Sydney's Top 15 Ramen Dishes

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Edited 21 Jan 2009: GYF reader YZ has kindly translated the entire article so it all makes sense now. The article is about Sydney's top 15 ramen dishes, each pictured and with an accompanying blurb. Translated text has been added in green below. Thanks so much YZ, and GYF reader AN, who also provided translations of the dish names.

Been curious about the list of Sydney's top 15 ramen dishes we've been hunting down, as recommended by Japanese magazine Cheers?

Here's your handy reference guide. The list was published in August 2008, and ~~as far as I can tell~~, this article recommends 15 different ramen dishes ~~- my Japanese is limited to hiragana and katakana so any translations (the named dishes? anything worth noting in the accompanying blurbs) gratefully accepted~~ (translations received - thank you GYF readers YZ and AN!).

I have decoded the restaurant names though and I think I have the trading hours down correctly. Please leave your feedback on your experiences at any of the places listed, or perhaps suggest a venue which has been overlooked that you think deserves attention.

Click on the pics to view large.

Please note: The list is not numbered, nor ranked, but I'm adding numbers for reference convenience.

HAPPY NOODLING!

1. MENYA
Shop TG8, 8 Quay Street, Haymarket Chinatown, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9212 1020

Open Monday to Friday 11.30am-3pm and 5pm-9.30pm,
Saturday and Sunday 11.30am-4pm and 5pm-9.30pm

Recommended dish: MEGA RAMEN (super size ramen)
"Mega ramen with soup that has been simmered for a long time with a double serve of noodles as well as egg, pork and fried chicken."

New store now open on Market Street

GYF visited: September 2006

~~~

2. SUN-SUN (formerly Ten-Sun)
Shop 1, Crows Nest Plaza
103 Willoughby Road, Crows Nest, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9906 2956

Open 7 days for lunch and dinner
Lunch 12pm-3pm (Saturday and Sunday till 5pm)
Dinner 5.30pm-9pm (Sunday till 8pm)

Recommended dish: PIRIKARA MISO RAMEN (spicy miso ramen)
"Spicy miso vegetable ramen with cabbage, chinese cabbage, bean sprouts, carrots, choy sum and corn, a veritable rainbow of vegetables in a pork and fish stock."

~~~

3. TON-TON
Level 1, Chifley Plaza, 2 Chifley Square, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9222 9960

Open Monday to Friday 9.30am-5.30pm
Menu

Recommended dish: GEKIKARA RAMEN (super spicy ramen)
"Super spicy ramen with a high quality pork bone stock base with chilli and Korean chilli sauce [gochujang?] as well as abalone XO sauce and shallots"

Ton-Ton2 now open near George Street cinemas.

~~~

4. TOKYO RAMEN
Shop 1042
Hornsby Westfield Shopping Centre
236 Pacific Highway, Hornsby, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9987 2688

Open Monday to Sunday 9am-5.30 pm (Thursday till 9pm)
Menu

Recommended dish: NEGI MISO RAMEN (miso ramen with shallot)
"Miso shallot ramen in a soup with a secret recipe. A little spicy with the crunch of shallots and smooth miso."

GYF visited: December 2008 - and tried it

~~~

5. ICHI BAN BOSHI
Level 2, The Galeries Victoria, 500 George Street, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9262 7677

Open Monday to Sunday 11am - 9pm
Menu

Recommended dish: TANTAN MEN
"The sesame flavour balances out the sweetness and the spice in this Japanese interpretation of a traditional Szechuan noodle dish."

GYF visited: February 2008 and August 2005

~~~

6. 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

Recommended dish: RYO-TEI SPECIAL (Ryo's special noodle)
"Ryo-Tei Special with the deep flavour of pork bone stock and a little spice served with tender pork and melt-in-your-mouth soft boiled egg."

GYF visited: March 2008, August 2007 and July 2007

~~~

7. MOMIJI
303 Pitt Street, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9283 3835

Open Monday to Friday 12pm-5pm
Ramen finishes at 2.30pm

Recommended dish: GOMA KARA RAMEN (Spicy sesame ramen)
"Spicy sesame ramen with a fish stock soup base."

~~~

8. KENTA
81 Military Road, Neutral Bay, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9953 5422

Open for lunch Wednesday to Sunday 12pm-2pm
Dinner Tuesday to Sunday 6pm-10pm
Closed on Mondays

Recommended dish: DONGURO RAMEN (specially created for Cheers magazine)
"Pitch black ramen with a bouillabaise soup base, flavoured with tomato and basil and topped with sun dried tomatoes."

~~~

9. RAMEN KAN
Level 1, 90 Hay Street, Haymarket Chinatown, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9211 6677

Sun-Thu 11.30am-10pm
Fri-Sat 11.30am-10pm

Recommended dish: NEGI CHASHU RAMEN (Shallot and roast pork ramen)
"Double the size of a normal ramen topped with many slices of pork, egg and shallots in a pork bone stock soup base."

