Ramen Raff has just turned 6 years old this
month! It doesn’t feel that long ago when I started this blog. In those 6
years, I have been asked countless times where the best ramen in Sydney is.
Although I love goro goro (thick curry like consistency) type ramen broths like
Gumshara’s tonkotsu ramen or Tenka-ippin’s signature paitan Kotteri ramen, I do
appreciate all other types and forms of ramen.
The noodles and broth are the body and soul
of a bowl of ramen. Nail those two and you can put whatever toppings you want.
As long as it all works and balances in the end, then you have the perfect
bowl. Taste is subjective and also based on how adventurous a person’s palate
is. Rather than naming all the ramen places in Sydney and reviewing them, I
have instead gathered a list of places that I really love. So without further
ado, here’s my current list of Sydney’s top ramenyas:
Gumshara
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| 'Chef Mori and Pikachu' - My 2016 entry for SMH Good Food 'Shoot The Chef' |
Gumshara was the first ramen that blew my
mind and took me to my ramen path. It still does even up to this day. This is
Kotteri tonkotsu ramen at its finest. Depending on the season, Mori-san uses around 150-170Kgs of pork
bones daily to create this liquid gold. The broth has a lot of body that is
gravy-like but also has so much porky goodness and depth from his shoyu tare. I
like the fact that they would adjust the broth for you if you find it too thick
or too salty. I find the flavour perfect as it is. The tamago he uses always
has that perfect slightly runny yolk. Mori-san is consistent with his work.
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| Garlic tonkotsu ramen |
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| Pork sparerib ramen |
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| Tonkotsu ramen with agitate and bbq pork skewer |
My go to ramen dishes here are their standard
tonkotsu ramen with added egg and
tender bbq pork skewer, the
signature pork sparerib ramen, and
garlic tonkotsu ramen. The garlic
oil and roasted garlic flakes used in the garlic tonkotsu gives the broth notes
of nutty sweetness, whilst the twiced-cooked pork sparerib is one big tasty
fatty monster slab of meat. The umami game here is definitely strong. Also, I
just love how the thick broth hugs onto each noodle strand with every slurp!
Gumshara
Eating World
211/25-29 Dixon St,
Haymarket NSW 2000
Yasaka
Yasaka ramen is headed by former Gumshara
chef, Takeshi Sekigawa. They also specialise in Tonkotsu ramen with a touch of
izakaya. You can also order Japanese snacks like edamame, karaage chicken,
takoyaki etc. All noodles are made in-house and the tonkotsu broth is also
crazy thick and tasty!
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| Shoyu tonkotsu grilled chashumen |
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| Kokumaro |
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| Shoyu shin yasaka ramen |
Yasaka Ramen
Sydney CBD: 126 Liverpool St, Sydney NSW 2000
Neutral Bay: 161 Military Rd, Neutral Bay NSW
2089
Chaco Bar
For a classic chuka soba or shoyu ramen with
a twist, there's only one place in Sydney that excels in it. Chaco bar is normally a yakitori bar at
night but transforms to a ramen bar for lunch from Wednesday to Saturday.
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| Fat soy ramen with extra fat |
Chaco Bar
38 Crown St,
Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Manpuku
The ramen force is also strong at Manpuku. This ramenya is chicken broth
and Tonkotsu ramen specialist. The tonkotsu ramen offerings are more of a
Hakata style ramen with milky-like broth consistency, shio based tare and thin
firm noodles. You can also get varieties of this ramen with shoyu tare and
gyokai tonkotsu. My picks here are their gyokai tonkotsu ramen and tsukemen.
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| Gyokai tonkotsu |
The gyokai tonkotsu ramen has
shio tonkotsu broth with black garlic oil and hints of fish flavour. The
fish component adds umami and the garlic oil gives it complexity. They use thin
firm noodles and it’s topped with ajitama, chashu, bean sprouts, scallions,
fungus and nori.
