G25 Postal Lane, GPO, 350 Bourke Street
Phone unknown at this stage
As most of our regular readers know, I am obsessed with authentic Japanese ramen. It was my favourite dish during my trip to Japan last year, highlights of which included the Shin Yokohama Raumen Museum and the mighty Jiro Ramen. By authentic, I mean a full bodied broth that doesn’t skimp on flavours (usually from a good dose of abura, or fat); perfectly cooked hand-made noodles with bite; and quality toppings such as melt-in-your mouth fatty chasu pork. To date, I have not sampled any ramen in Melbourne that is exactly how it is in Japan. Some come close, like Kenzan GPO, Momotaro Ramen, and Ajisen Ramen, but they always seem to fall down in some respect, whether it be the broth, noodles, toppings or a combo of all three. Imagine my excitement when I read in the Age Epicure that a new ramen shop was opening right next to Kenzan GPO, in the space previously occupied by Nostro Baretto. Ramen-Ya has been opened for about a week. We walked by it yesterday and, despite already having had lunch, we just had to sample a bowl!
As you can see in the sign above, Ramen-Ya claims to specialise in Hakata ramen, a style that originated on the island of Kyushu and which is characterised by a flavoursomely rich tonkotsu (pork) broth. It’s quite renowned throughout Japan, and Mellie and I sampled some in Yokohama and Kyoto. One thing that I’d have to disagree with the sign is that slurping is not optional. It is compulsory! 
By agreement with Kenzan GPO, Ramen-Ya does not offer any sushi, sashimi or don rice dishes, which may seem a bit anti-competitive but then again, true ramen shops in Japan do not offer these things as well. Ramen-Ya does serve gyoza dumplings, which is a popular accompaniment to ramen in Japan, as well as Japanese fried rice. The location, down a covered alleyway next to the GPO, is quite pleasant and seating is abundant. Two types of broth are offered – shoyu (soya sauce) or tonkotsu – with a number of toppings including chashu, minced chicken, pork gyoza and seafood gyoza. Basic noodles are around $9.50 but you can get extra toppings ($2.50-$3). Ordering is done at the counter, where you will be issued with a number. Pity that they didn’t have a ticket vending machine as they do in Japan!
Mellie and I ordered a bowl of tonkotsu chashu ramen to share but, through confusion with the order, I believe that we got the shoyu version instead (see first picture). Being new, I think there is definite improvement to be made in the service. Nevertheless, we tucked in with gusto. As you can see from the pic, all the requisite toppings were present, including half a hard boiled egg, spring onions, Japanese fish cakes, wakame and Japanese veg. The ramen looked very similar to the shoyu ramen we had at Takayama. It was also the right size too; not too big and certainly not the monstrous serving that you get at Momotaro.
And the verdict on the taste? Well, I thought that it was very good indeed. It didn’t have the full flavour punch of the ramen in Japan, probably due to it being a much healthier version, but the broth was still very tasty and delicate. The thin noodles had a great bite to them, which I loved. There is nothing worse than soggy noodles, though personally I would have preferred them to be thicker. I’m not sure if they’re hand-made or not, but they’re quite good. A standout for us was the chashu, which had been slow-cooked to tenderness, and was almost reminiscent of slow braised brisket. Damn it was good! Surprisingly , it was also quite lean, unlike the fat overload of the chashu in Japan. Between the two of us, we polished off the whole bowl. We witnessed a guy at the next table demolish TWO bowls of ramen!! Sugoi!
It’s always great to see more ramen shops in Melbourne that aim to serve a more authentic version of this often misunderstood noodle dish. It’s still not the same as in Japan, but Ramen-Ya is certainly up there with the best ramens that I’ve had in Melbourne. Hopefully their service will improve with time, as there was a bit of confusion with the ordering, with waiters unsure about which tables ordered what dish. However, our noodles did arrive very quickly, albeit the wrong one I’ll definitely be back though, if only to try the tonkotsu ramen!
