When something new opens in Perth, there is very little secret behind it in this small city. When Ramen Lab opened its doors to the public a couple of weeks ago, I knew I had to get in. After all, there is plenty of space for more ramen in Perth.
Coming in hungry beyond words can describe, it was safe to say I ordered my heart out. To start, a single serve of their Bao filled with cabbage slaw, and pork belly with a drizzle of spicy Aioli.
Clearly, each of these little buns were made with love. The bao itself was light and fully. The starts though were its top notch fillings and spicy Aioli tasted a lot better than what I remember Sriracha Mayo tasted! I particularly enjoyed the thinly sliced pork belly that had a slight charred smokiness to it. Did not looked smoked or anything though!
Takoyaki
Octopus balls topped with a Worcestershire based concoction, spicy Aioli, Bonito flakes, and Nori. First thing that comes to mind when I ordered these is that it must have came right out of the bag! So there was little to dislike. For sure it could have been a little bit more delicate but what do you expect right? Very few people make their own these days. Overall, these were pretty nice since I really enjoyed their spicy Aioli!
My pick of the Ramen bunch was Ramen Lab’s Classic Hakata. This style of ramen is my all time favourite where an honest broth is given the punch of black garlic oil! This was no different as the bowl looked super inviting.
Looking at the noodles used for the Tonkotsu, you can immediately tell that the guys at Ramen Lab had done their homework because they paired their rich Tonkotsu broth with thin noodles instead of using the typical wavy noodle! That’s like rule no.1 in the Ramen Book. Then comes the other elements which were all very nicely done. The egg was a class act, along with the spring onion and fungus. Then comes the lovely pork belly which was tasted similar to the one in the Bao which isn't a bad thing considering how good it was! While the Classic Hakata was good, I felt that there were areas where Ramen Lab could definitely improve! First things first, the Menma or Bamboo Shoots needed a little more marinate because it still had a very strong flavour to it. Secondly, the black garlic oil. I love my garlic and the black garlic oil was way too little! Lastly the soup by itself was lovely but with the noodles I think it could do with a little more salt. The flavour was good but something felt lacking towards the end.
As noodles in soup continue to dominate the eating scene in Perth along with the craze for American BBQ and Fried Chicken, it must be wary. Because if logic has it that a good bowl of ramen is like a trip to Heaven, then the converse must also true that a terrible bowl of ramen is a one way ticket to Hell. Thankfully, Ramen Lab delivered better than expected because the lacklustre reviews prior to me coming were a tad concerning. Sure there could be improvements but there was little to dislike. Over all, it still was a solid delivery. Oh yes, and I eat A LOT. I would have definitely needed an extra serve of noodles if not for the sides I ordered. A free serve of extra noodles would be good considering a bowl here starts at $15! Would also note that the staff at Ramen Lab were extremely courteous as they made sure I got the best from the piping bowl of noodles by telling me to mix it properly and to not eat the strong flavoured Takoyaki and Ramen at the same time!
Check out my other Ramen posts:
Check out my other Ramen posts:
WenY
