Sometimes you just want something hearty like ramen or maybe you want to the memories of your time in Japan to come back. If you are hanging around Bourke Street or Little Bourke Street in Melbourne’s CBD, you can give this ramen joint a shot. Their ramen are from $13.9 or $16.9 and they mostly just do ramen.
They serve Hakata style ramen, which has the really thick soup from western Japan (but not super thick, it’s still very soupy). This soup is made from boiling pork bones and collagen over a high heat for many, many hours. The flavor may be intense for some people, but I can assure you that it is incredibly hearty and delicious.
On the menu are Teriyaki Chashu ($14.9), Beef Miso Ramen ($14.9), Seafood Ramen ($15.9), Spicy Chicken Ramen ($13.9), Vegetarian Ramen ($14.9), etc. If you finish your noodles, you can request another serving of extra noodles for free.
When picking the topping for the ramen, you can choose your soup base from Tonkotsu, Shoyu, Miso and Spicy Tonkotsu. Their signature, standard Tonkotsu ought to be what you pick if you have never visited before.
I ordered the Chashu Ramen with their Spicy Tonkotsu Soup, which came a few slices of chashu, spring onion, beansprout, cabbage, seaweed, bean shoots, and seasoned egg. Most of the ramen bowls are the same, except the choice of meat and sometimes other condiments like bamboo shoots and corn.
You are served a cup of water, but also on the table are some condiments including soy sauce, sesame and chili oil.
I really enjoyed my bowl. I was a tad disappointed that there wasn’t much chashu, but normally Japanese dishes don’t have much meat. I was happy with the noodle’s texture, the cloudy broth and the crunch of the spring onion and bean shoots.
At the time, I was enjoying my bowl during a lunch break. I noticed that the service was very fast and many people visit alone, so the turn around time for people eating is very short. The atmosphere, the service and the whole experience/set up was very reminiscent of what you would expect in Japan.
The restaurant is pretty small, but it has that Japanese ramen diner feel to it. The service is quick and its perfect for anyone wanting a quick meal before dashing off, i.e. office workers.
Mr Ramen San is located at 200 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000:
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