On Ramen, Haymarket

Hopping right back on the ramen trail! I remembered that I had taken some notes on my iPhone a day I'd forgotten my notepad and voila, I'm able to make another post. Next stop on my Sydney Ramen Safari is On Ramen in Chinatown. Lauded by Shawn at Street Food as his "favourite [tonkotsu ramen] in Sydney so far", I knew that this was a place I could not pass up. On Ramen is located on a corner of Hay St in an old red-brick building; a small casual eatery with some tables squeezed around counter seats bordering the kitchen. The waitresses didn't speak much English but when the language is ramen, it doesn't matter. /bad joke


Tenderous Pork Rib Ramen $10.80
Having done my research, I knew it was the tenderous pork rib ramen that I wanted, with various internet sources proclaiming it tastier than the regular tonkotsu ramen with cha-su. The dish consisted of ramen in tonkotsu broth topped with pieces pork rib, bamboo, seaweed, a sheet of nori, shallots, half an egg and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. The pork was indeed blissfully tender, falling apart upon chopstick contact and melting in my mouth in all its sweet, fatty, meaty glory. The noodles were chewy and excellent, the broth light, with a milky consistency which although thinner in density, still left my lips with a sticky sensation (a result of the collagen from pork bone, presumably). The downside was that it lacked the full-bodied porky flavour I had developed a taste for. I'm also a big fan of soft-boiled eggs (with an almost liquid centre) and I was looking forward to the soft googie yolk pictured on the menu - the one received was a tad overcooked, but it was still soy-cured and tasty.

My lunching companion Carrie ordered the vegetarian ramen, I tried some of her broth and it wasn't exactly rememberable, the only taste I seem to recall is the copious amounts of chilli powder she had added added to her ramen. Not to say it wasn't any good, Carrie seemed to enjoy it.


Vegetarian Ramen $10.80

On Ramen
181-187 Hay St, Haymarket 2000
Telephone: (02) 9211 6663