Hi, I am Tennen-Perman,E-mail from Japan.
I visited your site sometimes so far.
You have a cool site.
I linked your site in my blog.
I administer a blog talking about cooking.
Please link to my site in your ones if you like it.
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thank you!
Ee.. oishisou na!!
xox Sarah
Mmm, let me know the next time you two head there, I think I’ll tag along!
Tried the tonkotsu ramen today – it was a trifle salty for my taste (but I don’t even add salt to my chips, and I don’t like salted butter, so the saline level of the soup is probably perfectly fine), but otherwise excellent. It’s not as fatty as proper tonkotsu, but that’s probably all for the better. The soup was cloudier and a different brown to the soup in the picture, so I’m willing to bet that you guys got the shoyu by mistake!
Mellie
Have you visited http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/???
As you’d guess, it’s about the good, the bad and the ugly of cake making. One of the latest cakes, of a woman giving birth (I kid you not – geddit?) is not to be missed.
Caroline
Hey Caroline – oh dear…what travesty! (as is this!)
Hi Ramen-fiends!
I finally found the name of that crazy ramen shop in Tokyo. Ichiran! A friend took us there back in 2006 and it was a real experience. Machine like efficiency, facelesss interaction and the choice of customizing your own ramen to five different levels in all aspects including the springiness of the noodle, leek, spiciness etc. It was one of the better tasting ramen shops, but nothing beats the quirky experience.
check it out
http://www.tokyoessentials.com/ichiran-ramen.html
Good review!
I’m afraid I wasn’t so kind
Ramen-Ya
http://www.flickr.com/photos/avlxyz/sets/72157608931982410/
still… they do have the best fatty pork belly i’ve had in Melbourne, and i love Kenzan’s Winter Special Tonkotsu Ramen, Momotaro and Ajisen.
Kenzan’s Winter Special Tonkotsu Ramen
http://www.flickr.com/photos/avlxyz/2674268856/
Charshu Ramen – Momotaro
http://www.flickr.com/photos/avlxyz/2203416028/in/set-72157603923617728/
Ajisen Ramen
http://www.flickr.com/photos/avlxyz/197002531/
Hi
I went to Ramen Ya for lunch yesterday followed by Happy Kappa Japanese Noodle Shop at 421 Brunswick St. Lunch was excellent – minced chicken with chicken broth, but dinner was better. First, the guy that runs Happy Kappa is Japanese. He imports his noodles from Japan. Second, Ramen Ya, whilst good and tasty, is capitalising on us geijin’s ignorance and obsession with anything Japanese by claiming to be Melbourne’s only real ramen bar. This is nonsense, especially because it is not run by Japanese. I have been told that they simply purchased a recipe from Japan and this is their only ‘Japan’ connection. The guy from Kappa Ramen also said he has never heard of “seafood gyoza”. They still taste good. I would encourage everyone oto go eat some soup at Happy Kappa – it was deathly quiet when I was there. Eat eat drink, not too much, or you’ll vomit.
I think the Gyoza Tonkotsu Ramen is way better than the house special. It’s more filling. I had 6 Gyozas in mine…~ The soup was excellent. It’s a better Ramen place than the Ajisen~
If you think Ramen Ya is good that I really need to ask you 1 thing!!! Have you ever had ramen before?! I have never been able to say no to ramen and god helps me, I have never met a ramen I don’t like……. until I went to this “Ramen Ya”. It might have been a one off thing but by the gods, was that ever the worest food I have ever ate in my life!!!! The soup was ok at best yet the noodle is not meant to be consume by humans, it was either over due or its some real speical kind of ramen that I had never seen which taste more or less like over cooked rubber band. If your lucky stars shine up on you then keep on walking when you see this Ramen ya!!!
Dude/ Dudess .. These guys have had substantial ramen experience. Read the rest of the blog.
