When one considers the options for Japanese cuisine, one could opt for the obvious..... like sushi, sashimi, tempura and teppanyaki . These styles of Japanese food are predictable and available in just about every suburb of Brisbane - from a quick and healthy sushi take-away for lunch, to the more elaborate, high-end representations at Sake or Sono in the city. And once you have witnessed the impressive knife skills and tricks of a Teppanyaki chef, it all becomes a bit more-of-the-same.
.....or you can have ramen. After extensive research, I managed to convince the family (and Phil) to take a 15 minutes trip south of the city to Sunnybank. It has taken nearly one hundred years, but Sunnybank has finally overtaken downtown Chinatown as home to Brisbane's largest Asian community. It is for good reason that it is referred to as Little Asia: nearly 40% of people living in Sunnybank do not speak English at home, and nearly 60% were not born in Australia.
Our destination was Market Square, the original site for the trading of poultry and fruit produced in this fertile parish in the mid 1800's. By 1950, it had given way to sprawling suburbia and local industry. Brisbane is home to 3,300 of the 40,968 Japanese resident in Australia (most migrated from Japan to work on the sugar cane farms in North-Queensland and the pearl industry in Broome (WA), and their cuisine has seamlessly integrated into modern Australian life.
Nagahama Ramen Hakataya is hidden in amongst a melee of Asian restaurants lining the Square. In fact, if you decide to go to Market Square for an authentic Asian meal, you would most likely not choose Hakataya Ramen, as you would walk straight past without knowing it's even there. The entrance is obscured by a yellow banner (I have no idea what was written on it), and to the right of the door are pictures of the fours dishes (yes, only 4!) served inside. The restaurant is no wider than a supermarket aisle, with wooden dining counters and stools on either side and an open view to the kitchen, with multiple gas burners and gigantic stock pots.
So what is ramen? Essentially, it is a Japanese noodle soup (ramen means "hand-pulled noodles"), built around a pork stock (tonkotsu), simmered for 38 hours, skimming off all impurities. The result is a clear, mildly flavoured, collagen rich base, which is then seasoned with soy, miso, nori (seaweed), kamaboku, sesame and green onions. This is topped with Char Siu (prime pork belly, slow cooked in a special sauce at a low temperature for nearly three hours and then chilled for 2 days to seal in the juices). The noodles are made from wheat (not rice flour), and can be thick, thin, straight or wrinkled. So one could easily be forgiven for calling Hakataya Ramen a soup kitchen. There were only four of us last night (me, Keith, Boetie and Phil....Nielen again missing in action somewhere), so ordering was easy: one of each please! Douzo meshiagare! (please enjoy your meal!)
From the moment you enter, you feel welcome, with staff chorusing irashaimase (come on in!) as you walk through the door. Service is swift and friendly, and aprons to protect your clothing from potential splatter are available on request. Noodles and toppings are eaten with chopsticks, and it is perfectly acceptable to raise your bowl to your mouth to drink the soup (however, spoons are available).
I had the Miso Spicy-Men, and dare I say, this was my favourite meal on our 17 week journey so far. The stock had a layered complexity of flavours unfamiliar to my palate, the seasoning was beautifully fused with the subtlety of the soup, the pork belly literally melted in my mouth, the noodles were perfectly cooked, and the crispy nori topping added a textural balance. I simply loved eating this meal. It was truly delicious. Afterwards we wandered through the square, watching hundreds of locals dining in the packed restaurants and toasting the end of another working week. We concluded the evening with an ice cream cone (flavour options included Black Sesame, Jackfruit, Green tea and Durian) and a shot of espresso which we bought from a 10 year old boy at a local vendor.
We had some great facts last night: from koi to kamikaze, and samurai warriors to sumo wrestlers......all fascinating stuff. However, Phil's fact on "Paris Syndrome" (which I researched and is absolutely accurate...not like his fake fact on China - see blog week 12) was the most fascinating of all: Each year, dozens of Japanese contract "Paris Syndrome" while visiting the French Capital. Apparently the contrast between the rude reality and the romantic expectation is such a cultural shock to the polite, soft-spoken and helpful Japanese, that they suffer a psychiatric breakdown, and have to be repatriated to their homeland by the local embassy.
If you wish to visit Hakataya Ramen, be advised that they do not take bookings, and due to its popularity, you may have to queue for a short while...but trust me, it is well worth the wait.
Next week, our journey continues from the Land of the Rising Sun, to the Land of the Rolling Dunes. See you in Morocco.
The impressive stock pots
entrance
Behind the banner
the four ramen
Absolutely delicious
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