Menya Noodle Bar, Haymarket

There are people who enjoy the heat of summer probably because it's the best beach weather. Me on the other hand, I enjoy winter because it is the best weather for ramen! Imagine a hot bowl of perfection presented before you with an array of colours from the egg noodles, a milky or golden pork broth, a sheet of nori, sliced bamboo shoots, shallots, slices of tender pork and soft-boiled egg. The smell draws you in and the taste comforts you with every sip of broth and slurp of noodles. It's like heaven on earth.

I have visited another awesome ramen joint in Chinatown called Menya Noodle Bar. Menya has a few other branches but apparently, the Chinatown (Haymarket) branch, specialises in tonkotsu broth (pork bone broth). They simmer pork bones for 10 hours to create their tonkotsu broth. Pork broth plus egg noodles equals happiness, right? Since tonkotsu ramen is my favourite type of ramen, I just had to make the trek!

tonkotsu-miso ramen

On my first visit, I opted for the tonkotsu-miso ramen ($10.30). It is a milky pork broth with egg noodles topped with cha-shu (roast pork), sheet of nori, sliced bamboo shoots, naruto (sliced fish cake) and chopped green onions. The pork flavour in the broth was evident with slight hints of soy, miso and fish flavours.

Tori karaage

I paired my ramen with some tori karaage or simply karaage chicken ($1.30 per piece).  It is pieces of fried chicken with light crispy batter. It was juicy and flavourful. This version is a little bit more peppery than most karaage chickens I've had.

 Super rich tonkotsu ramen

I made sure that my second visit was on a weeknight so I could try the super rich tonkotsu ramen. This special ramen is only available on weeknights from 5:30pm. It has a thick broth with potent pork flavour. This is the second richest and thickest tonkotsu broth I've had. It has the usual toppings found in a ramen including shredded leek. The leek adds extra texture and flavour, which also compliments the broth

Gyozas

This time around, I went for some gyozas  ($6.90/6 pieces) to have with my ramen. They are ramen's best friends after all!

Menya Noodle Bar, Haymarket has so much to offer in terms of ramen variety. Their ramen is inexpensive, flavoursome and servings are generous.

Menya Noodle Bar, Chinatown

8 Quay Street

Haymarket NSW 2000

(02) 9212 1020

http://menya.com.au/chinatown

Trading hours:

Lunch : 11:30pm - 3:30pm

Dinner: 5:30pm - 9:30pm