The ramen craze has filtered its way to Melbourne. There were always a few that I thought were average but acceptable - Ajisen, Ramen-Ya (before they closed in the GPO) and Meshiya in QV. I can't say I ever truly appreciated the ramen joy until London. Even in multiple trips to Japan, visiting the ramen floor in Kyoto's train station building and Ippudo, to the miso/salt/soy broths in the smaller suburbs, it really took the rich tonkotsu of Bone Daddies to create the craze for me. In fact in my last few months in London, it was probably my most frequently visited place.
My attempts to find something of equivalent calibre led to me to Ippudo in Sydney, with Gumshara and Ikkyu on the list for next time. Sadly I fear they won't live up to my expectations but it won't stop me trying.
A brief online read gave me a few Melbourne names for when the opportunity arises - Little Ramen Bar, Fukuryu, Kokoro etc. The closest and possibly highest rated seemed to be Hakata Gensuke, complete with the reputation for the welcoming irasshaimase on arrival.
For the first occasion, I couldn't go past the Signature Tonkotsu with special toppings (added cha-shu slices, seaweed and boiled egg). One slice of cha-shu seems ridiculously stingy as an option and an egg is essential so looking at a minimum $21 bowl of noodles. Hmmm. Luckily the soup is a very tasty hearty and unmistakably Japanese ramen pork broth. It didn't have the same thick fatty richness coating the noodles but I won't complain. It was good. The cha-shu is remarkably non-fatty also which is a bonus too. Add a good amount of crushed garlic, chilli spices (in lieu of shichimi powder), pickles and you have a fine bowl of ramen.
Next time I would order the same Signature Tonkotsu with special toppings. I'm curious to try the Black Tonkotsu but I fear the black sesame will ruin the beauty of the broth. Willing to try once.
