Nothing lifts the spirits like ramen. Forgive the cliche but there’s a truth that the umami-packed soup is like a hug in a bowl. Slurping down chewy noodles on the North Shore at Ryo’s or splashing sticky collagen rich broth at Gumshara is a rite of passage and the people of NSW can’t get enough. These are the best bowls of ramen in NSW, as crowned in the delicious. 100.
Vegetarians miss out on a lot of things, never mind vegans. Luckily for them, ramen is no longer on the list. While RaRa’s signature is a tonkotsu broth with thin, firm, Hakata-style noodles, it’s also famed for its vegan options. Yes, plural – vegan soy miso and vegan soy shio. Add a half-egg if you’re vegetarian. Shop1/162- 164 Barker St, Randwick 66b Regent St, Redfern Shop 6/1 Locomotive St, Eveleigh; rararamen.com.au.
You’ll spot Ryo’s by the queue. These bowls are worth the wait. Owner Ryo Horii hails from Fukuoka – the birthplace of tonkotsu ramen. Horii-san boils pork bones for 15 hours to create the rich, unctuous broth, adding springy house- made noodles and toppings of your choice. Other dishes feature on the menu, but with ramen this good, why choose anything else? 125 Falcon St, Crows Nest; @ryosnoodles_.
Ramen master Keita Abe may originate from the home of Japan’s classic tonkotsu pork- bone broth, but doesn’t follow the rulebook. Chaco’s signature Fat Soy and Fish Salt gain complexity from gelatin-rich chicken bones and seafood, with riffs such as yuzu scallop, chilli coriander and tomato broth. Add springy house-made noodles, and you’ll understand the cult following. 238 Crown St, Darlinghurst 11 O’Brien St, Bondi Beach; chacoramen.com.au.
Gumshara has splashed back onto the scene with a slick new ramen shop in Haymarket. The secret to its famed tonkotsu is in the stock, which is made from slow simmered pork bones and water. The result is a rich, gelatinous broth topped with springy noodles and a choice of chashu pork or sparerib. Worried about them closing again? Be sure to stock up on their frozen ramen kits. 9 Kimber Ln, Haymarket; gumshara.com.
Yes, ramen is about the broth. But Manpuku knows it’s also about the noodles, which is why there are three options, all made in-house, so you get the right noodles for the right ramen. The tonkotsu shoyu comes with premium dry noodles, tsukemen with a thick and wavy option and the signature miso pork and chicken soup with medium straight strands. 482 Anzac Parade, Kingsford 226 Victoria Ave, Chatswood; ramenmanpuku.com.
