Don’t be alarmed, but Japanese restaurant Gogyo Fitzroy uses guns in the kitchen. A chef points and shoots at a piping-hot wok of pork lard until
it reaches 300°C or so, adds red miso paste or shoyu soy sauce and boom! Flames erupt in spectacular fashion – our dinner is putting on a show.

What’s cooking is Gogyo’s signature kogashi, or charred, ramen. And the guns? They’re more the infrared temperature-detecting sort than the murderous kind, though I’d say that smoky-tasting ramen is to die for.

Founder Shigemi Kawahara (who’s also behind Japanese chain Ippudo) made this noodle soup big in Japan at his Gogyo restaurants before opening an outpost in Sydney in 2018, then along hipster-haven Brunswick Street in December. Kogashi ramen has a distinctive deep-brown broth speckled with char and packs strong umami flavours, brimming with fall-apart pork belly slices, chewy thin noodles and crunchy wombok.

It’s easy to chug the entire bowl, but you might want to consider the izakaya-style small plates. Tender wagyu beef tiles with blushing centres come in a zingy yuzu-ponzu dressing and irresistibly crisp tofu nuggets in bitter kale salad. Among the sushi, sweet prawn and scampi nigiri are tasty, though there’s better value in the crisp, golden karaage chicken.

Take up the enthusiastic waiters’ offer of the wacky Suntory half-lager and half-stout creation it’s bold and refreshing in one sip. Or sit on the umeboshi sour, one of six cocktails, that’s best described as a whisky-fuelled take on a margarita.

Gogyo is not only refined in flavour, but also style, with sleek finishes of polished dark-timber flooring and an impressive, far-reaching bar.

Step through the noren curtains at the entry to begin your Japanese adventure – and be sure to ride double on the kogashi ramen.