Menu:
I am a huge fan of Ramen and had not only heard about the Little Ramen Bar, but had seen the long lines during most lunch times and dinner sessions – so I had to check out what all the fuss was about.
The Little Ramen Bar is located in Little Bourke Street, right in the heart of the Melbourne CBD. It is a tiny store, but don’t worry just look out for the place with a line of people out the front and you won’t miss it. As you can tell by the name – they specialise in Ramen, however there are also a few different starters such as dumplings, edamame and kim chi to try out as well. The chefs behind these wonderful bowl of goodness creations are Michio Kurihara and Vianne Cheng.
There are 9 different Ramen dishes to select from – and the menu describes each dish as well as letting the customers know which of the dishes can be made vegetarian as well as having a spice indicator. They also cater for Gluten Free requirements and have Gluten Free noodles available on request. There are also additional ramen toppings that you can select from – as well making your ramen GODZILLA size for an extra $3.50 – which will double the soup and double the noodles!
The staff here are friendly and helpful, and have a great system in place to manage the lines. There is usually a very quick turnaround so your wait usually isn’t very long. Inside there are tables that seat between two and four people, as well as having a window seat for singles. Tables are wooden, there is exposed brick and there are vintage Sapparo posters around the venue, along with the word RAMEN in Hiragana characters over the main counter.
I take my seat and ponder which Ramen I should order and considering I love my spicy foods – I opt with the vegetarian option of the Spicy Miso Ramen – extra spicy! Something else that caught my eye was the Ramune drink – which had the description of Japanese lemonade with a fun marble bottle. I simply had to try. This was my first time trying this drink out – so I had to ask the waitress how to open the bottle. There is a trick to opening it – you have to take the main cap off the bottle and then push this cap into the neck of the bottle, which releases the marble into the bottle. FUNKY! The taste of the Ramnue is quite nice as well and I felt that it almost had a grape aftertaste together with the lemonade fizz.
The Spicy Miso Ramen comes out and looks delicious – the miso broth was an intense red colour, topped with fresh vegetables and the perfectly cooked egg – with the yolk in a liquid gold consistency – topped with seaweed, bamboo shoots, spring onions. The sweetness of the miso together with the spiciness that was added worked well together. The egg noodles had the right amount of softness to it and as a whole the dish worked well together. The serving size is quite generous and I struggled to finish my bowl.
Little Ramen Bar is reminiscent of a style and type of restaurant that you would find in Japan itself. The chefs use a traditional recipe for Ramen and get it right. If you want to go at lunch time – get there by midday as the lines start to build up from then. After work there is yet a line, but the wait is worth it. Perfect for the winter days ahead!
Rating : 4 Pandas
Price: $
Menu – Refer to http://www.littleramenbar.com.au/menu.html or the Menu pics above
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Casual, Laid Back and has a very Japanesey feel!
Service: Friendly and Helpful
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://www.littleramenbar.com.au/
346 Little Bourke St, Melbourne
(Near the corner of Elizabeth and Little Bourke St)
Tel No: 9670 5558
Opening Hours:
Lunch
Monday to Saturday: 11:50am to Last Order 2:30pm
Dinner
Monday to Saturday: 5:30pm to last order 9:00pm.
(Friday and Saturday last order for Dinner is 9:30pm)
Closed Sunday and Public Holidays
grazing panda 