Maki and Ramen

The noodles and broth are made from scratch at this family-owned ramen shop.

Husband-and-wife-team Patrick Wong and Yuko Chinn have been serving ramen to the Marrickville community for eight years, and they’ve developed a loyal following. The small restaurant is packed at dinnertime, as families and commuters opt for a quick, healthy-ish meal over cooking at home.

The fitout is simple – warm timber, Japanese posters on the wall, and wall-mounted display cases with anime figurines – and it’s usually Yuko on the floor, waving you towards the nearest empty table. But the most important thing to know is that the ramen is good, very good.

“My family migrated to Australia when I was a teenager and I always held on to that memory of Japanese food, the feeling of it,” Chinn says. Wong, a trained chef (“Very talented,” says Chinn) makes all the noodles and broth from scratch, and while the black garlic ramen is the bestseller, you should try the special grilled chicken ramen if you feel like something lighter.

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