Menya Noodle Bar Chinatown

8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  9     

The ramen sets are definitely a great value. The kickapoo drink is our new favorite. The tori miso ramen has a beer-like aftertaste, so I would only recommend it to the brave. The shoyu ramen broth was quite nice. The corn as side dish is the juiciest, sweetest.

May 19, 2012 

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  9     

Great little noodle spot. I had beef teriyaki udon, the broth was very flavoursome and meat tender. Every Japanese condiment you could wish for is available on the communal tables. There's plenty of Japanese students coming in and out, which must be a good sign. Recommended for a quick noodle fix.

Jan 20, 2012 

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  9     

Very much a noodle bar serving excellent ramen. Order and pay at the counter and take a seat at the communal seating and almost instantly your food appears. Good in winter and definitely not a place to linger. Not up to the best in Japan but overall very good all the same.

Jun 21, 2011 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  9     

A great place for Seaweed Salad and noodles. The vegetarians in our group LOVE the Seaweed Salad - 2 different types of seaweed, and lots of greens, and the delicious japanese salad dressing. The ramen is delicious too. We made a few suggestions for some dishes such as adding more teriyaki sauce to the teriyaki fish, and the staff gladly accommodated our requests and were very helpful in making sure we left as happy customers. A great pit stop for a delicious, cheery meal.

Jun 05, 2011 

7.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  8     

Great ramen at reasonable prices in modern surroundings. Gets busy and is not the sort of place to linger, nor for very large groups due to the communal type seating. But if you're after a good feed, and something quick this definitely fits the bill. You come here for the noodles, the broth is tasty and doesn't have msg, at least I don't think it does since I'm never quenched for thirst afterwards. And you can even get a decent main meal and ramen combo all for $15

May 29, 2011 

7.5 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  8     

Love the Tonkotsu ramen here! Fantastic ramen at a very reasonable price. The only downside is that it gets very hot and stuffy during the summer. The A/C doesn't seem to make much of a difference. I would imagine it would be very nice on a cold winter evening.

Mar 20, 2011 

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  9     

The gyoza was delicious - the wrapping soft and thin, the bottoms deliciously crispy and the pork filling was good from what I remember and went very nicely with the dipping sauce. The tonkotsu Menya ramen is topped with one slice of cha-su (roasted pork), bamboo, naruto (Japanese fish cake), scallions, a sheet of nori, half an egg and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. The noodles were a thinner variety, but still perfectly chewy, the pork was so tender it almost falls apart when you pick it up and had a almost sweet, fatty, melt-in-your-mouth flavour. The broth as very thin and I found it quite oily. From memory it was sort of sweet, and tasted very different to what I am used to. I also wished the egg was soft boiled, but having been seasoned (soy cured I think?) it was still very tasty. Overall the ramen was enjoyable and very easy on the wallet.

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Jan 20, 2011 

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

My first introduction to Menya was 2 years ago and I haven't regretted a single meal there since. My first impression of Menya is that of the energy the place gives off. This is no posh restaurant, just simply an honest, down-to-earth and extremely good ramen house. Enjoyment of your meal there is very simple, you order and pay at the counter, then find yourself a seat amongst 20 or so strangers. Faster than you think, your steaming bowl of ramen will arrive.

Inhale that heavenly aroma wafting out of the bowl, then throw yourself into slurping up everything as neatly or messily as you can. A contented belch and you're out of the door, a little heavier but much happier. Sometimes you might wish there were more separate tables or booths for private conversation, but that's not what Menya is for.

To be honest, I even haven't tried everything on the menu yet. But I can tell you it will be a great experience! My favourite item in the menu has got to be the Garlic Ramen (also called Kogashi Nininku Ramen). I honestly could go there in the middle of night to have this. Just thinking about it makes me drool, a heap of chewy ramen handmade fresh everyday, 2 slices of melt-in-your-mouth roast pork cut just the right size, half a boiled egg, a small pile of pickled bamboo and a big square of nori.

Simple yes, but all of these are melded together harmoniously by the broth to bring you to absolute gastronomical heights. I could rhapsodize endlessly about it. Alot of times when you order ramen in other 'japanese' restaurants, the broth is just way too thin, too clear, lacking in body and all together too boring. Menya's broth is thick but not too sludgy, strong but not overpowering and in my case, the aroma of the garlic makes me want to dive in headfirst.

This is a dish that will warm your heart (and stomach) even on the coldest of nights. Just imagine it, cozily sitting there enjoying the most delicious bowl of hot ramen and looking out at everyone outside huddling together from the chilly wind. Isn't it just wonderful? Personally, I'll be back more times than I can count. I know, I know. People will tell me that there are other places to have more "authentic" ramen in Sydney, but for now this is to me as good as ramen can get.

Nov 16, 2010 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  10     

I'm yet to find a better place for ramen. The tonkotsu soup is delicious, the basic menya ramen or the deep fried chicken ramen with tonkotsu soup are my faves!
If you're eating in for lunch on a weekday, do be prepared to wait for a table, especially in winter. But the wait is well worth it!

Nov 09, 2010 

7.8 Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  7     

Love the tonkotsu ramen. This one is better than the market street and circular quay one. Good cheap feed.

Nov 02, 2010