Australia

Hakata Gensuke (Russell Street)

I NEVER thought that I could ever acquaint ramen broth like fine champagne but that’s exactly what came to mind when I first slurped the tonkotsu from Melbourne’s popular Hakata Gensuke in Russell Street. I ventured there with Ramen Girl and the “Commish” (a mate …

Ra Ra

I ADMIRE non-Japanese learning the art of perfecting Japanese dishes. Take American Ivan Orkin for instance who set up two ramen-ya in Japan (which got a cult following), and then packed everything up and moved back to New York City to open back in the …

Ichibanboshi

I CAN still remember where I had my first ramen. It was at Japanese noodle chain Ichibanboshi’s Sydney restaurant and it was its Tokyo-style ramen – a light soy- based and filling soup that introduced me to ramen. I’m pretty sure a lot of Sydney-siders …

Shujinko

SHUJINKO fascinated me because this Melbourne 24-hour ramen-ya boasts as being able to continually serve ramen zealots bowls of ramen and tsukemen from dawn to dusk and throughout the night. I had aspirations to test whether Shujinko could deliver quality ramen at an insane early …

Gumshara

Like Japanese Anime and Manga, Gumshara, a hole-in-the-wall ramen-ya in Sydney Chinatown’s ‘Eating World’ hawker centre has a cult following. Gumshara only sells ramen (and only a small, niche variety – just under a dozen). Its cult following is due to the stock which Japanese …

Menya Noodle Bar

Menya Noodle Bar is a place that I eat regularly when I get a ramen craving (which can be quite often as it’s a five minute walk from my office), and was the first “ramen-ya” I ever went to in Sydney. When you enter Menya …

Ramen O-San

Ramen O-San Bar arrived in Sydney in 2015 and became the first Australian enterprise for Chef Kazuteru’s who has other such ramen-ya in Japan. The Sydney enterprise is located in the south-western corner of Sussex Centre Food Court in the heart of Chinatown – its …

Mr Ramen San

Upon entering Mr Ramen San you would be forgiven if you thought you had just entered a local Japanese ramen-ya with its two bars, small tables, quirky Japanense anime and movie posters adoring the walls and a hearty and cheerful Irasshaimase! from the staff. Mr Ramen …