Renowned ramen shop Gumshara will reopen in Haymarket next week, bolstering community efforts to re-establish Chinatown as a go-to dining destination.

Gumshara closed after 14 years of operation at the Eating World food court on August 27, days before the building was demolished to make way for a $63 million residential and retail development.

Close to 700 people queued for up to three hours on the final day of trade to score one last bowl of tonkotsu ramen, once lauded as “the most hectic … in Australia” by Merivale executive chef Dan Hong.

“Customers were panicking, calling and calling asking where we were going,” says Gumshara co-owner and head chef Mori Hogashida.

“We were all so surprised by the response, we sold out of ramen within a few hours.”

Hogashida is known for creating a particularly labour-intensive version of tonkotsu ramen, wherein up to 340kg of fresh pork bones are added to the broth each day. From 7am to about 10pm, the broth (made exclusively with water and pork bones) is boiled and stirred, creating a rich, gelatinous soup brimming with flavour.

And each day, 40 litres of broth is preserved for the following service, creating a perpetual soup base that has endured for 14 years.

“Our method of making soup is totally different, there are maybe only 20 people in the world who know how to make it like we do,” Hogashida says.

Hogashida, who quit his career as a jeweller at 48-years-old to follow his dream of becoming a ramen chef, learnt the unique method of making tonkotsu broth at renowned Kyoto ramen shop Muteppou.

Hogashida says his passion for creating simple, genuine and flavourful ramen persists, more than a decade later. That’s why, at the new Gumshara shop on the corner of Kimber Lane and Little Hay Street, service will come second to food.

The larger space seats about 40 people but will operate in much the same way as the food court, with counter service, self-serve cutlery, and a walk-in only policy (this time, however, card payments are accepted).

“If we were to have more staff or a fancy space we’d have to put the price higher than anybody else because we use about ten times more pork bones than anybody else,” Hogashida says.

Though Hogashida was given six months’ notice to vacate Eating World, he struggled to find a suitable and cost-effective alternative in the area.

“We considered other neighbourhoods, like Newtown and Burwood, but we wanted to stay in Chinatown.

“Our regular customers have been with us for more than ten years, and some of them are getting old and don’t want to travel much. We wanted to make them happy.”

Hogashida ultimately moved into a space owned by Brad Chan, the president of not-for-profit community organisation Haymarket Alliance and the third generation chief executive officer of Banna Property Group.

Chan, whose grandfather Bernard Chan helped establish Dixon Street as a pedestrian mall in the ’70s, says it was important to keep Gumshara in Chinatown.

“They are a real asset to the area, and I’m glad we were able to entice them over,” Chan says.

“Commercially, we probably could have gotten a better deal elsewhere, but we recognise they’re an attraction.”

In August, the City of Sydney announced a $44 million plan to enhance Chinatown public spaces and make it easier for businesses to celebrate their Asian heritage. The announcement comes after years of decline due to light rail construction, pandemic restrictions and competition from Darling Square and Burwood Chinatown.

“People want to see Chinatown restored to its former glory,” Chan says. “I see it as a sleeping giant, it still has a lot of potential.”

Gumshara is likely to open midway through next week, but the date is not yet confirmed.