Last Saturday, January 20th 2018, Ichicoro ANE opened its doors for the first time for brunch. They are now open for brunch every Saturday and Sunday from 11am - 4pm. We were there for the first day of brunch and were we ever bowled over (pun intended). Having no idea what to expect for brunch from a ramen and Japanese tapas style restaurant, we went with zero expectation. The only item that we saw a picture of prior was the "FTW" - guava and cream cheese-stuffed french toast bubble waffles which looked very sweet and we aren't into sweets for breakfast, though I know a lot of people are. We were just hoping for a few savory options. And did we ever get them!
"FTW" - French Toast Bubble Waffle with Guava and Cream Cheese (photo courtesy of Ichicoro Ane)
They even have a special brunch cocktail menu. Which includes, amongst others, a special mimosa called a Yuzu Mimosa which is made with sparking wine, yuzu, orange, apricot, peach and angostura bitters as opposed to just orange juice (so good and not too sweet) and a Wasabi Bloody Mary.
Yuzu Mimosa & Wasabi Bloody Mary
See below for the full cocktail and brunch menu. There was a group of us so we had a lot of food come out all at once.
Table shot of the first items to arrive
First the "FTW" (pictured above) which was not as sweet as it looks or sounds. It was quite tasty and filling. Also the B.T.C. Bao which is bacon/tamago/chasyu: spicy bacon Kewpie, Japanese style eggs, chasyu and American cheese. It was so delicious and was almost like a breakfast cuban as it was more like pork than bacon.
B.T.C. Bao
We also tried the Biscuits & Tonkotsu Gravy - ontama, ground pork, ginger, garlic & scallion. These are no ordinary biscuits and gravy. The gravy contained chunks of pork and the biscuits were flaky and outstanding. A very savory and filling dish!
Biscuits & Tonkotsu Gravy
I totally did not anticipate that the Japanese Pancakes with seasonal fruit & syrup would be one of my favorites, but it was. The batter is infused with CO2 which makes them light and airy with a bit of crunch to the texture and they are not overly sweet! These were a complete surprise and delight.
Japanese Pancakes
The brothless B.E.C. Ramen (bacon, egg, cheese) with shoyu tare, North Country applewood smoked bacon, ontama, parmesan, black garlic, scallions, shaved bonito was another surprise. Having never had brothless ramen before, I was not sure what to expect, but was very excited about the savory breakfast ingredients. Once the ingredients are mixed together, it melds into a consistency that I would describe as similar to a carbonara. This was incredible and I can't wait to have it again! Warning: This is a large bowl and is quite filling. It is definitely suitable to share.
Brothless B.E.C. Ramen bacon/egg/cheese
B.E.C. Ramen after mixing
Next we tried the Chicken Paitan Ramen made with double chicken broth, chasyu tori, menma, kikurage, beni shoga, fried garlic, black garlic mayu. All I can say is this ramen has amazing flavor. If you are sensitive to salt this is not the ramen for you. The flavors are intense as the broth cooks down to the bone and it lends towards the saltier side. Kevin and I both loved it! Kevin added the spicy sauce #2 with is quite spicy, but added even more depth and complexity.
Chicken Paitan
Our crazy crew in the Ichicoro Photo Booth as we were leaving. This is quite the experience as there is just nothing like the brunch at Ichicoro ANE...it is a completely new and yummy brunch adventure. We are quite happy to put this brunch in our rotation.
Our surly crew clockwise from left: Jason, Kevin, Lori, Kerem & Divna
ANE Brunch Cocktail Menu
The Brunch Menu
- Readers Rating
- Rated 5 stars
5 / 5 ( Reviewers) - Spectacular
- Your Rating
- Ichicoro ANE
- 727-300-0281
- Ramen, Japanese, Tapas
- Tue - Wed 5:00pm - 12:00am
- Thu - Fri 5:00pm - 1:00am
- Sat - 11:00am - 1:00am
- Sun - 11:00am - 12:00am
- Take Reservations: Yes!
- 260 1st Ave S, St Petersburg, FL 33701, USA
Japanese style Tapas and Ramen housed in a swanky setting.
