Rising Sun Workshop, Newtown

EDIT: Rising Sun Workshop has now moved to new premises on Whateley Street.

Motorbikes and ramen? It seems like an unlikely pairing but it somehow makes sense when you step inside Rising Sun Workshop, hidden in the back streets of Newtown. The looming warehouse has been home to an art gallery, yoga centre and even a coffin manufacturer, but right now it's home to the pop-up motorcycle workshop, Rising Sun.

The idea is that Rising Sun will provide a communal workshop space for motorcycle enthusiasts to fix, maintain and rebuild their machines. It's a concept modelled on similar motorcycle spaces in San Francisco, Vancouver and Melbourne, offering members space, tools and technical know-how. The name harks back to one of the site's original tenants, the Rising Sun Service Station - Australia's first drive-in garage.


The Darkness, The Light and The Monk ramen at Rising Sun Workshop

Rising Sun is more than a workshop space. They've set up a coffee shop and ramen bar as well. Chef Nick Smith (ex-Single Origin Roasters) is the lone ranger in the kitchen, sharing his ramen obsession with inner westies.


Chef and co-owner Nick Smith in the kitchen

It's a tiny space in the corner, but Smith has everything organised neatly. The ramen is cooked in wire baskets to his right. Behind him are the giant pots of simmering broth, ready for ladling.


Spanner docket holder

The dining room itself is a welcome burst of brightness and light, with a soaring ceiling overhead and buckets of sunshine streaming through the rolled-up garage doors. The tables are bright red, there's a huge mural on the back wall and there's plenty of space to manoeuvre. It's a world away from most other Japanese noodle bars, usually underground, noisy and crowded, with elbow-to-elbow style dining.


Placing the finishing touch: ajitsuke tamago or marinated soft boiled egg

With only one chef in the kitchen, don't expect your ramen to be bundled out in mere minutes. Even with orders backed up underneath his spanner, Smith is a picture of quiet concentration, sending out each bowl of ramen with considered care and attentiveness.


Ramen ready to go on the pass

The menu is distilled into three options: The Darkness, The Light and The Monk. The Darkness is described as "bones, earth and smoke", a dark rich broth made from pork tonkotsu, soy and smoked ham hocks.


The Light: Equal parts air and ocean $15

The Light - described as equal parts air and ocean - layers two types of stock: chicken and fish, made from bonito, kombu, mackerel and sardines. It's seasoned with three kinds of salt too, Italian truffle salt, black Hawaiian lava salt and pink salt from Australia's Murray River.

The broth doesn't have the heaviness of tonkotsu but there's a pleasant weightiness that comes from the chicken and fish soup.


The Monk: Walks a miso road $15

The Monk uses a miso broth for its base, proving that vegetarians and vegans don't always have to miss out on the fun. It's surprisingly hearty in flavour, resplendent in mushroomy umami notes, and has enough chilli powder on top to get your tastebuds firing.


Slurping time

The ramen noodles are a highlight, springy and firm with a satisfying chew. The only quibble is that the soup feels more lukewarm than hot, but that just means you can chow down your noodles without having to slurp noisily to cool them.


Barely set runny egg yolk

And then there's the masterpiece that is the ajitsuke tamago or marinated boiled egg. The golden yolk is undercooked to a barely set stickiness, worth savouring in one mouthful for ultimate bliss.

Pork slices come with both The Darkness and The Light, thick slabs of fat-ribboned pork belly that fall apart in the mouth. Then there are the slices of shiitake mushroom, pickled bamboo shoots, greens, shallots and the semi-submerged nori seaweed sheet.


Egg and bacon scrolls by Strawberry Fields Patisserie in Dulwich Hill

If you're still hungry or looking for takeaway, the egg and bacon scrolls (supplied by Strawberry Fields Patisserie in Dulwich Hill) are a tempting mobile package. They're the only pastry brought in. All other cakes and pastries on display are made inhouse by co-founder and resident baker, Dimity Genaus.


Dark chocolate cake with salted caramel buttercream

The three-tiered dark chocolate cake with cherry on top had my eye from the moment I walked in the door, and even though your belly might be full of soup and ramen, there's always a little extra room for dessert.


Dark chocolate cake with salted buttercream $6.50

She's a beauty. The dark chocolate cake is sandwiched generously with layers of fluffy salted buttercream, but really the cake is so soft and moist, you could quite easily eat it on its own.


Single Origin strong flat white $4

Daniel Cesarano (ex-Single Origin Roasters and Melbourne's Seven Seeds) is the resident barista. They use Single Origin beans here, but Cesarano is also fond of running other beans he likes through the grinder.

Whatever you do, be quick. The pop-up only runs for another four weeks while they scout for a more permanent site. You can also sign their petition, urging Marrickville Council to amend zoning restrictions to allow hybrid business models (in this case a vehicle repair station and a cafe) in extended areas.

UPDATE 12/06/14: Rising Sun Workshop should now be open until at least September 2014






Rising Sun Workshop
36 Lennox Street, Newtown, Sydney
(corner Lennox Street and Mary Street)

Ramen bar 
Lunch daily:11.30am-3pm
Dinner Thursday to Sunday: 5.30pm-7.30pm 

Coffee and cake 
7am-4pm daily

EDIT: Rising Sun Workshop has now moved to new premises on Whateley Street.


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