My friends first informed me of the now hugely popular Ramen O in Belconnen. The catch is that Ramen O is only open Monday to Friday for lunch and dinner, and only for a couple of hours before it sells out. I remember their first Friday night of trade, multiple friends tried to get in but it was packed and then they sold out of everything. A good indication of the quality of food. I understand that the chef comes from Kyushu, and so the ramen is Kyushu-style.
Mr FPJ and I tried it out on a Tuesday night about 5 minutes after opening for dinner, and there were already two tables taken. I believe there are now long queues before it even opens! There seems to be three types of ramen bowls available – Ramen O’s signature Kyushu-style ramen (three variations available – the only difference being each type has more chashu and egg than the other), the same Kyushu-style ramen in spicy versions, and yuzu tonktosu ramen (again with two variations available, one with more chashu and egg). There’s also gyoza and mochi daifuku on the menu.
We tried the 6-piece pork gyoza ($10) which had a lovely crunchy bottom. The gyoza are slim with a small amount of savoury filling inside. I didn’t think these were amazing but decent and crispy.
I tried the Ramen Oh! ($18) one of the Kyushu-style ramen that comes in the signature soy and pork broth, and only one piece of chashu, and half an egg. The colouring and opaqueness was a good sign of a broth that had been boiled for hours. The umami taste wasn’t too rich, heavy or salty and quite nicely balanced. I was pregnant at the time so I couldn’t eat the runny egg but it looked so good. I was disappointed with only the one piece of chashu (the menu didn’t state how many pieces were included), but Mr FPJ shared his with me. I loved the charring on it. The noodles are chewy, bending and yielding when eaten.
Mr FPJ chose the Ramen Wow ($23) which is exactly the same as the Ramen Oh! but with three pieces of chashu and a whole egg. There doesn’t seem to be a difference in the amount of noodles.
We then shared a strawberry daifuku for dessert. I love mochi and this was fresh and delicious – perfect with a cup of tea.
On another occasion, a friend and I made a date for lunch, getting there when it opened at 11.30am. This time I tried the yuzu tonkotsu ($20). I do prefer a thicker and fuller tonkotsu, but I didn’t mind the lightness of this version. The citrus seems to cut through the richness which is great in summer. I’m hoping the restaurant introduces a richer tonkotsu in winter!
My friend tried the spicy ramen which has a small dollop of chilli in the middle of the bowl. There are three levels of spicy – the regular spicy ramen, deluxe spicy and super spicy. She said the regular ($19) was very very mild, so perhaps go up a level if you like your spice.
For Canberra, this is probably the best ramen you can find. It is not exactly cheap and you can get better and cheaper ramen in Sydney, but at least Ramen O is accessible (on weekdays anyway). Definitely worth a try!
Check Ramen O’s Instagram or Facebook page for updates and any changes to opening times.
Ramen O
1st Floor/54 Benjamin Way, Belconnen
Opening hours (best to check with the restaurant):
Monday to Friday: 11.30am- 1.30pm, and 6.00pm – 8.00pm
Foodgasm 8.5/10
Value for money 7.5/10
Service 9/10
FPJ score 25/30
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