GYF visited: August 2005 and November 2004

~~~

10. ZENYA NOODLE BAR
217 Rowe St, Eastwood, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9874 2122

Opening hours:
Lunch Tuesday to Sunday 11.30am-3pm
Dinner Tuesday to Sunday 5.30pm-9.30pm (til 10pm on Fri & Sat)
Closed on Mondays

Recommended dish: KOGASHI NINNIKU RAMEN (Garlic ramen)
"The soup base is made from boiling a pig's head for 15 hours [!]. Topped with thick slices of pork, egg, shallots and other goodies."

GYF visited: January 2009

~~~

11. KOMACHI
Shop 1, 426 Cleveland Street, Surry Hills, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9319 6554

Open Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 11am-10pm
Friday and Saturday 11am-11pm
Closed on Tuesdays
Menu

Recommended dish: ZASAI RAMEN (Chinese pickled vegetable ramen)
"Za-sai (Chinese pickled vegetable) ramen in a chicken stock soup base with salt-flavoured ramen. The noodles are made in-house from a blend of two types of flour."

~~~

12. RAMEN CONDOR
Shop 1, 5 York Street, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9299 8686

Open Sunday to Friday 11.30am-10pm
Closed on Saturdays

Recommended dish: MABO RAMEN (Mapo tofu ramen)
"A Japanese-flavoured take on Chinese cuisine, this spicy ramen is topped with soft tofu."

~~~

13. GOSHU RAMEN TEI
Shop 2, 5 York Street, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9290 3745

Open Monday to Saturday 11am-10pm
Closed on Sundays

Recommended dish: GOMOKU RAMEN (Five flavour or combination ramen)
"This soup base is a mix of chicken and pork bone stock topped with a variety of stir-fried vegetables, pork, prawns and an egg."

~~~

14. AJISEN RAMEN
94 Hay Street, Haymarket Chinatown, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9211 8380

Open Monday to Sunday 12pm-2pm and 6pm-10pm

Recommended dish: PAIKU-MEN (Special tonkotsu ramen)
"Fall-off-the-bone pork ribs top this pork bone stock ramen in a dish which originates from Kumamoto, Japan."

GYF visited: January 2008

~~~

15. UMAIMON
Shop 5, 51 Druitt St
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone (02) 9283 0606

Monday to Friday 11am-10pm
Saturdays and public holidays 12pm-10pm

Recommended dish: BEEF STEW RAMEN
"Beef that has been braised for two days is served with vegetables on top of this ramen with a miso based soup that has been created from a secret recipe."

