Momotaro Rahmen

392 Bridge Rd
Richmond, VIC 3121

Exterior

The hunt for Melbourne’s best ramen continues. Today, my search brings me and my adorable little sister to Momotaro Rahmen, a quaint eatery in Richmond named after the boy who sailed down a river on a peach (no, not James).

The interior is cosy and the owners are friendly. It’s a place for both the young (my sister) and the old (me), with stacks of newspapers and a box full of toys. A wall, proudly plastered with dozens of framed articles and awards for their ramen, is a good sign.

The menu naturally consists of a large selection or ramen, but there is also the requisite curries and teriyaki. There is even a small vegetarian menu, which is a thoughtful touch.

Kids Size Shoyu Ramen ($8)

Hearing rumours of massive portions, my sister and I decided to share a regular sized bowl, and a kids size bowl. What a mistake that was. Our Kids Size Shoyu Ramen ($8) was already bigger than most ramens I’ve encountered. Thankfully it was fairly light, with a simple but robust shoyu broth, a single slice of lean but tender charshu, and assorted vegetables, including a handful of sweet corn kernels. This is a winner of a shoyu ramen if I’ve ever had one.

Tonkotsu Ramen ($11)

I believe ‘massive portions’ is a gross understatement. I could dunk my head into our bowl of Tonkotsu Ramen ($11) and have room left over to swish around a little. And I have a big head. The tonkotsu soup was garlicky, and a lot lighter than all the other ramens I’ve had, but if you’re attempting to eat the whole bowl, you had better hope it is. The perfectly springy noodles with just the right amount of bite are flavoured with a healthy serving of chives and sesame. There were a lot of sprouts and Chinese cabbage in the soup, so you won’t be lacking for greenery, though I found myself enviously eyeing (then stealing) the corn in my sister’s shoyu ramen.

Halfway through the bowl, I simply couldn’t have any more, so I passed my bowl across to my hitting-a-growth-spurt sister, who took over. It was around this point when we both realised that whilst the tonkotsu broth was deceptively light, it was also quite oily.

“I HAVE TO FINISH IT ALL!!!”

But in the end, despite the insistence that ‘I HAVE TO FINISH IT ALL!’, my sister also admitted defeat. Ramen: 1; Us: 0.

By the time we stumbled out of the little shop, we were both silly from all the ramen sloshing away in our tummies. It’s definitely not the best ramen I’ve had, but the flavours are pleasant, the servings are generous, and the owners are both, so I’m hard-pressed to do anything other than like it.

Rating: 13.5/20 – plus one for portions!