Thursday, August 5, 2010

The Tao of Ramen





I first wrote about IPPUDO in June, for the entry titled "The Ramen Lessons". My favourite ramen joint @ Mandarin Gallery has just opened another resto near me, this time at UE Square on Mohammad Sultan. If you think it's just another branch, you are so wrong. The new resto is called IPPUDO TAO, and is a collaboration between Japanese cuisine and drums, to bring the soul of Japan to the world. Ramen is like soul food of Japan, while drums are like the soul of Japanese art culture.


Dynamic and energetic, TAO rocked the hall at DBS Arts Centre for their special first ever performance in Singapore. It was such a visual treat! I hope they will come back for a ticketed event open to public. This is real art! The STOMP of Japan!


The guys have great bods. Perhaps drumming should be a new sport we should all do at the gym. Drumming workout instead of spinning or Muay Thai? Lol.


To experience the "live" performance, you can watch the 90-sec feature by Channel News Asia. To watch, click here for the youtube link.


Ramen, like drums, is part of Japan's intrinsic culture. Ramen chefs are like performers, and the kitchen is their stage. The art of ramen is acquired through passion, dedication, discipline, and hard work... just like the dynamic TAO performance that combines drums, dance, martial arts and music. The collaboration between Ippudo and TAO was born out of a passion for Japan’s traditional cultures and a desire to modernise them and share with the rest of the world. When Shigemi Kawahara (dubbed the "Ramen King") started Ippudo in 1985, he also created his very own “tao”, or way, of ramen. His philosophy — to constantly innovate while preserving tradition — is to keep reinventing in the kitchen; redefining recipes for a dish that emerged over 300 years ago.


Got my pic taken with ramen royalty Kawahara-san at the recent launch event. My Japanese-inspired attire was specially selected to suit the occasion. For the fashionistas out there who want to know where it's from - McQ by Alexander McQueen yukata-style jacket won with a Hermes scarf tied as an obi belt.

Come 10th August, IPPUDO TAO will officially open its doors, offering a collection of ramen and other dishes that were created in honour of TAO. The resto adopts the red-and-black colour theme of TAO, and has a projection screen showing TAO’s live performances.



The restaurant will serve two signature ramen dishes exclusive to IPPUDO TAO: TAO.Kuro is a thick noodle variety that signifies the dynamic spirit of TAO, while TAO.Aka is a bold, red spicy miso variation signifying the passion of TAO. The menu will also offer the classic dishes of Ippudo, and a special set lunch. IPPUDO TAO will also be introducing new items that are unique to this outlet, such as kushiyaki (Japanese grill) dishes.


TAO.Kuro

TAO.Aka

I have to highlight the opening hours for IPPUDO TAO as it could be a good supper spot. It opens till midnight (Mon-Thu), 1am (Fri & Sat) and 11pm (Sun).

As the restaurant will open for full service only from 10th August, do note the soft opening hours for now: 6 & 7Aug: 5pm to 2am, 8 Aug: 5pm to 11pm

Official Sites : www.ippudo.com.sg and www.drum-tao.com

2 comments:

  1. Hey you were there too! I simply loved the TAO drumming performance. Yes, it kinda inspired me to want to pick up wadaiko as a workout too! lol

    My own post is here:
    http://www.camemberu.com/2010/08/ippudo-tao-opens-at-ue-square.html

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  2. Hey Camemberu. Yeah, I read your blog too! :) I love Ippudo ramen!

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