Sydney Eat Street: Ramen that you need to try this winter
There is nothing better than tucking into a bowl of ramen in the middle of winter (or anytime, really) and this is Sydney’s best spots to get your slurp on.
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It’s the perfect winter warmer and the sydney ramen festival is a slurping good opportunity to explore the city’s wide variety of Japanese noodle soups.
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BUTTER
With custom kicks in the front window and old-school hip-hop beats emanating from inside, you wouldn’t be the first to do a double take on the hunt for Butter’s succulent fried chicken and creamy ramen.
It certainly isn’t your typical ramen joint, but then again, not many chicken shops have an award-winning chef (Julian Cincotta) in the kitchen serving up their famous Hot & Spicy Fried Chicken Ramen.
While the crispy battered thigh meat put Butter on the map, its pairing with his light and slightly sweet tonkatsu-based ramen has become a fan favourite.
Julian explains that as opposed to the rich and creamy broth derived from simmered pork bones, he uses chicken bones to produce a more subtle broth.
6 HUNT ST, SURRY HILLS; BUTTERSYDNEY.COM.AU
IIKO MAZESOBA
A relatively new addition to the ramen world, this brothless ramen replaces soup with a concentrated umami sauce that gets mixed through the thick and chewy noodles from the bottom up.
Introduced in Japan around 2008, mazesoba came about partly as a practical solution to the telltale sign of slurping thin wet noodles – the inevitable splatter that lands on your shirt, not in your mouth.
But to Michelle Widjaja the dish also showcases local and seasonal ingredients, including Australian black truffles harvested in winter.
86 HAY ST, HAYMARKET; T1/09 100 BARANGAROO AVE, BARANGAROO; MAZESOBA.COM
RARA CHAN
A pint-sized version of its older siblings (RaRa Ramen in Redfern and Randwick), RaRa Chan has ventured down a different ramen path eschewing the familiar clear Tokyo-style thin noodle soups (Hakata) in favour of the lesser-known “dipping ramen” (Tsukemen) – a version in which thick handmade noodles are dipped into a bowl of rich and creamy broth served with free-range pork belly chashu.
Or try the spicy Curry Paitan ramen – a curry and chilli oil broth with neatly folded noodles and grilled free-range pork belly.
SHOP 6, 1 LOCOMOTIVE ST; RARARAMEN.COM.AU
RISING SUN WORKSHOP
Part motorcycle workshop, part restaurant, and entirely committed to the local community. What started as a need for a shared motorcycle maintenance workspace with proper tools and, ideally, a coffee machine eventually morphed into a social enterprise with a hatted Japanese-influenced restaurant and pristine workshop under the roof of a 130-year-old former hardware store.
Heading up the culinary endeavour is Head Chef and co-owner Nick Smith.
His recipes favour locally-sourced ingredients, such as free-range pork and chickens from the Southern Highlands, a staple in his shoyu ramen.
But it’s the “Brekky” ramen that really gets the attention of fans. Made with roast bone stock thickened with actual buttered toast and garnished with eggs, tomato, and bacon, it’s a cheeky fusion of East and West that indeed tastes like buttered toast.
1C WHATELEY ST, NEWTOWN; RISINGSUNWORKSHOP.COM
RARA RAMEN
While RaRa Ramen’s handmade noodles and premium ingredients have earned them a loyal following, it’s the innovative vegan and vegetarian versions of their traditional thick and creamy pork-bone-based broth that has garnered them a slew of new fans.
At the helm of this fan-favourite ramen joint is Head Chef Scott Gault. Having honed his skills under the tutelage of Ramen masters in Japan, it’s no wonder RaRa Ramen continues to be one of Sydney’s top ramen spots.
66b Regent St, Redfern; rararamen.com.au
ICHI-BAN BOSHI
For 20 plus year, ramen enthusiasts have been flocking to Ichi-Ban Boshi to get their noodle fix.
While ramen takes top billing with options that range from traditional pork Tonkotsu to a spicy soup topped with fried chicken and hot cheese.
The expansive menu also offers don (rice bowls), cold noodles, and popular sides such as gyoza, wontons, and tempura.
2 The Galeries. 500 George St, Sydney; ishibanboshi.com.au
MENYA NOODLE BAR - CITY
Conveniently located near Town Hall Station, this chic ramen restaurant with alfresco dining is a popular lunch and dinner destination for both office workers and commuters.
There are 18 different ramen dishes on the menu, but the hands-down stand-out is the black garlic ramen with black garlic oil, roasted pork, fish cake and a boiled egg.
2/1 Market St, Sydney; menya.com.au
HAKATAMON RAMEN
It was over a decade ago that Hakatamon’s owner and chef Hide Tsuboi opened his ramen shop in Market City’s rather anonymous food-court, but when offered the opportunity to move to a prime position at the eagerly anticipated Darling Square development, he jumped at the opportunity.
Once considered a hidden gem located in the shadows of the nearby shopping centre, Hakatamon is now front and centre in one Sydney’s most popular dining precinct with Hide’s Hakata-style Tonkotsu finally getting the attention it deserves.
6/8 Nicole Wlk, Haymarket; Facebook/hakatamondarlingsquare
IPPUDO
With over 80 locations around the globe, including such culinary capitals as, London, Paris, Hong Kong, and New York, Ippudo has come a long way since serving its first bowl of Tonkotsu ramen nearly four decades ago in the Fukuoka City, Japan.
Since then, the Ippudo chain has gone on to win countless awards including Michelin stars at its New York Hong Kong, and Macau locations. But no need to travel abroad, as there are now five restaurants in the Sydney-metro region (Central Park, World Square, Westfield Sydney, Circular Quat, Chatswood, and Macquarie Centre.
Ippudo.com.au
RAMEN FESTIVAL
With winter weather settling in, there’s no better time to slurp up some hot ramen noodles. Whether you’re a know-it-all on noodle soups or get tongue-tied saying Tonkotsu, you’ll want to check out the Sydney Ramen Festival.
This six-week initiative runs through July 29 and includes over 25 participating ramen restaurants. Even the ramen regulars can expect something new.
SYDNEYRAMENFESTIVAL.COM ONLINE
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