Bones Ramen

Bones is a tiny Ruschcutters Bay ramen joint focused on just four ramen broths, with rotating specials thrown in the mix.

The hero is a Tokyo-style shoyu ramen, topped with pork chashu, a gooey soy egg, watercress and menma (fermented bamboo shoots). Noodles bathe in a light broth made from pork bones and ribs, ham hocks, chicken feet and kombu, simmered gently overnight to extract a nuanced flavour.

Or go for the gut-busting chicken-based tori paitan ramen, featuring an unctuous broth made from chicken feet, rooster and laying-hen carcasses, kombu and aromatics, garnished with chicken chashu, egg, shallots and menma. An umami-packed niboshi broth and a vego broth complete the menu.

A short list of snacks draws on both Chinese and Japanese influences. Expect cucumber and daikon pickles lacto-fermented in rice bran; potato salad spun with smoked chilli and crowned with a raw egg yolk; brioche-wrapped prawn toast; and fried Bannockburn chicken thigh pieces with yuzu mayo for dipping.

As for the drinks selection, expect Reschs and craft styles by the likes of Sailor’s Grave rather than the usual Japanese suspects of Asahi or Sapporo. A rotating clutch of natural wines provide a light and fresh counterpoint to the complexity of the ramens.

Bones’ renovated fit-out offers a rustic and contemporary space, with exposed red-brick walls offset by blue tiling and a warm timber bar overlooking the cosy kitchen. It’s a petite, walk-ins-only kind of place, fitting 10 diners inside and the same number on the footpath outside.