Ippudo, a well-known ramen restaurant, recently launched their vegan restaurant called ippudo V in Dumbo, Brooklyn. Ippudo has long been synonymous with delicious, flavorful ramen broths and noodles, and now they’re pushing the boundaries of culinary innovation with a fully vegan restaurant offering sushi, ramen, and more. They hosted an event last week welcoming vegan foodies to a unique dining experience that combined authentic flavors with modern, vegan twists.
ippudo V’s menu reimagines classic ramen dishes using entirely plant-based ingredients. Signature offerings include the Shojin ramen, featuring a broth made from Hokkaido Rishiri kelp and Kyushu shiitake mushrooms, and the Hakuna Matata, which uses house-made carrot fettuccine noodles paired with a 48-hour-marinated mushroom tsukudani and spicy miso. These dishes exemplify the restaurant’s commitment to delivering deep, umami-rich flavors without the use of animal products.
When we entered the restaurant, we were greeted with a beautiful bar setup complete with local beer from Talea and Grimm, cocktails such as a Yuzu Apple Martini, and more. Light snacks such as their decadent sushi offerings were offered buffet-style, and they truly blew our minds. Who knew you could make such delicious sushi from just plants? Each bite was so flavorful, you didn’t miss the fish whatsoever. Our favorite was the Mushroom Tempura roll, featuring mushroom and asparagus tempura, avocado, red cabbage, and delicious plant-based teriyaki and spicy mayo sauces. The Goma Q (marinated cucumber), Seaweed Tempura bite, and Nori Shio Potato (seaweed fries) were scrumptious as well.
Now for the main event – the ramen! The back of the venue was designed like a restaurant-within-a-restaurant for the event, where guests could go up and request a table, and order drinks and ramen from the 4 options: Pla-Ton (Tonkotsu), Shojin (Shoyu), Daichi no Miso (Miso) or the Hakuna Matata (Spicy Tsukemen). We ordered the Pla-ton and the Shojin, which were both wonderful. The creamy broth of the Pla-ton paired decadently with the tofu, fried mushrooms, and perfectly springy noodles.The Shojin featured a lighter, more delicate broth, with truffle oil creating an irresistible aroma and flavor with every bite. A centerpiece of charred tomato laid amongst the noodles was a unique twist.
After a delightful evening and the most satisfying meal, we left the restaurant with some specially roasted coffee beans from Regalia Coffee Roasters. Our experience at ippudo V was one-of-a-kind, and we can’t wait to come back!
