With the temperature barely hitting the high teens nowadays, the season to slurp is officially upon us. If you're a fan of ramen, head to the newly opened Ippudo Ramen to get your slurp on. 

Ippudo Ramen is a global chain that needs no introductions, having now expanded from its Japanese roots to over 100 eateries across Japan and worldwide since first opening over 30 years ago. While the folks up in Sydney have been slurping on Ippudo Ramen for years now, the QV location marks the first for Melbourne.  

I must confess I wasn't too wowed by my experience in Sydney a few years ago. Sure, it was a good bowl of ramen but nothing in the ballpark of spectacular or memorable. This time around, the karaka-men or spicy tonkotsu that features Ippudo's signature and original tonkotsu broth topped with a special spicy ground pork miso left more of an impression. It was flavoursome without being overly heavy or salty, and the heat provided a toasty warmth that will go hand in hand with the upcoming winter weather. Given my intolerance for heavy spice, the addition of the spicy paste on top rather than mixed throughout allowed me to control the amount of spice. The usual ramen partners were spot on; the charshu pork soft, tender and further upping the overall flavour, and the egg yolk gorgeously oozy.

Be sure to also save some room for some entrees, of which there are plenty of tasty-sounding options on the menu. We sampled quite a few of these during our visit, with favourites at our table being the teriyaki eggplant, wagyu tataki, barramundi and spicy bakuretsu tofu broth. 

Ippudo Melbourne

31/37 Artemis Lane,

QV Melbourne

Melbourne, Victoria, 3000.

(03) 9654 9057

http://ippudo.com.au/

Disclosure: I dined as a guest of Ippudo Melbourne. All opinions expressed in this post are based entirely on my experience and observations made during the time of my visit.