From the owners of the superb Sushi Bar Genki comes a new ramen bar right in the heart of Adelaide. They have a seperate lunch and dinner menu, both of which are extensive. There are so many types of sushi and sashimi, you’ll be scratching your head as to what to choose. For me, I was here for the ramen and I opted for the large Himeji Original Hakata Tonkatsu.

The dish came out after a 15 minute wait and was average in presentation. My initial thought was that the bowl could have been a little fuller. One spoon of the broth revealed it was thick, rich, creamy and full of flavour. If they had told me the broth had been cooked for more than 8 hours, I would have believed them. It tasted so good. The noodles were fresh, thin, firm and stringy, and complimented the broth perfectly. The pork belly and pork loin had a silky smooth texture and it was biting into butter. The crunchiness of the bean sprouts, chewiness of the ear mushroom and the gooeyness of the egg added a contrast in texture but all in all, it was great ramen.

If you come here by yourself, you’ll be designated a seat at the bar. I’m assuming they do this because they don’t want you to take up valuable seat space. I personally didn’t like it and felt the bar stool was uncomfortable. Other than that, the staff were friendly and the service was good. One staff member was particularly attentive and constantly refilled my drink.

The combined cost of the large ramen and pork bun was $16.80 (or $12.90 and $4.80 individually). The ramen was delicious and really well executed, and I would have no problems ordering it again. The dish was a bit heavy and therefore ideal for what looked to a be a conservative serving size. The pork bun on the other hand was good but nothing special in my opinion.

I think we have a new victor when it comes to the best ramen in Adelaide.

WHERE: 22-24 Grote St, Adelaide