RAMEN TAKARA
Originating from the slopes of Mt Fuji, Ramen Takara joins us in Ponsonby in the building where Clearwater Peak used to be. The restaurant opens up to a sheltered courtyard with a large taupe covering and hanging vintage light bulbs and with heaters lined the walls facing the seating booths, we were already absolutely smitten. The menu boasts a good variety of beer nibbles and hearty ramen. The noodle broth apparently takes over 3 hours to create – rich, fragrant and packed with umami. Our jaws dropped when the Thai-inspired Tom Yum bowls arrived — ramen with a mountain of stirfried vegetables, shredded leek and prawns heaped on top – these are not for the faint-hearted! Other dishes worthy of mention were the chicken karaage and dumplings, served in dainty bamboo steamers. Bring your mates here next time for a winter date.
Louise had the dumplings and the chicken karaage. She said “Loved the decor and the service. Crazy table layout made passing bowls of ramen along to each other a fun challenge. Tasty food, well presented but didn’t feel particularly unique.”
Innie had the vege miso ramen. She said “Nice atmosphere but probably taste-wise it wasn’t probably my cup of tea .Mind you, I am more of a ‘chunky chips + ketchup’ person so don’t take my word for it.”
Katie had the tonkotsu ramen cloudy pork base, chashu pork, egg, bok choy, spring onion, bamboo shoots, kikurage mushrooms. She said “Loving the seating vibes, the serving size of the noodles were huge, though would need more meat.”
Mel had the tom yum ramen, sour and spicy tomato base. tofu, prawn and vegetable stir-fry, fresh coriander, shredded leek. She said “The tom yum was sufficiently ‘hot’ and perfect for a winter warming. Really good bang for your buck, I can assure you that you will not come away still hungry!”
Joe had the tom yum ramen, sour and spicy tomato base. tofu, prawn and vegetable stir-fry, fresh coriander, shredded leek. He said “Tasty, classy and great value too.”
Emilie had the tonkotsu ramen cloudy pork base, chashu pork, egg, bok choy, spring onion, bamboo shoots, kikurage mushrooms. She said “The flavour wasn’t as great as its very trendy atmosphere.”
Rikki had the tom yum ramen, sour and spicy tomato base.,tofu, prawn and vegetable stir-fry, fresh coriander, shredded leek. She said “Lovely outdoor area.”
