Ramen Shouyuya

Chef Fujio Tamura – formerly of Kokoro Ramen – owns Misoya Sake Bar on Sydney Road. The small shop specialises in miso ramen made with a chicken or vegetarian broth base. But at Ramen Shouyuya, just a five-minute drive down Sydney Road, it’s all about soy sauce – or shoyu – ramen.

Like his miso ramen original, the shopfront is nondescript, with noren fabric dividers covering the door and wooden shades covering the windows. Inside you’ll often find Tamura working behind the ramen bar, dishing up one of three shoyu ramen options: chicken, vegetable and slow-cooked duck inspired by kamo nanban, a Japanese duck and soba noodle soup.

At Ramen Shouyuya, for the chicken and duck options, the base is made using niboshi dashi (dashi made with small dried fish such as anchovies or sardines) and chicken broth and the vegetable option comes with a vegan base made using kombu and dried mushroom broth. Each bowl is served with thin ramen noodles that are made in-house with wheat flour, salt, eggs and an alkaline mineral water called kansui, using a Yamato-brand noodle-making machine from Japan.

The menu is tight, but you’ll also find sides including pickled cucumber, ganmo nimono (deep-fried tofu that has been stewed with vegetables), and deep-fried chicken wings seasoned with soy sauce and garlic sauce and finished with a chilli pepper glaze that were inspired by Yamachan, a popular Japanese fried chicken chain. There are also two dishes – poached chicken and stir-fried vegetables – served over rice, and mitarashi dango (skewered mochi balls glazed with a sweet and sticky soy sauce).