Sokyo Ramen + Yayoi Galleries - Sydney CBD, NSW

You would not believe how excited I was when I found out that Sokyo was doing a ramen pop up...like, Chase Kojima and ramen? That's like a dream come true! I just had to go try it no matter the effort or cost. It also just so happened that I had the opportunity to go and attend training in the CBD for work. So I decided that I wouldn't let the day end without having headed to The Star to experience what I anticipated to be one of the best bowls of ramen in the city.

I started my day off by arriving in the CBD early. I had originally intended to go to my favorite cafe (the Q on harris) for breakfast but unfortunately, they weren't open...sad face. So I made my way over to World Square where my training was to be held. Being almost an hour early meant I could afford to sit down at Cherry Beans and have a relaxing breakfast to start my day and nothing says breakfast better than eggs benedict. I'll be honest, not much to rant on about as it was pretty standard but still...a great way to start your morning.

I had already researched and planned out my trip the day before but I always knew it was going to be tight. Luckily, the lunch break started early so without any hesitation, I sprinted down to capitol square and caught the light rail to The Star. As I got off, I literally bolted for the food court...I was lucky enough to get into the line just as it was getting busy (any later and I would have really suffered). I believe staff at the casino conditionally have to pay via card for their staff benefits to apply...which is why it seemed to take so much longer than I would have liked to get to the counter. Fortunately, I'd already known for a fortnight what I was wanted and so I quickly ordered my tonkotsu ramen, paid (in cash) and waited ever so patiently for my buzzer to ring.

When I got my bowl of noodles, I could not even...like, couldn't even contain my excitement and anticipation and as I found a nice empty table, I sat down to admire it and take it all in. If I had to describe the flavour...I'd have to say that it's very Sokyo-esque. For those who've been fortunate enough to dine at Sokyo, you'll understand what I mean. For those who haven't yet (please do, it's very much worth it), what I mean is that the soup base is extremely refined and layered in flavour....fine-dining ramen to be precise.

Comparative to other tonkotsu ramens available in Sydney, Sokyo's has a textural balance of viscosity and gravy like thickness. Each element and flavour profile comes in layers and never interrupts the other...almost like a slow waltz with multiple dance partners. First, the pork bone comes in and introduces the creamy richness and then the seafood which adds the deep umami and then finally the chicken which refines the package and sharpens the whole bowl to provide some very welcome clarity. Although I personally would have liked the noodles to be ever-so-slightly firmer, the thin straight noodles cling to the soup well and the additional (and unusual) addition of umeboshi helps to cleanse the palate and re-appetise you throughout the eating process. At first, the pork cheek chashu may look plain and deceptively dry but you'll know it's good when you pick it up with your chopsticks...it literally just melts in your mouth.

Having satisfied my ramen craving, I ran back to training and as my day finished up, the Mrs met up with me in the CBD for our usual Friday night dinner. We decided to stick with the Japanese theme and have Yayoi at the Galeries Victoria for dinner. When we stepped in, dinner service had only just started so it wasn't that busy but as we sat down, we looked outside to see that the line had doubled...lucky us right? I ordered the miso tonkatsu teishoku (set) and the Mrs ordered the wagyu sukiyaki teishoku. The main selling point for Yayoi is the quality of their rice and it really does differ as you can distinctly taste the sweetness of the grains. Every part of my set was a joy to eat but I think my favorite item was the miso sauce tonkatsu. The pork is crunchy and tender and when covered in the sweet and nutty miso sauce, is a wonderfully savoury item to eat with your rice.

The Mrs has again selected the better item as her sukiyaki beef was so sweet and delicious, I almost wanted to switch with her. It's the perfect accompaniment to the rice as the beef was cooked to a perfect tenderness and when dipped into that delicious slow cooked egg, had a wonderfully moorish buttery texture. Add to that the saucy udon noodles and you have a really, really great all encompassing dinner set.

We finished the night off with an order of warabi mochi and headed home for the night. Overall, I'd say that I had a pretty productive day in foodie terms. I don't think I'll be able to get over Sokyo's brilliantly executed rendition of this quintessential Japanese dish but if they do decide to make ramen a permanent fixture, I'm sure we'll see many more exciting and wonderful flavours from Kojima san and team.