Ramen Ya

I enjoyed the teriyaki chicken immensely. Other members of the group enjoyed the award winning ramen. We enjoyed the Japanese culture and the Classic Japanese drinks. I would definitely recommend it to people who were on the lookout for hip, Japanese cuisine.

Delicious food, fast. Staff are sweet and friendly. Reasonably priced. I’ve been here twice both times with work colleagues for kind of working lunch’s. I’d go back and I’d take friends (or colleagues)

My Personal Ramen Tour — Chapter 23
Not bad for Aussie ramen.
On a whim while wandering the streets we saw ramen and my sleep deprived brain thought that would be the perfect pick me up on our first day on the ground. Located in a weird alley, off the side of a weird indoor-​ish shopping area, the menu seemed up to par with what you’d expect at a typical ramen spot. I opted for the tonkotsu set with gyoza.
Overall it was okay. The broth didn’t have the richness and fattiness of great pork bone broth and the noodles were a tad overcooked, leaving them not chewy enough. But it was refreshing to have after 16 hours of travel.

Tonkotsu x Chashu Pork = very solid ramen
It’s no Santouka, but it’ll do.

Please. This is ramen wannabe at best. noodle is over cooked. Soup has no flavor. ingredient is not fresh. Gyoza is a frozen kind that’s reheated. I feel sorry for Aussies who have to put up with this low quality imitation. This should not be called ramen. like McDonald’s coffee is to real cup of espresso — this is insanely bad.
This place is insult to the Japanese cuisine. service is ok — but I’d like my money and time back for going here. u shouldn’t put up with this quality level in this foodie town. This is low point of my Australian trip.

Where will we be grabbing a warming bite to eat on a miserable winter evening? One of the two RamenYa outlets on Bourke Street. Already a lunchtime staple at GPO, a second venue opened just weeks ago opposite PhotoMonkey’s place of work, and we couldn’t wait to check it out.
Occupying a wide open space, pretty white paper lanterns hang from the high ceiling, softening stark metal pipes and adding a touch of elegance to what is essentially a fast-​food outlet. In fact, overall, it’s definitely more aesthetically pleasing than your average grab-​and-​go CBD Asian lunch stop. Actually, you might find yourself wanting to linger a while longer there with a Asahi or Sapporo beer, plus there are a few sakes on offer.
Grab a menu and order at the counter, meals come out pretty quick and are presented in stylish wooden bento boxes and huge steaming bowls, a generous-​sized Japanese fix that comes in at around $ 10 per person.
If you opt for soup, choose your base: tonkotsu (pork) /​shoyu (chicken and soy) /​miso, and then think about toppings — seafood gyoza, kimchi, tofu, pork and more. Thick ramen noodles swirl in the flavourful broth that is swimming with herbs, veggies and an obligatory hard-​boiled egg. Extra toppings seem to come at no extra cost, but maybe we were just lucky on our visit. We say: deliciously balanced and probably enough for two.
As for the bento box — compartments are filled with teriyaki chicken (also on offer is tofu teriyaki, and beef and chicken katsu curries — to name a few), gyozas, steamed rice and thinly sliced radish and carrot salad with a sticky sweet dressing — all working together to provide a tasty and varied meal for one.
For the best of both worlds, and if you’re hungry, go for a bento box and a ramen noodle and find someone to share with you. Green tea thick shake optional.
Service is spot on — speedy and efficient.
While extras and sides are on offer — you’ll probably find everything you could ever want is heaped onto the ramen, just a little tip for the thrifty out there… And for a cheap date — the new venue is open until 9pm Wed, Thur and Fri, and 8pm on Saturdays.
Go eat.

Far down the food alley that runs alongside the GPO and Myer is the wonderful Ramen Ya.
With their small menu, there isn’t much in the way of choice, but the dishes on offer are all delicious, hearty and cheap. If $ 10 for a bowl of hot ramen noodles isn’t cheap enough for you, come between 3pm and 5pm and get the dish for $ 7 — still the same huge portion, still hot and yummy. Oh, and there’ll be no hassle about getting a seat; it’s nice and quiet at this time.
I ordered my $ 7 bowl of minced chicken ramen, and though it was on the salty side, it was extremely satisfying and warmed me up after walking around the city on a cold, wet day. Their selection of three chillis on each table certainly helped the warming process.
Drinks of of the usual soft drink and Asian drink variety, but there are also a couple of brands of bottled beers available.

On my quest to find the best ramen, I came to Ramen Ya. There menu on a whole is quite small as they don’t’ offer any sushi, sashimi or donburi but you’re sure to find something that’ll tickle your fancy.
I must admit their chashu ramen is quite good. The broth is strong with porky goodness and has that cloudy whiteness that a good Tonkotsu ramen should have. The pork is marinated and grilled even before it hits the soup, giving it a wonderful depth of flavour. However, there just isn’t enough pork for my liking, but of course you can always order extra. The bamboo also doesn’t have that off putting smell taste that it can so often have. If you don’t know what I’m talking about then buy yourself a can or jar of bamboo and you’ll soon know what I mean. I also love that they have mustard greens, or karashi takana, on the top, so rarely would you find that here. But that’s probably because Ramen Ya specialises in Hakata ramen known for its porky broth and karashi takana which is usually served on the side.
The mince chicken ramen doesn’t rate as highly in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong the mince itself was good but I’ve never really been a fan of it in my ramen. The gyoza is also some of the most flavourful I’ve had. They’re nice and moist on the inside with just enough crisp on the bottom. They also have a good variety of Japanese drinks which perfectly rounds off the meal.
It’s a small shop with seats inside and communal seats outside. At lunchtime this it can get busy and noisy which is why I prefer to grab a seat inside if possible and slurp my noodles in peace.

When I lived in Sydney, I was known to visit my favourite Ramen venue as much as twice a day (Ichi-​ban Boshi if you’re ever up that way).
Upon my migration to Melbourne I made it a personal project to sample every even vaguely worth ramen venue around. I am in fact a self-​proclaimed ramen conoisseur. Ramen Royalty, you might say.
Somehow, it’s only been in the past year or so that I’ve discovered Ramen Ya. It’s authentic in a ramen-​joint way and your table is filled with three different kinds of chilli (flakes, paste and sauce — yeehaw!). It’s possible to customise your ramen (sans egg and seafood cake, thanks) and top up your bowl with extras (more noodles, cheers).
If my stomach wasn’t already sold, the option to pack your bowl with gyoza would seal the deal.
A word of caution: these five stars aren’t given lightly and I’m not alone. Don’t expect to get a seat if you show up at 12.30 on a Friday for lunch.
Between 2 and 5pm is happy hour for bargain dishes too.

By far my all-​round favourite Japanese food experience in the city.
I say ‘all-​round’ because the food itself is good but doesn’t rival some of the Japanese restaurants on Little Bourke St, but Ramen Ya more than makes up for this in atmosphere and authentic details. Like the boxy pine tables and seating, the ceiling crammed with lanterns, the imported 500ml cans of Kirin and the little glutinous red-​bean buns for dessert (couldn’t resist the black sesame and the friendly guy serving at the counter recommended the tiramisu bun — they tipped me over the edge but I regret nothing).
For a main, I had a coconut prawn bento and enjoyed every bite, but I probably should have followed my friend and ordered ramen because hers looked and smelled amazing. I guess there’s a reason for the name.