Ichiran looks great, Vince. What a strange concept though! Seems they are taking the customisation and private eating experience to a new level
Alpha, great photos as usual. Keep it up!
Thanks for the tip Jake
I’ve walked past Happy Kappa many times and will now definitely try it out! I’m a stickler for authenticity and agree with you that many places trade off on a Japanese look but are really not Japanese at all. By adhering to just one dish, Ramen-Ya is at least trying to do the Japanese specialisation thing, although they don’t have Japanese owners. I don’t mind non-Japanese doing Japanese food, so long as they do it well. For example, Charles Greenfield does some of the best sushi in Melbourne at Jamon Sushi and Adam from the Ueda Soko Ryu Japanese Tea Ceremony School does some very nice mochi (Japanese sweets) as well as beautiful kaiseki dishes.
Mangic, I’ve been fortunate to try ramen many times in Japan when I went there last year. This doesn’t qualify me as a ramen expert, but I believe that I know what I like. I’m sorry to hear of your experience at Ramen-Ya. I’ve been there twice now, and I didn’t think that the noodles were all that bad. Maybe you had a one-off experience, as you said? Remember, you could always specify exactly how you like your noodles cooked – soft, hard, etc.. Customisation is a big thing in Japan, as you can see in Vince’s link to Ichiran, so don’t hesitate to tell them exactly how you like your noodles to be cooked
I wish I could remember which Ramen I ordered, but basically it took AGES to come out, about 25 minutes. For something that already has a soup base made, I would think MAX turnaround time to be 10 minutes!
I also thought the soup was way too salty and i’m usually the one saying that something isn’t salty enough! Basically my verdict is that I won’t be going back, i’ll stick with the sushi next door at Kenzan!
Hey all,
Just want to share with you the experience I had last week at Ramen-Ya. And to “Mangic” I couldn’t agree with you more. And to ElegantGourmand, if the picture you posted is what you got, you are a very lucky person indeed.
After my experience at this horrible ramen bar I would just like to point out a couple of things.
1. Ramen Ya are replacing the Japanese ramen with chinese egg-noodle
2. The Broth is disgusting with a layer of oil about 2mm thick floating on top of the soup. While Tonkotsu broth contain fat/oil but not in such excess amount.
3. Being a “Tonkotsu” broth, I would expect a milkier colour.
4. The so called Chasu is in fact overcooked and completely lost its texture or what others would refer to as “bite”.
5. In fact the mysterious sauce in which the Chasu are being cooked in are the very reason the soup became so oily
6. And because the Chasu was not removed from the sauce and slightly dry off prior serving with the noodle, the excess sauce ruined the already poor soup base and made it saltier.
I never finished the Ramen, in fact not even half of it because I believe I should not torture my taste-bud in such manner.
So my conclusion is that if you gonna make the effort to go to Ramen-Ya please just take a couple of more steps and eat at Kenzan instead. (Save $ and save yourself from dissappointment)
And to the “want-to-be” Ramen Bar owner. Please don’t try to fool the Australians, exspecially Melbournian because we know our food. While you can make a quick buck or two your business will not last very long.
Thanks for your feedback Pange and Kevin. Seems Ramen-Ya have really gone downhill since the last time I’ve been. It’s a real pity because it had the potential to be a real ramen experience, but is let down by an apparent lack of dedication to authentic ramen.
Kenzan GPO is indeed better quality, but you would expect that from this venerable Japanese restaurant. I also think that Momotaro Rahmen does some very nice noodles, as well as Happy Kappa, which a reader suggested above (though I’m yet to go there).
Regarding the chashu, I guess the texture would depend on the type of ramen. The one at Ramen-Ya reminds me more of braised brisket. However, to be fair, two styles of Hakata ramen that I had in Kyoto had sliced chashu that were also quite tender, to the point that it almost melted on first bite. Jiro ramen (another Tonkotsu ramen) has very soft chashu too. As you can see from the link in my article, Jiro ramen also has lots of fat (aburo) floating on the top, but this is done on purpose.