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| Tsukemen |
The tsukemen here is
outstanding! A powerful set of Shoyu gyokai tonkotsu dipping broth, thick
noodles, tender kakuni pork rib, menma, ajitama, bean sprouts, nori, and
shallots. The perfect dipping broth is more intense in consistency and flavour.
The lemon squeezed onto the noodles helps cut through that intensity.
Manpuku
482 Anzac Parade,
Kingsford NSW 2032
Ryo’s Noodles
Ryo’s is the OG of Sydney ramenyas. Just like
Gumshara, it has its own cult following and the original Crows Nest shop would
have a queue most of the time. They cover all of the classics from a classic
shoyu shuka soba to gyokai tonkotsu. If you hate queues, I suggest heading out
to their Bondi Junction shop.
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| Gyokai tonkotsu |
Ryo's Noodles
Crows Nest: 125 Falcon St, Crows Nest NSW
2065
Bondi Junction: 106 Ebley St, Bondi Junction
NSW 2022
Rising Sun Workshop
Last but not least is Nick Smith’s ramen at his hybrid eatery and motorcycle workshop,
The Rising Sun Workshop. He truly gets the essence of ramen construction: Each
component plays a role and layer to work towards a perfect bowl of ramen. My go
to ramen choices here are his The Light and his breakfast ramen.
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| The Light |
The Light is a shio (salt) based ramen with
springy ramen noodles, kurobuta belly chashu,
menma, pickled mushroom, greens (kale in this case), green onion, and the best
ajitama (marinated soft-boiled egg). The chintan broth contains notes of chicken and
fish with hints of smokiness and medium level umami. It’s
an easy on the palate type of ramen but with layers and components that give so
much flavour and joy.
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| Breakfast ramen |
Then there’s Nick’s super innovative breakfast ramen that you won’t find
anywhere else in Sydney at the moment. This bowl has a comforting concoction of
buttered toast broth, springy ramen noodles, crispy smoky bacon, egg and
grilled tomato. It is full of umami with so much depth. It’s a true East and West
fusion that works well.
Rising Sun Workshop
1C Whateley St,
Updated (20 July 2017):
Ramen Zundo
My other go to place for Tsukemen is Ramen Zundo in World Square. You
won't miss it when you walk down the alleyway near Liverpool Street. Just look
for the lanterns near the courtyard!
Their standard tsukemen ($13.90) is pretty solid. I normally like to add
extra slices of chashu (3pcs for $4.80). The thick dipping broth is gyokai
tonkotsu. The fish flavour is not so prominent but just enough to give it the
broth some umami boost. There are also pieces of pork within the dipping broth.
I really love the bouncy thicker glossy noodles that they use for their
tsukemen. The noodles is perfect for dipping as it handles the broths thick
consistency well.
Shop 10.30 World Square
644 George St
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: 02 9264 6113
Hours: Monday to Sunday 11:45am - 9:45pm
Ramen O-san
I didn't include O-san in this list previously due to the original shop at Dixon House closed down at the time and it was uncertain whether they will re-open. A few months ago,
this tonkotsu ramen specialist relocated at Ikkyu's old spot at the
Sussex Centre Food Court. It was a very joyous news in the Sydney ramen world.
My go to ramen here are their kurume tonkotsu ramen and seafood tonkotsu
ramen.
The kurume tonkotsu ($10 for
small, $12 for large) is their most standard tonkotsu ramen. They use
medium thick noodles that are firm and perfectly cooked. The super kotteri pork
broth has a shoyu based tare and quite heavy heavy on back fat. The chashu at
Osan is always super tasty especially with its caramelised bits! It's extra for the egg but it certainly elevates
the ramen experience. The egg is slightly flavoured, the whites are firm
and but the yolk remains custardy.
