Ryo's Noodles, Crows Nest

Deep-fried soft shell crab $5.50

I'm a bit of a soft shell crab fan. The version at Ryo's is a winner.

The deep-fried crustacean is larger in size than most, a tangle of legs covered in bubbles of light golden batter. The increased size meants that once you've nibbled your way past the crisp crunchy shell, sighing with happiness as you go, a reward of crab meat awaits, a gift from the gods that is pure, white and sweet.


Ramen noodles in miso pork stock soup $10.50

We had to join the queue for a table tonight at Ryo's. Thankfully the wait isn't long. Like most Japanese noodle houses, customers tend to slurp-and-run.

We take our seats and within minutes our orders are taken. I'm on the water run, filling up bright plastic tumblers from the water chiller on the counter and couriering them over to our table.

Triangles of onigiri rice balls are the first to arrive, compact triangles of rice filled with cod roe or roast pork and covered in roasted nori seaweed sheets. The roast pork is tastier, fine slivers of sweetened meat dispersed throughout the vinegared rice.


Japanese-style miso bolognaise sauce noodles $11.00

I slurp away happily on a steaming bowl of ramen noodles in miso pork stock soup. The soup is rich with pork gelatins, made heartier with the addition of miso. The noodles are firm and springy, my chopsticks wandering happily between strips of baby leek, chopped scallions, toasted sesame seeds, pickled bamboo shoots, slices of fish cake emblazoned with swirls of hot pink, and a boiled egg half, its yolk soft and yellow.

Japanese-style miso bolognaise sauce noodles make an appearance. It's another salty but addicitive combination, the finely cooked pork mince swaddled in a dense sauce that is sweet, salty and umami.


Endorsed by Iron Chef French, Hiroyuki Sakai

We pay our respects to the testimonial wall, a display of endorsements first noted by Not Quite Nigella. A testimonial by Iron Chef French, Hiroyki Sakai, is surely the highest accolade of them all!


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Ryo's Noodles (also known as Ryo Tei)
125 Falcon Street, Crows Nest, Sydney
(corner of West Street)
Tel: +61 (02) 9955 0225

Open Thursday to Tuesday (closed Wednesdays)
Lunch 12.00pm-2.30pm
Dinner 5.00pm-10.00pm

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