Monday, January 12, 2009

Ajisen Ramen - Haymarket, Sydney

Like most other foodies out there, we are always in search for the perfect Japanese ramen in the city of Sydney. Ajisen Ramen is one of the many participants in this creamy, brothy competition of the perfect balance between brewing times, temperatures and all the other factors which make the ultimate meal for any time of day.

Ajisen Ramen's secrets revealed!
A good quality tonkotsu soup requires lots of patience, fresh ingredients and skills that only a Japanese ramen otaku has. Therefore, the level of the tonkotsu soup can be used to compare with other ramen joints and to ramen heaven - Japanland.

Pretty good value considering that this place is not cheap

Fried Garlic
A condiment that I found to be worth its' weight in gold! Fragrant but not particularly overpowering unless you add a lot.

Takoyaki
Octopus balls with a crispy outer shell and molten batter inside, dancing bonito flakes on top and a drizzle of sweet mayo and takoyaki sauce could not get much better. These ones were not bad but the Colotako ones were still better imo.

Tonkatsu Ramen
I try not to order any combination of deep friedness with ramen because it all goes soggy and makes me a sad panda.

Ajisen Ramen
The most basic of ramens with thing slices of pork which were quite tasty but too small in size. The broth was a bit too plain and not as collagenated as I had hoped. The egg was a disappointment with it being quite hard boiled :( The noodles were mediocre and were obviously packaged ramen.

Tontoro Ramen
This was the one that had me captivated my first visit to Ajisen. The broth was creamier than the normal one and the meat was much tastier as well, with a nice charr level and flavour. This is the one I recommend to all first-timers.

Teriyaki Beef Ramen
My most recent visit had me stuck between trying something new or getting the Tontoro. This one is definitely for the sweettooth and since I am one, I was very happy with this one. The sweet teriyaki sauce was oozing from the meat so that even the soup tasted like it. The meat was tender and had a good amount of fat to give it good flavour.

Beef Curry Ramen
Can't go wrong with curry ramen ^^! Didn't try this one but looked and smelt quite the good.

Tonkatsu Set
The set looks nice with a good varietyof different nibblies but I did not try so maybe next time.

Ajisen Ramen does have reasonably good ramen but considering the price, it should be even better. The broth is not as good as Ryo's and the eggs were disappointing but there are some good qualities about some of their dishes.

The Paiku Ramen or the Tenderous Ribs side have very very tender meat which melt in the mouth and ooze deliciousness into the mouth. Their Tan Tan Ramen packs a serious punch with it so it really means business. Ajisen Ramen is quite popular as it does have branches all around the world so it is worth a try. They also provide good entertainment with J-pop MTV or other asian MTVs including Jay Chou (lol).

Other Rameny posts:
Ryotei Ramen - Crows Nest, Sydney.
Menya - Haymarket, Sydney.
The F Word (and I don't mean food this time)
Ryotei Ramen - Crows Nest, Sydney (3)
Dan Dan Ramen - Neutral Bay, Sydney


Ajisen Ramen
94 Hay St
Haymarket, 2000
Ph: (02) 9211 8380

There is also a new branch that opened at World Square I think.

FFichiban

7 comments:

Karen | Citrus and Candy said...

I'm craving a bowl right now damn you :) I don't think Ryo's can be beaten e-v-e-r. Hey when are you going to try Zenya?

Miss Honey said...

I also find the dishes hit and miss. Best stick to the ones we know here!

Anonymous said...

Karen - Haha yay! Hmm hopefully Ryo's will pick up again cos I think they have been slacking off but we shall see haha.

I want to try Zenya!!! Had planned to go but no opportunity has come up :(

Miss Honey - Hee hee true that! but I am also curious to try the others to see if they are any good tho haha

Anonymous said...

The Lovers set looks good but such a pity the Tonkotsu broth isn't very good. I always order it thinking that I'm giving myself a facial at the same time :P The broth at Ramen Kan in Bondi Junction is really good if that helps :)

Unknown said...

Great review! I've always walked past and wanted to try it... now I'll definitely go in!

MMmmmm, Takoyaki looks amazing! I love the way the bonito flakes 'dance' like they're alive ;)

Unknown said...

ahohoho! this is too close to home. i lived in haymarket before...and there are two ajisen ramen within 5 minutes walk from where i live in hong kong now.

WAAAWWWWW...let's go tonight!

Anonymous said...

NQN - Hee hee it is good value, love the dessert yum! Hee hee I'd rather eat bowls and bowls of tonkotsu then get a facial ;) Ahh never been Bondi one but never thought much of the city one but I must try! Thx :)

Christie - Thx hee hee try it out and compare :)
Takoyaki is so awesome but I miss Bakudan in Japan... mmmmmmm

MochachocolataRita - Hee hee what do you think about it? Hmm you are tempting me to go again haha!