GYF visited: October 2008

~~~

Do you agree with the above?
And can anyone read Japanese :)

This changes everything! I now have 14 specific ramen dishes to track down and sample :)

Leave a comment if you've tried any of the dishes above, and come back to this post if you do so in the future.

AN says: "I have been to all and I like Ryo-tei's Tonkotsu syoyu ramen the best or Kogashi ninniku ramen from Ajisen."

29 comments - Add some comment love

posted by Helen (Grab Your Fork) on 1/20/2009 12:31:00 am

29 Comments:

At 1/20/2009 10:45 am, Anonymous said…

I can read Japanese - I'll be happy to translate the blurbs if you like and email them to you.
At 1/20/2009 11:33 am, hazchem said…

I'm not going to pretend to have been to every place on the list, but Ten-sun in Crow's Nest is a regular haunt of mine. I keep meaning to make it around the rest of the food court but haven't gotten past Ten Sun and the Singaporean place next to it
At 1/20/2009 3:03 pm, Anonymous said…

I'll second Ten-Sun. I still prefer Ryo's, but Ten-Sun's weekend lunch hours are much more accommodating, especially if you get a bit of a late start. Still, having both in the neighbourhood makes us a bit spoilt for choice. :)
At 1/20/2009 4:37 pm, Anonymous said…

They forgot Genki Ramen in Artarmon!
At 1/20/2009 7:23 pm, Anonymous said…

Ooh some new ones that I haven't heard of. I feel like I'm keeping up though having been to 7 of them!
At 1/20/2009 8:22 pm, Y said…

Good to have a list at hand. Thanks for sharing, Helen :)
At 1/20/2009 8:48 pm, Anonymous said…

I'd also recommend Ramen Tei in Chatswood - definitely worth a a visit.
At 1/20/2009 11:11 pm, Anonymous said…

Hmm some that I agree but some that I disagree as well but I really must try the others like Zenya! Thx for posting this up ^^!
At 1/21/2009 1:14 am, Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

Hi Zhongie - That would be fantastic, but only if you have the time/inclination :) You can email me via grabyourfork --at--yahoo com au. Thanks so much for volunteering!

Hi hazchem - Sounds like I'm going to have to head to Ten-Sun soon. Thanks for letting me know :)

Hi Amanda - Another vote for Ten-Sun! Weekend lunch sounds reasonably do-able. I'm sure I'll be able to find some willing volunteers!

Hi Teresa - True true. I haven't been there (hmmm... have you noticed I live south of the Bridge!) but that's another one I keep hearing about!

Hi Lorraine - You've done very well. I think between the two of us we've got them all covered :) It's good to have a list though. Easy way to tick them all off!

Hi Y - Thanks and you're welcome. After I mentioned the list last time there were so many queries I thought I'd better post it up for everyone to see :)

Hi Kathleen - Ooh another new one. Thanks for letting me know. This will keep me busy with plenty of noodling venues to try!

Hi FFichiban - Let me know which ones you agree and disagree with. Always keen to hear other peoples' opinions!
At 1/21/2009 1:18 pm, Anonymous said…

Great post!! I was hoping you'd put this up Helen. Been to 7 of them, nice to have another 8 to do now!! I think my favourites so far are Ryo's, Ramen Kan and Menya. I agree Ramen Tei and Genki should be added ...
At 1/21/2009 4:12 pm, shenie said…

It seems Ten Sun is now called Sun Sun. Not sure what's the deal with it.
At 1/21/2009 9:23 pm, Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

Hi noodleboy - I've updated the post. Seems like the article actually highlights 15 specific ramen dishes which are now detailed above.

I think that Ramen Tei and Genki still warrant some investigation though :)

Hi Shenie - Thanks for letting me know. I've updated the post. Perhaps it's a change of owner?
At 1/22/2009 4:31 pm, Anonymous said…

Now can you get them to do a Melbourne article as well? =)
At 1/22/2009 6:03 pm, Anonymous said…

Long time lurker, first time poster.

Great post AG, now I have some trying out to do!

And no they didn't leave out Genki Ramen - that place has gone downhill since I first tried it in 2003.

Have given it a few chances and have always left disappointed.

Definitely can't hold a candle to the likes of Ichi-ban boshi, Menya and Ajisen
At 1/23/2009 12:56 am, Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

Hi Cin - lol. I haven't seen the original mag and googling it came up with nothing. Maybe you can contact your local Japanese community papers and pitch it to them :)

Hi Max - Hurrah! Thanks for de-lurking! I always love comments, especially first-time commenters!

I've done a survey of some friends who've been to Genki and they were a bit blase about it too. I guess the only way to find out is to try it myself, but thanks for your feedback. Always good to hear everyone's opinions. Gives us all a better picture.

ps. Keep 'em comments coming :)
At 1/23/2009 6:17 pm, Anonymous said…

Ten-Sun/Sun-Sun is a fantastic, pretty old-school style ramen shop. Love it.

Zenya in Eastwood is also pretty good, but Sun-Sun is a real personal favourite.

Love the blog, love the top 15 Ramen dishes. I know have a personal challenge to pursue.
At 1/25/2009 11:00 am, Anonymous said…

mmm I feel like ramen right now! My mum ALWAYS gets the garlic ramen at Zenya. I tried the garlic bits by itself. It just tastes like burnt... things!

I've just decided. I'm going to go on a mission and try all the ramen on that list! come? :P
At 1/25/2009 5:06 pm, Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

Hi Ben - Thanks for your input. Sun-Sun favouritism duly noted :) And hope you complete the challenge - it's a tasty one regardless!

Hi Teresa - Hell yeah! I'm ready when you are!
At 2/18/2009 11:59 pm, Anonymous said…

ahoy, you need to go to onramen behind the capitol theatre. you like spicy and hot? try the stewed tongue ramen. you can thank me later!
At 2/21/2009 8:45 pm, Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

Hi fueledbyramen - Stewed tongue ramen? That sounds right up my alley! Thanks for the tip. Will have to try to follow it up!
At 8/05/2009 4:30 pm, Anonymous said…

Excellent job done! But ariszen ramen is not japanese, its more chinese I felt. Eastwood zenya ramen is always my fav of all time! Thanks guys for the list, need to follow up for the next few weeks
At 8/06/2009 8:10 pm, Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

Hi Anon - Lists are always subjective so there'll always be under contention. Hope you have fun noodling and do let me know your thoughts on what you find :)
At 8/21/2009 9:40 am, Belinda said…

While googling, I came across this list of Sydney Janese Restaurants on JStyle

http://www.25today.com/jstyle/news_misc/issue08/topics/info/info.pdf

Now I wonder how many of these places have you tried. ;)
At 8/21/2009 11:06 pm, Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

Hi Belinda - Thanks for the link. I don't think I've made it to all of the restaurants on there yet!
At 1/30/2010 5:45 pm, Erac said…

Wonderful list! However, I strongly feel that you have missed out one particularly amazing ramen restaurant. The name is Ryo's Noodles and is at 125 Falcon St
Crows Nest 2065 NSW.
All their noodle soups have a real authentic taste to them, with each dish containing a different stock and type of noodle.
I would highly recommend it!
At 2/04/2010 12:39 am, Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

Hi Erac - Ryo's Noodles has been included. It's at number 6 listed as Ryo Tei, and I agree, I think it's probably my favourite ramen shop in Sydney :)
At 4/23/2011 8:55 pm, Anonymous said…

This can't be a complete list without the one in eating world chinatown!
At 5/04/2011 2:39 am, Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

Hi Anon - This article was compiled before Gumshara opened, I think, but I agree, it's definitely worth heading there for a ramen fix.
At 6/19/2012 3:04 pm, Alice said…

My husband and I can't live without Gumshara's tonkotsu ramen! Although I must say we are more careful to introduce someone into Gumshara, because we noticed it's not everyone's cup of tea.