it, but the execution is poor.
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Green onions and sliced mushrooms are included in the bowl. Sometimes they get in the way, but not much of a problem and easy to ignore.
Overall: 7.5/10
Would recommend. This bowl seems to be a great example of a ramen bowl that can be a good comparison to other bowls. The broth is excellent, and everything else is good. The chashu isn’t pork belly, which is in my option is a better cut for ramen chashu than what this place offers. Chashu should add to the richness of the bowl with a lovely melt in your mouth taste. Aside from the egg, there is nothing that is wrong or bad with the bowl, but at the same time, there is nothing that makes me go wow. There are lots of places that excel in certain areas that make me go wow, but this place doesn’t do that. Because of this, the bowl doesn’t rank as highly as some of the wow factor bowls that excel in one area rather than doing everything else well and standard. I am happy with this bowl, and it seems to be a “can’t go wrong” bowl. I noticed that their catchphrase is “global standard”. This seems appropriate. Not, “best in world”, etc, but as a standard definition of a ramen bowl, I would agree. Except the chashu. And the egg. I should also mention that the bowl isn’t very big. The broth to noodle ratio is actually higher, so you end up with extra broth. This is better than the other way around. But the bowl is small in comparison to other bowls at the same price. I actually still felt hungry after finishing. Since the bowl is small, you only get a small amount of noodles. However, you still can order more noodles if need be.
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