The “bitiest” chashu that I have encountered is probably the traditional shoyu ramen, which is very similar to Chinese char siu. Softness, however, does not excuse overcooking or excessive oiliness.
I am sorry EG, but I totally agree with Kevin in his review of Ramen Ya. 5 thumbs down for me too
There seems to be some confusion with the understanding of Ramen, that is difficult to understand. I think I should point out a few things:
1) The ‘whitish off yellow’, ‘thinnish’ noodles without ‘kinks’ served here at Ramen Ya are Kyushu style ramen noodles that goes with Tonkotsu soup base only. They are very similar to Northern Chinese ‘ramen’ noodles, but still authentic. Even Ichiran (Tokotsu) Ramen, which is from Kyushu too originally, serves noodle similar to Chinese noodles, just a much thinner variety, not dissimilar to some Chinese ‘ramen’. Ajisen (Kyushu Tonkotsu) ramen also serves the same, whitish noodles without kinks. Ajisen Ramen’s noodles are made in a factory in Shenzhen of China by the way.
2) China has white ramen too. That’s where it originated from.
3) Technically, it is wrong to serve this Chinese-like ramen with Shoyu based soup as in Ramen ya. It only goes in Tonkotsu based soup. However, the opposite isn’t wrong… see no (4)
4) The more yellower, much thicker ramen noodles with a kink, are served in Tokyo’s, Yokohama’s and Hokkaido ramens. Yokohama also has tonkotsu based ramen as well, therefore, it is ok for this wavey noodles to be served in Tonkotsu soup. Hokkaido has a more famous miso based soup but also has tonkotsu soup just lighter, and they use wavey noodles as well in both soup bases.
5) The presence of Beni-Shoga red ginger in the 1st title photo ‘Shoyu Soup Ramen’ is WRONG. It should only be present in Tonkotsu soup based ramen, especially Hakata style ones. It doesn’t work in Shoyu ramen, fullstop.
6) The external photo link of Ramen Ya’s Tonkotsu Ramen showing the presence of Menma (bamboo shoot with a strong smell and acquired taste), its most probably wrong technically although it happens even in Japan. Menma goes better with Shoyu based ramen, but you’ll see it in Tonkotsu ramen too sometimes but not always.
*Japanese ramen shops even serve and use Menma even in chilli Tan-Tan-men, which is actually a Chinese Sichuan noodle based on chilli and sesame/peanut soup. You can have this at Kenzan GPO next door but its a Japanized version of the original Chinese version.
7) It seems like in this Ramen Ya shop, both soup based noodles have exactly the same ingredients. Doesn’t it raise suspicion?
However, Tonkotsu ramen from outside Kyushu can sometimes have chashu which is not rolled (as per Momotaro, Kenzan GPO, Ramen Ya, or when bought from say Suzuran in camberwell pre-sliced). Its just a piece of marinated, boiled pork sliced up. But usually all Chashus are over-boiled and melt-in-your mouth tender anyway. Japanese people love melt in your mouth ANYTHING, from toro to wagyu to fatty chashu.
9) Fatness of Tonkotsu soup base: Well, they usually have a layer of fat on top of the broth but personally, I get a stomach ache from that. Its technically correct, but probably not when it and the cloudy soup underneath it is clearly separated. The lack of cloudiness in the soup base here, means they’re not using enough fish and fish bones and fruits to make the soup. The cloudiness and whiteness does not come mainly from the pork.
10) Sydney has much better Ramen shops. You got to try it to believe it. Momotaro is disgusting in my opinion and pales in comparison. Their best ones are called Menya (2 in Sydney CBD), Ryo-tei (Neutral Bay?) and there’s 2 outlets opened by the famous Azuma (equivalent of Kenzan in Sydney), but the shop name escapes me now… they opened a new one just recently off George st, under some new apartment block. That’s nice!