The seafood tonkotsu ($13.50 for
small, $16.50 for large) is insane! The highlight here is the shoyu gyokai
tonkotsu broth, which is heavy on fish flavour (possibly a blend of niboshi and
katsuobushi). Almost reminds me of Nagi in Golden Gai's niboshi ramen. The
broth has depth from the smoky fish flavour and packed with umami. Topped with chashu, menma, diced onions for some sweet notes and baby spinach.
Shop F1A, Sussex Centre
401 Sussex Street
Haymarket NSW 2000
Hours:
Monday to Sunday 12:00pm - 8.30pm
Cool Mac Cafe
These guys are new in the game but are slaying it with their ramen
weekly specials served normally on a Sunday or Friday. The chef Jun-san is from Kumamoto, Kyushu so you can expect amazing
thick broths from his bowls!
Their tonkotsu ramen ($16)
ticks all the boxes for a great bowl of kotteri ramen: smooth thick gravy-like
pork bone broth with a good shoyu tare for a robust depth and umami, a nice
amount of negi and chewy braised shio menma for a dash of sweetness, thick
tender juicy chashu, perfectly flavoured ajitama with custardy yolk, nori and
chewy curly noodles.
Then there's the torigara ramen
($16). This awesome bowl has wavy style noodles and creamy emulsified
chicken soup with shio tare topped with chilli braised menma, tender sous vide
chicken chashu, hanjuku tamago, loads of sweet negi and nori. The salt tare
brought the most optimal chicken flavour out of the chicken broth. The broth
had more complexity than depth. Umami flavour is on point.
Shop 2, 34 Burton St
Kirribilli NSW
Hours:
Mon to Fri 6am to 3.30pm
Sat & Sun 7am to
4pm
UPDATED (June 2018)
UPDATED (June 2018)
Osaka Trading Co.
I’ve had
nothing but love for this restaurant since the early days of Tramsheds Sydney.
I love them even more now that they have launched their Ramen Project. Osaka
Trading has ramen offerings for lunch every day and for dinner on Mondays. They
have 3 ramen options on offer: Soy ramen, tantanmen and a soy mustard ramen.
I highly
recommend their tantanmen ($15). It’s
a sesame and chilli based tare in a chicken pork broth ramen topped with
sweet-flavoured minced pork and bok choy. They use the classic wavy noodles and
are cooked medium (just a tad more soft than al dente). The broth has a bit of
heat but not too spicy with strong umami. It also had some sweet and nutty
notes to cut through that richness. It’s almost quite heavy on the fat but hey,
you need a good amount of fat to make a good tantanmen afterall! I asked for an
extra tasty ajitama on mine!
TRAMSHEDS,
1 Dalgal Way
Forest
Lodge NSW
Ramen
lunch: Mon to Sat 11.30am to 2.30pm, Sun
12pm to 3pm.
Ramen
Dinner: 5:30pm to 9.30pm
Hakatamaru
Whilst the
original shop in Market City has closed, they have two others in Chatswood and
a new one in North Sydney. As the name states, their ramen is based on
Hakata-style ramen which is milky tonkotsu broth with thin firm noodles, more
than usual green onions and kikurage (wood ear mushrooms).
My go to is
their basic shio tonkotsu ramen ($9.80).
It’s a solid and straight up bowl of no-nonsense Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen.
The noodles are cooked katame (al dente). It’s topped with tasty fatty slices
of chashu, green onions, nori, menma and kikurage. The shio ramen brings out
the porky goodness of the milky broth. Not too heavy on the fat but that works
for the broth. So simple but so damn good! This is still my favourite
Hakata-style ramen in Sydney to date.
Chatswood shop:
1/475
Victoria Ave,
Chatswood
NSW
7 Days
11.30 - 2.30pm, 5.00pm - 8:30pm
North Sydney Shop:
Hawkers
Village
18/100
Miller St
North
Sydney NSW
7 Days
11:30am to 7:30pm
Spanish Sakaba
Iwao-san
(owner and head chef) normally does a fusion of Spanish, Japanese and Hawaiian
dishes in his restaurant for dinner time. But every weekday for lunch, he
brings out the heat with his ramen offerings.
