Uncle G may eat a lot of meat, but don't confuse that food group with his single favourite food of all time. RAMEN! So I intend to dedicate a number of posts to Japanese noodles which we love.
Ryo's (Ryotei) Ramen, Crows Nest.
If every restaurant in the world closed down and Uncle G could only choose to keep one, this would possibly be it. Rain, hail, shine, through the good times (and the bad), despite queues and random 'closed periods', this little joint keeps us coming back.
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| Modest decor you would expect with authentic ramen |
It's nothing fancy, but it keeps us coming back.
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| Special Ramen [mix of #1 & #3] $13.50 |
Not to be mistaken for ramen's on the 'special's board'. Regular patrons ask the waitress' (or Ryo the man himself) directly for the off menu "special ramen". Its the perfect blend of #1 (salt flavoured tonkotsu base) and #3 (spicy tonkotsu). You will find it less spicy & oily than #3, but more 'umami' & flavoursome than #1 alone. This is our staple ramen of each visit.
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| Ramen in sour salt flavour soup with fried prawn balls and vegetables $14.50 |
This is one of my personal favourites because I love a sour tangy zing to everything! The broth is also lighter and less sticky than most of the other menu items, so perfect when you feel like something less heavy! And loaded with chinese cabbage, which makes me feel its health(ier) - hehe.
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| Japanese style beef curry rice with chicken cutlet $16.00 |
Aside from ramen, Ryo's does a mean jap curry! The curry gravy is wonderful and flavoursome - the katsu itself has always been a little dry unfortunately. I love this dish except it leaves the ceiling of my mouth sore after each time I've eaten it.
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| Gyoza $7.00 |
My favourite side dish. Gyoza!! These are especially juicy, lovely when dipped in vinegar. Sometimes I just eat a plate of these and a kids ramen.
Tips:
Other favourite menu items (tried & tested numerous times): #3 Ramen in spicy hot flavoured tonkotsu; #12 Cold dipping noodles (great for hot summer days); #18 Roast pork rice ball (highly recommended); #24 Karaage chicken (fresh fried, one of the best kaarage chicken's around). Also you must have the soy sauce flavoured eggs (comes with some ramen, can also side order).
If you have a small appetite, kids ramen is terrific too (same as #6 Tokyo style soy sauce chicken stock based but with corn) but you can also try asking for other ramen flavours in a kid's size. The special ramen is definitely available in kids' size.
For big eaters; refill of noodles available for $3.50.
Manpuku Ramen, Kingsford.
Business isn't as easy as 10 years ago, when there were little contenders for good ramen spots. Another one of our favourite ramen places to visit is Manpuku Ramen in Kingsford (near UNSW). This joint has more modern decor, order at the counter than eat system and a nice selection of complimentary condiments.
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| Gara Shoyu $11.90; [background] Chicken wing gyoza $6.80 |
I wanted a light option on this day so I ordered the Gara Shoyu, and it was delicious! And check out the customized seaweed - how cute! But the REAL deal here is there chicken wing gyoza. At almost $7 for just 2 wings, its not cheap but its a crunchy deep fried chicken wing, deboned, stuffed with pork & vegetable gyoza filling then covered in tonkatsu sauce & mayo (with optional spicy dip). Meat stuffed in meat!!! How can you not be excited? Admittedly I was so excited I forgot to take a photo. Sorry guys - you'll just have to take my word for how amazing it is.
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| Manpuku Red $13.90 (choice of normal or extreme spicy) |
When Manpuku says "extreme" spicy, they mean it. So its not for the faint hearted! Uncle G gets this everytime and loves it. The noodles here are a different texture to Ryo's but the overall meal isn't compromised.
You will find Manpuku soups are less heavy but still full of flavour. They also have a wider variety of choices on their menu - although some of them are a bit of hit & miss. Ryo's menu may be smaller but they've really perfected each item.
Manpuku is probably more reasonably priced. If you have a student card, you can also get a free noodle refill, great for hungry students! But the prices haven't stopped the queues outside Ryo's. It may be nostalgia? But Ryo's is hard to beat in our books.
So dear readers, what's your favourite ramen joint? Care to share?
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