Ichibandori Japanese Restaurant - Neutral Bay

Neutral Bay is known as Sydney’s Japanese central and is also one of my favourite suburbs for obvious reasons. Many Sydneysiders will be familiar with renowned sushi chef Tomoyuki Matsuya (ex Hana-jurin). Tomo-san recently took over a Japanese bistro on Military Road called Ichibandori (which means “No.1 Chicken” in Japanese).

This cozy bistro showcases Japanese izakaya-style sharing dishes, to sashimi, robatayaki (grilled dishes) and ramen! The ramen side will be mainly looked after by none other than ramen master Hide Suzuki (ex head chef of Manpuku ramen). One little tip, the shop entrance is actually on Ben Boyd Road (between Military and Cheal Lane).

The kingfish carpaccio ($21) was absolutely beautiful. Fresh kingfish sashimi dressed with a light soy based sauce with sweet, tangy and umami notes.

The gyozas ($9) were perfectly seasoned with that caramelised crust that we all love. The filling was juicy and flavoursome with hints of ginger.

During one of their soft opening days, I got to try their massive bowl of Asari clams shio ramen. This was probably the most refined bowl of ramen that I’ve had in Sydney to date. It was legit! The bowl was priced at $25, which in my honest opinion is a bit pricey for a bowl of ramen. But, the price is justified by the premium toppings and ingredients that went into it. Thin modern Tokyo style noodles cooked yawarakame or soft to match the light chintan chicken and pork broth. The broth had so much complexity and umami for a light broth. That’s thanks to a shio tare seasoning that consists of over 14 secret ingredients to give it depth. There’s also smoky and umami notes from the toppings: clams and robata vegetables (various mushrooms and broccolini). I loved the crunch from the grilled matsutake mushroom. If that’s not enough to make it premium, it’s also topped with Pepe Saya butter and a spritz of sake to finish it off. Let’s not forget the premium roasted nori, menma and the most perfect flavoursome ajitsuke tamago (yolk was slightly runny, just the way I like it).

The Ramen Ichibandori sessions will be a partnership between Tomo-san and Hide-san. They will start doing ramen on a daily basis (except Sunday & public holidays) from 9pm (yes, that’s supper) till late starting from the 6th of February 2019. Customers will
be ablen choose from 2 or more types of ramen every night.

I expected nothing less from two of Sydney’s best Japanese chefs. I’m already planning my next visit which is hopefully in the next few days.

Ichibandori Robata and Ichibandori Ramen
4/81-91 Military Road
Neutral Bay NSW
Hours:
6pm till late Mon-Saturday (please check their instagram accounts for more updates)
Instagram: https://instagram.com/kuririn_tomo
https://instagram.com/ramen_ichibandori

Ramen Megumi by O-san, Neutral Bay

O-san Ramen is loved by many ramen nerds like myself. It could be due to the vibrant flavours Chef Oh puts into his bowls or just how well executed his innovative ramen offerings are. I’ve got some good news for the people of the North! One of Sydney’s tonkotsu ramen masters has opened a new shop at Sydney’s Japanese cuisine central.

Tucked away near Waters Road in Neutral Bay (near Woolworths) is Ramen Megumi by Osan. An ex-sushi place converted to a ramenya. The space reminds me of a small izakaya and a bit like Tenkaippin (a famous chicken paitan ramen chain in Japan). They have just opened last weekend so the menu is still limited. Having said that, there are still great offerings such as classic tonkotsu ramen, gyokai (seafood) tonkotsu ramen and different variations of chicken paitan ramen. Curry rice plates, udon, katsu don and chashu rice bowls are also available. 

 Sides like gyoza (5 pieces for $6.50), karaage chicken (3 pieces for $5 and 5 pieces for $8), edamame ($5), fries ($5) and takoyaki (5 pieces for $5) are also available.

We couldn’t resist ordering their special soy flavoured gyokai tonkotsu ramen ($14). Chef Oh-san tends to make this type of ramen heavier on the fish side without overpowering the pork flavours and that’s how team Ramen Raff loves it. The blend of smoked snapper head and bonito gave the broth deep smoky and umami flavours. The broth has a good amount of fat but it is still easy to slurp. The noodles were thin and cooked futsu (medium). Toppings include menma, negi, onions, spinach and chashu that was tender, sweet and slightly smoky.

We also tried their spicy tori paitan ramen ($12). This is the first time I’ve tried a variation chicken paitan by O-san. It’s almost like a Japanese ramen x Thai cuisine type fusion ramen. Whilst it wasn’t as creamy as how I prefer my tori paitan broth to be, the combination of spicy, umami and sour flavours were really good. It was topped with onions, leek, negi, capsicum and tender chicken thigh pieces. Medium cooked thin noodles were also used in this ramen.

You can also order add-ons like ajitsuke tamago, extra chashu, menma etc. I can’t wait to see what other new things they will be bringing onto the menu.

Ramen Megumi
Shop 4, 4-8 Waters Rd
Neutral Bay NSW

Soft opening hours (subject to change):
Monday to Friday
12pm to 8pm
Saturday and Sunday
12pm to 3pm