Ichiban boshi

February 12, 2012 at 2:24 pm (Japanese, Sydney) (ramen)

I could not go back to Sydney without visiting my favourite ramen restaurant.  With Ichiban Boshi perfectly situated next to Kinokuniya, I still reminisce about those times after exams when I would grab the latest volume of Bleach and a steaming-hot bowl of noodles and spend the rest of the afternoon not studying 😛

The ramen menu is extensive, ranging from the classic Tokyo ramen with thinly sliced pork, nori and bamboo shoot in a soy broth, Miso ramen with a miso soup base, Aburi Chashu-men topped with succulent roast pork and Tofu ramen with crispy tempura battered tofu slices, to Tantanmen with mince, choy sum and boiled egg in a spicy soup.  In warmer weather, Tsukemen with broth served in a separate bowl for dipping or a Hiyashi Chuka salad might be more appealing, while in winter, you can’t go past the Tonkotsu ramen with melt-in-the-mouth pork slices in a thick, gelatinous, slow-cooked pork broth- get your order in fast because there are only 15 servings available each day.

This time round, I tried something different and ordered a Wonton ramen.  Thin noodles in a salty soup with a generous serving of juicy pork and prawn wontons, choy sum and a drizzle of chilli oil.  My ramen-buddy went for his usual Karaage ramen in a soy-based broth with deep-fried chicken pieces.  The chicken is to die for.

Wonton ramen

Karaage ramen

If ramen isn’t your thing, there are a range of other options including donburi, udon and smaller dishes such as makizushi, agedashi tofu, edamame and a delicious okonomiyaki.  From the non-ramen items, the dishes that really stand out for me include yakisoba omelette (stir-fried noodles wrapped in egg; sort of like omu-rice), karaage-don (once again, the deep fried chicken is always a winner), unagi-don (I’m usually not a big fan of eel but this is the one exception) and karaage cheese curry (deep-fried chicken in a Japanese curry sauce with melted cheese, served on rice; not one for the calorie-counters).

So whether it be noodles, rice or nibblies, Ichiban Boshi is the place to go if you have a hankering for Japanese food.  If only they opened up a branch in Melbourne.