Mr Ramen San

Mr Ramen San is a Japanese noodle house centrally located in the Mid City Arcade on Bourke Street. As the name suggests, the focal point of this café is ramen – Japanese wheat noodles. 

The quality of the ramen offered by Mr Ramen San is some of the best Melbourne has to offer with the noodles made in-house daily. The broth is cooked for 10 hours in pork bones (chefs stir continuously for 4-5 hours a day to achieve a beautiful consistency) for full flavour. 

Charsu Ramen

The menu features reasonably priced and amply sized bowls of delicious soup noodles (with extra noodles free of charge), making this ramen-centric establishment a suitable haunt for economical lunch seekers. 

Mr Ramen San allows you to customise your own ramen. You begin by selecting a broth - soy, miso or tonkotsu (pork bone) – before proceeding to select your topping - eg. chashu (roast pork), beef and minced chicken. 

Vegetarian Charsu Ramen

On our visit, we were particularly impressed by the vegetarian Charsu Ramen. The slender noodle strands were firmly cooked, and were pleasantly garnished with nori, boiled egg, bamboo shoots and spring onion. The accompanying Vegetarian “Charsu” possessed a delicious bite and went superbly with the vegetarian “tonkotsu” broth. The broth is the most vital component of any bowl of ramen as it provides flavour to the noodles. Mr Ramen San’s broth was delicious. A thick, cloudy and somewhat creamy concoction of decadently rich flavours. It was hard to believe that this was a vegetarian dish.

Teriyaki Charsu Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen

Another highlight was the Teriyaki Charsu Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen. Boasting unadulterated pork flavours (the end product of intensely boiled pork bones and more notably, pork fat), the thick, gleaming layer of liquid pork fat that forms on the surface of the broth was the key to an authentic and robust tonkotsu broth. As the strands of noodles were pulled through the surface, they were coated with the unctuous perfectly spicy liquid which provided the noodles with indulgent flavours. 

Mr Ramen San is definitely worth checking out if you have not already.

Location: Midcity Arcade, 200 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000

Phone: (03) 9042 1588

Link: http://www.mrramensan.com.au/
Cuisine: Japanese, Ramen

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Mr Ramen San.

Bak Kut Teh @ Sugarbun

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of

MATRADE

's

Malaysian Kitchen

Program.

SugarBun is a popular chain restaurant originating from Malaysia with more than 51 restaurants across the globe.

The Melbourne store has become known for its delicious Bak Kut Teh (which directly translates from Hokkien to “meat bone tea”) which is meaty pork ribs that are simmered for hours in a herbal broth.

Twin sisters Francesca and Fiorn Lee (whose family started the first SugarBun) brought the chain to Melbourne. 

From left: Barley drink, Cincao milk, Pear and snow fungus drink

We loved the extensive drinks list which features Malaysian hawker favourites. Of particular note is their house-made pear and snow fungus drink - a refreshing drink made with goji berries, pear, snow fungus and red dates which provide just the perfect hint of sweetness.

Dry bak kut teh

Smoky, sizzling pork belly, ribs, special meatballs, lotus root & okra in dark sauce. Served with Mixed Grain Rice, Nanyang Appe-hancer & herbal broth.

The dry bak kut teh is Francesca and Fiorn’s modern take on the traditional. The pork belly pieces were beautifully charred, caramelised and glossing with intense spices. It was a decadent treat that was both familiar but different.

Bak Kut Teh Claypot

Pork belly, ribs, special meatballs, tofu puff, shitake & enoki mushrooms, simmered in herbal broth. Served with mixed grain rice and You Char Kway

We savoured the traditional bak kut the claypot. The broth was full of flavour courtesy of being made from tea, generous amounts of garlic, gogi berries, a variety of dried Chinese herbs and a wonderful array of spices including cinnamon, cloves, star anise and fennel seeds.

The fluffy mixed grain rice and deep fried you char kway doughnuts were the perfect canvas for the broth. 

Broasted chicken 

Premium fresh chicken seasoned with home-grown Sarawakian spices - crispy crust with juicy tender meat. Served with signature savoury rice and Appe-hancer.

The broasted chicken is a must-have at SugarBun. A combination of pressure cooking and deep frying, this signature SugarBun dish is pressure-fried for seven minutes, ensuring the juices are sealed within. The savoury rice that goes with it is a brilliant combination of sweet and savoury with juicy sultanas scattered throughout. 

The appe-hancer salad of pickled cucumber, pineapple and carrot add balance while the addictive sweet and spicy kano sauce add a desirable kick to the dish.

SugarBun offers an authentic taste of Sarawak’s best street delicacies, without even stepping out of Melbourne. We loved the exciting food offerings which showcases Malaysia’s diverse food culture and rich heritage. The spacious dining environment is comfortable and brings diners back to the memorable streets of Malaysia where many of the best meals are found at the roadsides.

Location:

205 Russell Street  Melbourne,

Phone:

03 9650 4336

Link:

https://www.facebook.com/SugarbunMelbourne

Cuisine:

Asian, Malaysian, Soup, Sarawakian