RAMEN IPPUDO Chadstone — Restaurant in Melbourne

We went there on a Monday afternoon when they just started for about a week. First of all, we had to wait for quite some time before we got served even though the restaurant was quiet. One of the male wait staff told us we cannot bring outside food, even for our 2-year-olds. We were only bringing fruits. I replied saying that we never got told off like this before, as other restaurants would allow us to bring some sort of "baby food". Then the cocky, rude male staff left without saying anything and then came back telling us that this is a warning, next time we cannot dine there if we bring "outside food". My friend was furious, but the male staff held his stand and left. When we asked for a supervisor or manager, they all said there was no one we can talk to. When we received the crockeries and cutleries for our toddlers, they were a little dirty because when my friend wiped them there were stains. The food was not bad, hence the 2 star rating. However we would never want to go back...

Ippudo used to be a big name in Asia, but clearly its glory days are long gone. They’ve opened one in Chadstone, and I decided to give it a try. I queued alone for about 20 minutes, finally got a seat, ordered just one bowl of ramen, and then waited another 20 minutes for it to arrive. I finished eating in five.

The issue isn’t the taste. these semi-prepped ramen bowls taste the same anywhere, but the management is a mess. The restaurant isn’t that big, nor was it crowded, yet the staff all looked busy while achieving nothing. The seating is uncomfortable, the background music unbearably loud, and the whole experience feels disorganised.

In Japan, ramen is supposed to be fast, waiting 20 minutes for one bowl makes me wonder what exactly is happening in the kitchen. And at nearly $40 for a single bowl, I have to say — it takes a lot of courage for the restaurant to charge that...

I recently visited IPPUDO Ramen at Chadstone and, honestly, I was a bit let down by the experience. My ramen soup came out only luke warm, which took away from what should have been a comforting meal, especially on a cold day.

It was also quite chilly in the restaurant. Apparently, the heater couldn’t be turned on because the Wi-Fi or internet wasn’t working. That seemed odd and left us dining in an uncomfortably cold setting.

On top of that, the timing of the food was all over the shop. Our ramen dishes didn’t come out at the same time, which meant some of us were waiting for our meals while others had already started. To top it off, the starter arrived last, after we’d already eaten our main.

I’m a big fan of ramen on cold days, but this visit missed the mark. For me I am not...