If you see green-tinged noodles in your soup – ramen calm! It’s just matcha, the secret ingredient in chef Tomoharu Shono’s famed duck ramen.

It’s been two and a half months since Mensho Tokyo first opened in Sydney and you can still find a queue winding down George St like a giant udon noodle.

Tomoharu Shono founded Mensho Ramen back in 2005 and, since then, the ramen chain has spilled across Japan, China, the US and Australia. The San Fran spot is even recommended in the current Michelin Guide.

Mensho is known for its surprising bowls, which includes a signature flavour exclusive to each city. In Sydney, that’s the lobster bisque, inspired by one of Shono-san’s early visits to the Sydney Seafood Markets. The stock is complex and layered, made from a base of seafood and shells, enriched with fermented rice for a sweet-savoury hit. An entire lobster luxuriates in its murky depths, the tail split into two creamy, pearlescent bands. Go fishing and you’ll find surprising gems like silky scallops, asparagus spears and smoked almonds, which all just add to its richness.

The best part is the noodles, which are milled in house each morning from a blend of Australian whole wheat, rye and quinoa, cut into springy, chewy curls.

The rest of the menu revolves around a ramen style called tori paitan, which is based on a chicken broth made from slow simmered meat, skin, bones and feet and vegetables with dried Tasmanian kombu for extra umami goodness.

Upgrade to the Signature version (the Michelin recommended kind) which comes with four types of chashu – pork, duck, chicken and wagyu – blow torched in the bowl for a seductive waft of smoke. Garnishes don’t get any better than a jammy orange-yolked ajitama egg and a miniature haystack of deep fried enoki shrooms.

The duck ramen is a well-oiled green machine, made from a light herbal matcha broth, topped with a fan of gamey duck chashu. The spicy lamb ramen is red hot, while the garlic “knock out” ramen features the allium six ways. For the vegans, there’s a macadamia tantanmen, topped with a golden cauliflower in a rich, smoked nut sauce.

The menu is expected to change in spring and summer, introducing tsukemen (soupless ramen) and cold noodle Morioka-style reimen more suited to the weather.

Chefs prepare the bowls at furious pace, which means your waiting ends as soon as you enter the room. A long, narrow counter offers front row seats to the action, while tables of two, four and six mean you can also bring your ramen-loving friends along.

All the Mensho stores have a similar design, black and red walls with gold finishings, while pictures of Mt Fuji set the scene for noodle soup.

That matcha ramen will surely fill you up – but if it doesn’t, there’s also hot and cold green tea, as well as Sapporo on tap, served in tall, frosty glasses.