A visit to Verity Lane on date night turned into a month long (over Feb/March 20222) fiending for ramen for every meal! I tried all sorts of places, including food court spots like Genki Sushi at the Canberra Outlet Centre and Sushi Fresh on Gladstone Street in Fyshwick with the hopes of finding a hidden gem but had no luck with those… My top 5 has ended up looking a little predictable and obvious but I can confidently say that you can’t go wrong with the spots I’ve mentioned below.
1. Ramentic (Braddon)
Ramentic is at the top of my list for a few specific reasons – the broth has a “sticky” feel (more on that later), the egg was perfect lava goodness and the spice they use in their spicy ramen is the perfect level of spicy so you can still taste the flavours of the dish! The pork that came with the ramen had a good balance of fat and meat though I understand that some people would rather a lean piece of meat. The spice paste has a nice nutty flavour to it and does not over power the rest of the flavours of the dish.
2. White Chaco (Braddon)
White Chaco is the only other ramen joint that I’ve tried that has the “sticky” feel of the broth. I think the sticky feel is a sign of richness and a good level of fat in the broth (don’t worry, that’s about as scientific as I’m going to get with this). The noodles were on the thinner side and had a nice biteyness to it (that’s definitely a real word)! Overall, a really good ramen.
3. Ramen O (Belconnen)
This one is a hidden gem in one of Belconnen’s unassuming office buildings (Belconnen Churches Centre) so you might have some trouble finding it – it’s on Benjamin Way, across from the ABS House building. The ramen came with a soft, “lava”, flavoured egg with soft Char Siu pork pieces. I’d recommend the gyoza as a side, they are small but densely packed gyozas that are full of flavour. I’m not a huge fan of the spice they use in their spicy ramen – it’s very raw in taste and there’s too much of it to enjoy the flavours. I’d recommend spooning up the spice paste from the top of the ramen and add back small amounts till you find a reasonable level of spice that you enjoy rather than mixing it all in. I’m finding Ramen O at the top of a lot of lists, but it’s not for me – the broth just isn’t at a Ramentic or White Chaco level for me.
4. Ramen Daddy (Verity Lane – City/Civic)
No sticky feeling of the broth, but still great flavours in Ramen Daddy’s ramen! The egg was super soft and lava like and the noodles were on the thicker side, but still bitey and absorbed the broth well.