My favourite has got to be their Miso ramen ($18.80). It’s a massive
bowl of beef and chicken broth ramen with slow cooked miso tare, aburi chashu,
bean sprouts, onsen egg, negi, garlic chives, shichimi, sesame seeds and
butter. Noodles were cooked katame. Spices and umami were super well-balanced.
The fermented taste of the miso wasn’t too pronounced, which really works well
in this bowl. Broth consistency was light to medium. Chashu was super tender
and flavoursome.
Their oxtail ramen ($16.80) is another regular on the lunch menu.
It’s a Hawaiian style ramen with medium thick noodles in a bold beef broth that
was reminiscent of Vietnamese pho and Filipino beef nilaga (Braised beef hot
pot). It was topped with coriander leaves, negi and braised fatty buttery ox
tail meat. This dish is very Japanese in concept but with core Pacific island
flavours.
537
Willoughby Rd,
Willoughby
NSW
Ramen
lunch hours: Mon to Fri 11.30am - 2.30pm
Gaku Robata Grill
Chef Haru Inukai has recently opened
a new Japanese robata grill restaurant with Chef Shimon Hanakura in the heart
of Darlinghurst called Gaku. It will be serving mouthwatering grilled meats,
modern izakaya style dishes and a solid range of Japanese sake for dinner. But
every lunch time, Gaku is a ramenya.
The yuzu duck ramen ($17) is like no other in Sydney. The broth
consists of hints of yuzu citrus flavour from the jus, which brings out this
nice smoky duck flavour and some peppery notes in the duck consommé-style
broth. The bouncy noodles are cooked somewhere between katame and medium. It’s
topped with tasty sous vide duck, duck meatballs, sweet and crispy fried
burdock sticks. It’s quite an innovative bowl in my opinion and a good example
of Haru’s expertise in modern refined-style ramen.
The chicken tonkotsu ramen ($16) is more of a classic. A bowl with broth that’s
rich in umami and heavy on the chiyu (fat) but not too dense in consistency.
The aburi chashu here is extremely good! Both fatty, smoky and flavoursome.
This is probably my favourite between the two bowls. It’s also topped with
negi, flavoursome half ajitama and fried burdock.
132
Darlinghurst Rd,
Darlinghurst
NSW
Ramen
lunch: 7 days 12pm - 2pm
52-54 Albion Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Opening Hours:
7 Days
11:30am to 2:30pm, 5:30pm to 9:00pm
Gogyo
The Ippudo group has
graced Sydney with Gogyo Ramen’s presence in our great city.
The ex-Salaryman spot was taken over by Gogyo. I have fond memories of their Kyoto shop. Their signature Kogashi (burnt)
shoyu and miso ramen has so much umami and smokiness that you are sure to leave
their shop amazed. If
you sit by the counter, you can watch the chefs char, caramelised or burn
(whatever you want to call it) the miso or soy tare that’s used in their
Kogashi ramen.
The Kogashi miso ramen ($18) is my favourite
at the Kyoto shop and is also my favourite here. I feel like the miso carries
the sweet smoky profile better and bursts with more intense umami in the
chicken broth. My only criticism is that the broth could be heavier and more
dense just like the Kyoto shop’s version and the egg yolk in the half umami egg
(or ajitama) could be a tad more runny. Having said that, the broth still has
amazing flavours and the chashu is still delicious and tender. The thin katame
low hydration noodles here handles the heavy broth extremely well. Love the
bite on their katame noodles. You also get toppings like nori, cabbage and
naruto (fish cake).
The Kogashi shoyu ramen ($18) on
the other hand is a little more light on the palate with nutty notes in the
broth but still packs umami. Thin katame (al dente) noodles is also used and
topped with half umami egg, cabbage, naruto and nori.
52-54 Albion Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Opening Hours:
7 Days
11:30am to 2:30pm, 5:30pm to 9:00pm
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