421 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Phone 03 9417 3338
Open: Mon-Sat, 12 noon to 9pm
Regular readers will know that I have *ahem* somewhat of an obsession for ramen. I crave the stuff like crack cocaine. Like Morpheus, I am determined to find “The One”: a ramen that is exactly like they have in Japan (and does not resemble Keanu Reeves. well, maybe the menma). If this means trying out every single ramen in Melbourne then, dammit, so be it.
Past commenters have recommended Happy Kappa, so we happily decided to give it a go for dinner. Alas, our plans were nearly thwarted by a seismic headache that I had since 2.30pm (work/headache = correlation hmm). Decisions, decisions: heading home to curl up in the foetal position until the pain goes away OR noodle, fatty pork and MSG soup overdose?? Gluttony won through; I banked on two nurofens to get me to the shop, then hopefully a fortifying broth to finish the job 
The Kappa is located at the quieter end of Brunswick Street, near the corner of Queens Parade. There is another branch in Richmond, but we decided to try the Fitzroy one as it’s supposed to have more of a ramen focus. Upon walking in, we found a pleasant space, with plywood-ish walls dotted with a mish-mash of Japanese prints and patterned happi and yukata. The owner-chef emerged from behind a high counter that concealed the prep/cooking area, gave us a warm greeting, and told us to sit wherever we liked. As we were the only ones there, it was very quiet; the silence punctuated only by the lilting strains of George Michael’s “Faith” in Japanese, playing in the background.
The small menu offered various donburi dishes, udon and soba noodle dishes, sushi, sashimi and bento boxes. But we were here for ramen, so we focussed exclusively on the seven choices available. I was intrigued by the Tonyu ramen, which promised ”soy milk taste”. And Tomato Miso, Kimchi and Curry ramen flavours showed that the owner was prepared to innovate. But being sticklers for the classic, we opted for the shoyu and straight miso ramens, with a side serving of gyoza.
The gyoza ($6.80 for 6) were some of the finest I’ve ever tasted. They were plump, juicy and flavoursome, with wonderful sear marks akin to pot stickler dumplings. They were bloody good! Interestingly, the gyoza initially came with one of those ubiquitous soy sauce fishies. When he sensed that we might be game to try authentic stuff, the owner advised that gyoza dipping sauce actually consisted of a mix of soy, sesame and vinegar, and offered it to us. Of course we said Bring it Awwn!, and he quickly replaced the fishie with the “real” sauce.
Finally, to the piece de resistance! My shoyu ramen ($9.80) certainly looked the business; standard toppings included nori, wakame, menma, spring onions and bean sprouts. Additional toppings, like boiled egg, are $2 extra. But curiously, it did not have *gasp* chashu!!! Instead there was grilled chicken. When I asked whether my favourite topping was available, the owner sheepishly informed us that he used to have chashu, but patrons kept leaving it behind (heathens!!) and so he decided to use grilled chicken instead. It was still a very good ramen; the noodles were a tad too overcooked for my liking, but the broth was delicate and tasty. The grilled chicken was also delicious. However, the ramen did lack the oomph of a ramen that you would find in Japan. Sadly, not The One 
Mellie’s miso ramen had a fiery kick and was very tasty as well; I preferred her broth to the shoyu ramen.
We got to talking with the owner, who said that his dream was to open a ramen shop just like in Japan. However, we got the impression that with his current location and clientele, he offers a pared down version of ramen to stay in business. But he was obviously passionate about authentic fare and was keen to share this with kindred spirits, like when he offered us the real gyoza dipping sauce, when he insisted that I have some sesame oil in my broth as that is the traditional acompaniment for shoyu ramen, and when he advised that the egg is never completely hard-boiled in Japan, instead being half-cooked with a soft yolk. He certainly knew his stuff, but was somewhat restrained; again he said that he didn’t offer the egg with the soft yolk because his customers didn’t like it.
Well, I certainly hope that he realises his dream of an authentic ramen shop, and we’ll certainly encourage him when we return. Oh yes, we’ll be back! Though not The One, his ramen was very good; I just can’t wait to see what he can do when he breaks free and cuts loose! Also, he did say that sometimes he offered chashu to regular patrons 
And his ramen did do two things: it rid the last remnants of my headache, and inspired me to get off my lazy ass and write a blog post for a change!
