Yakiniku reimagined into ramen, buns
MANILA, Philippines — Originally simply “grilled meat” in Japan, Yakiniku has been given a new life by a famous Japanese restaurant chain – exclusively for the Filipino palate.
For a limited time only, or only until April 30, Ippudo is offering the limited-edition Yakiniku Ramen and Yakiniku Bun. These new dishes, said the Japanese franchise, mark the start of a series of releases highlighting the theme “Great Ramen, Great Sides,” through which the brand will be introducing new limited-edition ramen quarterly, and complementing side dishes throughout the year.
Seraiah del Rosario, Ippudo Philippines Brand Manager, told Philstar.com that although more and more people are preferring specialty restaurants or single-dish concepts focused on one dishes the restaurant specializes in, their brand aims to offer variety and novelties quarterly to continue to excite diners.
Thus, there is the Yakiniku Ramen, which the chain believes to be the first ever ramen to have Yakiniku. It fuses the restaurant franchise’s original creamy 15-hour pork bone broth and Hakata-style noodles, but this time, topped with thinly-sliced pork tossed in a mix of teriyaki and spicy miso sauce, koyu oil for a burst of umami flavors, nori, and shio tamago.
Technical Manager Mheldz Alvarez shared to Philstar.com that the Yakiniku Ramen is an original concept from their global headquarters, but tweaked to be made sweet and spicy exclusive only in the Philippines to suit the Filipino taste.
According to her, they used aka (red) miso for spice, teriyaki sauce for sweetness, and open-flame grilling for the pork. They changed only the flavors, she said, but use the same Japanese techniques.
Maxine Ramolete, brand assistant, told Philstar.com that they aim to introduce ramen varieties on top of their core ramen dishes to show that “not only do we make great sides, but we make really good ramen and we can make more great ramens.”
“The consistency sets it apart. The level of quality is the same for all stores because the broth comes from the same source in Japan,” Del Rosario added.
Although Ippudo is best-known for its ramen, what sets it apart from other ramen houses is that side dishes complete the ramen dining experience, said Del Rosario.
Hence, complementing the Yakiniku Ramen is Yakiniku Bun, tender beef slices marinated in bulgogi and spicy miso sauce, lettuce, and kara mayo — a combination of Japanese mayonnaise and mustard to balance out the flavor of the Yakiniku meat, served in a soft steamed bun.
Alvarez said the pork bun is part of the restaurant’s permanent menu, so with the Yakiniku Bun, marinated grilled beef slices are used instead of pork for variety. To try all types of Yakiniku, there is the Trio Buns Set, where all three bun flavors are present: Pork Bun, Fried Chicken Bun and Yakiniku Bun.
Another complementing side dish is the fish roe-topped Torched Salmon Roll, their only sushi dish for now. Del Rosario preempted that the chain will come up with more Tempura, Sushi and rice bowls this year to cater to different tastes.
To match the new quarterly dishes, del Rosario disclosed that they will renovate the restaurants to shift to a family-friendlier look, and make the nine Philippine stores more welcoming to kids like in their sister restaurant, Yabu.
According to her, they are mulling to give the restaurant chain better lighting and a more transparent exterior to give customers a better peek at the interiors.
“Right now, we’re really focused on improving the menu and once we got that done… then we’re going to transition to decide what the store would look like,” Ramolete enthused.
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