Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan

Whilst in Japan, pizzaboy and I were lost in the streets of Shibuya, Tokyo. We were hungry and couldn’t read Japanese. I was craving noodles and I randomly chose a noodle bar that had a picture of ramen at the front. We pointed at something that looked appetising on the menu with no idea what we were ordering. This was our first introduction to Tonkotsu Ramen.

Tonkotsu Ramen - Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan

Tonkotsu ramen is usually a cloudy white coloured broth and is a thick broth made by boiling pork bones, fat, and collagen over high heat for hours on end, suffusing the broth with a hearty pork flavor and a creamy consistency that rivals milk or melted butter or gravy (depending on the shop). Most shops, but not all, blend this pork broth with a small amount of chicken and vegetable stock and/or soy sauce.

Tonkotsu Ramen, Fried Rice, Kim Chi & Gyoza - Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan

When I got home to Sydney, I googled – tonkotsu – and found that it was a specialty at Menya in Haymarket. And with a 7+ rating on eatabilty.com.au it was worth a visit.

Menya on King St, Sydney

Menya on King St, Sydney

Menya on King St, Sydney

It was almost identical to the one we ate in Shibuya. Its milky broth was so comforting, it made me feel like everything was good in the world. Pizzaboy and I have been frequent diners at Menya ever since.

Menya Ramen with a tonkotsu broth $9.90

They also make it very easy to come back often because the prices are very reasonable, and they have a frequent visitor card where your 20th bowl of noodles is free.

We have tried many things on their menu and have not been disappointed. However, the tonkotsu ramen is the best thing on the menu in our opinion.

Menya Value Box with Karaage Chicken and Mini Shoyu Ramen $15.40

Mini Shoyu Ramen

On this particular visit, Pizzaboy orders the Tonkotsu Ramen and I order the Menya Value Box Set with Karaage Chicken and a Mini Shoyu Ramen (Soy Sauce broth). The noodles were cooked to perfection and as always the broth is divinely rich.

There are also many side dishes available on the menu, such as, salads, gyoza and sashimi. On this visit we order the salmon sashimi and chilli shallots.

Salmon Sashimi $8.90

Chilli Shallots $2.50

Menya Chinatown
Shop TG8, 8 Quay Street, Haymarket NSW 2000
02 9212 1020

Menya Sydney City
Shop 2, 1 Market Street, Sydney NSW 2000
02 9267 4649

Menya Circular Quay
20 Loftus Street, Circular Quay, Sydney NSW 2000
02 9251 8280

http://www.menya.com.au

Voted Top 5 best noodle places to eat in Sydney