However, don’t try Ichiban-boshi in Sydney. People like that for some reason, but its not authentic like the ones I mentioned.
Hi Piggy Eatalot. Yeah, the consensus here seems to be that everyone is giving Ramen-Ya the thumbs down. By the way, great pics on your website
Wow K, you certainly are very knowledgeable about ramen! thanks so much for your great comments; they were very informative
Yeah, I have heard that Sydney has not just better ramen but better Japanese restaurants in general. Maybe Sydney has a much bigger Japanese population? I would love to go up there and try out all your suggestions. They sound great!
Re the red ginger, you are so correct. they certainly did not appear in our shoyu ramen that we had in Takayama: http://tummyrumbles.com/2008/06/takayama-ramen.html that’s the annoying thing about many so called “Japanese” eateries in Australia. they think that by putting in Japanese ingredients will instantly transform dishes into Japanese ones.
and I love melt-in-your mouth chashu. everyday, I dream of having a bowl of Jiro Ramen with its awesomely tender chashu!
Is amazed at the depth of knowledge of some from some of her blog commenters
http://tinyurl.com/3nvtn6
heh heh!
Having Ramen in Tokyo right now as I am reading these comments.
Hi,
I found this review and thought i’ll head over there as my boyfriend is obsessed with ramen himself. It was okay, but not really a standout. I had the gyoza (i love dumplings) ramen and it was a tad salty for my liking.
The size was quite decent for the price you pay ($9.80) and the noodles was nice as it wasn’t overcooked or anything. Would i return? Probably not, considering Kenzan is also next door and their soft shell crab sushi is something i can’t ever resist when i’m there.
Glad i found the review and gave it a try though. Love your site!
Oh Vince…I am so incredibly jealous! Have a bowl (or two) for us. And remember, bring us back some Kit Kats!
Although critized as not “authentic” it’s still pretty damn good. Plus 9.80 is very good value compared to kenzan’s 14 dollar ramen. The chashu is also incredible. I’d go back just to eat them haha.
Yes Elegant Gourmand, I agree that too many places add Japanese ingredients without a lot of thoughts and then pretend it is Japanese, without understanding the underlying reasons.
I actually quite support improvements in food creativity, fusion dishes, etc, much more than the stubborn adhesion to traditional cuisines.
However, Red Ginger clearly doesn’t work in Shoyu based soup.
Thin white noodles clearly don’t work in Shoyu base noodles.
The bamboo shoots I mentioned meanwhile, don’t really work nearly as well in Tonkotsu broth noodles, compared to say Miso or Shoyu based Ramen.
Boiled eggs meanwhile – if served in perfect ramen shops, should be barely half-cooked, not runny but still orangey!
Chashyu in my opinion, is better when its rolled and melts in the mouth, even though a lot of shops locally (even in Japan) might not go to the extent of doing this. This bit is only a personal opinion, as both ways work in Japan.
Just as some people put Moyashi (bamboo sprouts) into Ramen, which I really dislike but there is at least nothing wrong with it. Purely a personal choice.
But the many wrong ingredients used here is a warning that, the chefs really don’t understand the Ramen concept, in my eyes!
I’ve been dying for a good bowl of ramen ever since I got back from Japan. We went to the ramen museum in shin-yokohama as well. In fact, stayed 3 streets away or so from it. Thanks for recommending this place, I’ll definitely check it out.
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information from a japanese friend told me that Dontoo in the city have started ramen. heard its meant to be pretty good, have any one tried?
Went there last night after working late. I thought the broth was pretty damn tasty. Admittedly I haven’t had ramen in Japan but I thought Ramen Ya’s was quite decent and the charshu was deliciously melt in the mouth.
Pros: Broth is flavoursome. Picked up the bowl with my hands to slurp every last drop. Nice fatty charshu
Cons: Noodles were a bit too firm for my liking, charshu portion was very small an egg was without a soft yolk.