IKKO Japanese Ramen and Sushi

Sometimes I’m a little bit stingy with how many stars I give. But, I considered a few things. One, the quality of the food was phenomenal and had a rich bold taste. Two, I’m in Birmingham, Alabama where one doesn’t expect to find exceptional Japanese ramen. Three, it would be a misrepresentation to give this place four stars. Four, the staff is efficient and very friendly. This is one of the things I love about Asian culture, I’ve generally had very pleasant experiences with the people. I had the tonkatsu ramen. I’ll give it my full endorsement. As I said, the food was well prepared, fresh, and full of flavor. It’s nice to be surprised by restaurant in the South that really represents good Japanese ramen. I grew up in Alabama. I recently moved back to Alabama from San Francisco. There, you have a wide variety of Japanese ramen to choose from. Also, I just recently visited Tokyo. Of course, that’s the end all be all of good ramen. And, don’t miss out on the boba tea. The Japanese Milk T

Felt a little claustrophobic with how close all the tables were. The soup was eh, the sushi was okay, and I really enjoyed the appetizers. The best part of the place was definitely the service, fast, and very nice.

We used to come to this restaurant when it opened (like 5-6 years ago or so?) because there really wasn’t that many restaurants that served ramen. Then we quit coming because it just wasn’t all that good. We were near by yesterday so we decided to give it another try. It seems like ramen got worse… Noodles were way overcooked, broth was all over the place taste wise (I had Shoyu Ramen but was the broth Tonkotsu “pork bone” or Torigara “chicken bone” or something entirely different???), egg tasted chemical and they put pickled ginger in Shoyu Ramen!!! Only thing half way decent was Chashu. There are 2 more Ramen places opening up in Inverness/Meadowbrook area and I’m hoping those places will be pretty decent. I don’t think I’m coming back to this place anytime soon.