LOL I was just gonna mention that looking at the pic the egg didn’t look to crash hot when I read your bit about why the owner used hard boiled eggs. That’s really sad
Nice post. I think this is why you see more authentic ramen places in queensland, or even sydney (where there are more japanese patrons who would appreciate the authentic stuff). I hope this guy gets a more appreciative adudience soon, so that we can all get the benefits of great food.
Still sounds pretty good to me. I’ll admit, I don’t have the driven appreciation for ramen that you guys do, but it’s still a dish I like. Glad it was a good experience, even if it wasn’t ‘The One’.
Great review! I’m no expert on ramen but I like Happy Kappa.
Thanks for the great review of Happy Kappa! My boyfriend and I live nearby and are semi-regulars, and we’re always sad to see the restaurant so quiet. (That section of Brunswick St is really tough on restaurants.) As far as ramen goes I think it’s more authentic than most in Melbourne, but I’m sad to hear they have to pare it down for other customers. I’ll have to request for chashu next time, I’ve always wished they served it!
Cheers for the comments y’all
Yeah, the owner is a great guy. If we all keep encouraging him, maybe he will lash out and bring us the full ramen experience! Yep, do ask for chashu; I get the feeling that he really is interested in sharing true Japanese food with his customers.
great blog EG! When I go I will have to request the runny egg yolk.
When I read bit about Chef changing his ramen to suit patrons who were unable to take the real deal, I felt rather sad really.
Here is a true blue Japanese chef who could whip up the real deal here in little ol’ Melbourne. What I wouldn’t give for a bowl of authentic tonkatsu!
I will definitely be popping by to show my support. I have a funny feeling that under that hard boiled egg and fake chashu, a fabulous bowl of ramen is waiting to be un-earthed!
PS: Just wanted to say that I went to Ramen-Ya after reading your review mid-last year and urm, didn’t think it was all that flash unfortunately. There was something about the broth that just didn’t taste right. So I gave it a second go as all good (and fair) foodies do. But nope, there is just something about their broth that doesn’t taste right.
PPS: I had a rather pleasant bowl of ramen in Sapporo last year at Hakato Ippudo and despite it being franchised (there is one in NY!), it was amazing and unfortunately, nothing I’ve had in Melbourne is close. Wished we had one here!!!
That’s so sad that he’s dumbing it down for all the know-it-all hipster folk who are busy fishing out and discarding all their succulent porky bits.
Re: the chasu, I’m sensing a bit of a double standard when it comes to people and pork. Putting aside for a moment issues of ethical animal raising, among meat eaters its strange that so many anglo-australians have an inversion to it. Is it due to bad experiences in their youth? Friends and acquaintances who are fine eating chicken and fish, and sometimes beef, prohibition against pork. I wonder if the surrounding religious prohibitions against it (not kosher/halal) convinces people that it is unclean. Meanwhile, poultry is seen as somehow neutral.
I work down the road and didn’t even realise he was there. I’m tempted to go and support him, but sadly I’d prefer to cycle into the city at lunchtime and get something closer to the real deal.
I’m from Sydney originally and am somewhat surprised and disappointed about how patchy good japanese is in Melbourne. I guess you get a bit spoilt up in Sydney, given how many Japanese peeps there are wondering around.
Hi Cat, yeah Ramen-Ya has really split the opinions of people! I haven’t been back for a while so I might need to give it another go. Japan is truly the best place for ramen, surprise surprise.
Hey there horsey, interesting observations you’ve made about pork. I know a few people who dislike it, yet eat other meats. They cited reasons like parasites, taste, and yeah even the ‘uncleaniness’ of pigs. Admittedly, I became squirmish about pork after seeing Jamie Oliver’s doco on the pork industry but at the same time, that doco also showed that pigs in their natural environment are quite clean animals. As for taste, people (my mum included) do not like the overly “porky” gamey taste that some pork has, but this can be avoided by getting meat from female pigs, as opposed to male pigs.
I do have reservations about the ethics of eating pork but am conscious too about the double standard. After all, things like ramen, chinese dumplings and (duh!) char siu simply do not taste the same without pork.