A while back a bunch of Melbourne food bloggers got together and hunted around for Melbourne’s best ramen. If Twitter’s not playing up, you can probably find live updates of these adventures by doing a search for the hashtag #ramenhunters.
I finally had long enough for lunch up the road from my work and decided to check out a place called Momo Sushi on Swanston Street. I’ve walked past it countless times and never been able to have sushi. When I finally made it, the sushi offerings were scant as it was past the lunch rush. I took a punt on the place’s chashu ramen instead.
To be honest, it was pretty disappointing as far as great examples of ramen go. The noodles were unremarkable, the meat (shredded, rather than finely sliced) was so chewy that it made eating a chore. However, it came out very quickly. I slugged it down quickly like my old Japanese coworkers used to slurp their noodles. I still can’t quite do it as well as them.
The highlight was the coffee. This tiny, modern place has a goddamn Synesso and someone who actually knows how to use it! After my lunch, I had a soy latte to take away. Not quite as rad as my Seven Seeds Magic fix (sadly, Seven Seeds is just a little too far to walk to get work coffee).
Given the name of the eatery, I vowed to return to get some serious sushi action. I’m not a big fan of the whole cooked fillings in nori rolls schtick, so I went two rolls of raw salmon (oi! Don’t knock the classics, you hear?) and one nori-wrapped onigiri. Beautifully fresh and way better than the prepared pizza lunch work had organised for everyone, I thought slightly snobbishly, hehe. I don’t recommend having onigiri if you’re sloshed, however. Refer to the photos below for eludication…
Don’t worry, it’s a rewarding experience and worth the effort.
I couldn’t really contain myself and ordered a large soy latte and said to the barista that their coffee was fucking awesome. He beamed and told me he’s a big coffee geek and the blend I was drinking was a four-bean blend with Guatamalan coffee and hints of barley. His planned one for the day after was a three-bean blend. If you’re in the area, stop by, grab some coffee and fresh sushi and have a chat to the barista, he’s lovely. It erks me that they’re cash-only but I can harden up and get organised beforehand.
We need to head to Sydney for ramen….
Who is “we” Penny? 😉
Why not set our sights higher – we need to head to Japan for ramen. 😉
Damn straight! Ever read the Go Ramen blog? It makes me want to go to Japan for ramen badly!
they just got their EFTPOS up and running! Min $10 transaction tho. Which is kinda reasonable for most cafes.
Awesome! I can hit it up for lunch more often! Thanks for the info.
Their ramen is decent but they are famous for their hand rolls! I love their teriyaki and crispy chicken rolls. Better be quick though cos they sell out quite fast!
I can also vouch for their coffee. The barista is always very friendly and passionate about what he’s doing.
I kind of wish they had more raw fish rolls – best thing about Japanese food is the raw fish dammit! Yeah, the barista is so nice, and very knowledgeable too.
How interesting, I guess this is an alternative to Kenzan @ GPO? Can only be a good thing…
Also,
Synesso you say…
I wonder what beans they’re running, if it’s 5 Senses I might jizz in my pants a little.
Oh my Alex, you are obsessed with coffee. Why can’t you have a ‘normal’ addiction like heroin.
And yes, Gem informs me it is 5 Senses; jizz away!
Oh this place is so cute looking, how haven’t I heard of it before?! I love it when they have the Onigiri wrapped like that, fresh crunchy sushi is the best! 🙂 Will have to make my way there when I get back to Melbourne…
Yeah, damn that onigiri was something special. So freaking good. Don’t forget to try their coffee too! 🙂
Hi there,
They do have an eftpos machine, with a minimum of about 10 dollars
Hi Jaymes! Yup, at time of writing they didn’t, but they have since installed one. Have been back and made use of the facility. Happy days when I get a good coffee and sushi fix 🙂