My usual food buddy and I decided to try Little Ramen Bar, a small but popular Japanese ramen store located on Little Bourke and Elizabeth Street. It is also close to Hardware Lane, within an area normally bustling with people due to the array of popular restaurants and cafes including Manchester Press. We were expecting quite a lot from this restaurant since people even queue up to get a seat here and thus it looked promising, but we left feeling disappointed. Although the prices were relatively cheap, the portion of the food we ordered were small and the quality was only decent.

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 – General Review –

•  Service: 7.8/10

Service was prompt and personnel were friendly.

• Servicescape: 7.5/10

Restaurant was small with limited seats. It was pretty cramped but clean and well-lit, and exuded a very Japanese atmosphere through the music and decoration. It is also located near the heart of the city, so it’s very easily accessible.

• Non-smoking area: Seats are indoors and smoke-free, but outdoor seats available too.

• Vegetarian dishes: Very limited.

• Price range: $-$$ (AU$9 – $13 for most main dishes.)

Overall Rating: 6.8/10

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 – Food Experience –

1) Housemade Gyoza Dumplings:

I quite enjoyed the gyoza, although the portion was tiny. The dish came with 6 dumplings, and the skin was nicely browned and slightly crisp. The stuffing included pork and vegetables, but I didn’t think it was very juicy. The dumplings were a little on the salty side as well.

2) Spicy Miso Ramen:

I was honestly disappointed with the ramen and didn’t think it was anywhere near my expectations. The miso and pork soup was thick and rich, but there wasn’t a lot of minced pork and only came with one small and thin slice of BBQ pork. The dish was then topped with some sesame seeds, sliced onion, scallion, and mixed vegetables. I requested for mild spice but even so, it was already quite spicy (I’m not that spice-tolerant). I thought the ramen could do better with more toppings such as seaweed and bamboo shoots etc since the dish served too little. The noodles itself was good but the overall dish was a little disappointing and the taste was just decent.

 

Location: 346 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne – VIC, Australia (3000)

Contact number: +61 3 9670 5558

Website: Little Ramen Bar

Operating hours: Mon – Sat: 11.50am – 2.30pm; 5.30pm – 9pm (9.30pm last order on Fri & Sat)

Sun: Closed

Posted by: V