Review: Ryo’s Noodles

With the arrival of Ryo’s Noodles – found in Hong Kong, Jakarta and Sydney – Adelaide’s pretty non-existent ramen scene is about to get a shake-up. 80 Gouger St has been refreshed since its Kawaii Fashion days. The former $2.80-shop’s front has been replaced by a wall of circular, black mesh. Ryo’s bold red logo – a striped bowl with a rainbow of noodles arching over it – stands out proudly from the black fronting. The meshed-over windows and red curtains in the doorway give the newly opened space an exclusive, secret feel. Inside, the décor is much of the same industrial-edged design we’ve been seeing lately: exposed lightbulbs, high stools, black trimming. Specials and recommendations (“If your soup is too salty, please ask staff for less salt”) line the walls on brown paper signs. The soup really is a salty spectacular Just beyond the entrance is a flight of stairs leading to an upper floor, where we’re told the noodles are made. As Ryo’s has just opened, there is a bit of a queue; about 10 minutes’ wait for a table (couples and small groups) then 15 minutes or so for food. Considering, however, that every seat in the restaurant is filled, the speed and quality of service is very good. We order the gyoza ($7 for five) and two of the pork soup options: ramen in soy-sauce-flavoured soup with roast pork, egg and shallots ($14.50) and ramen in miso-flavoured soup with egg, roast pork, shallots and bamboo shoots ($15). A wide sheet of nori (seaweed) lines the bowl, ready to be shredded over the meat, baby bok choy and shallots. The cloudy soup is thick and rich, heavy with salty pork flavours. The soft-boiled soy egg halves have perfectly jammy yolks. Slices of roast pork are well-cooked and soft, while the noodles are firm and springy. The whole ramen experience is delicious and moreish, but beware: the MSG come-down is pretty intense. The gyoza are tasty, with crisp, pan-fried bases and hot pork-mince filling. Serving sizes are very generous, so go to Ryo’s on an empty stomach. However, it is very salty fare, and Ryo’s recognise this. They welcome requests to make the soup less strong. Over all, the quality of Ryo’s food is extremely high, with no other ramen in Adelaide close to comparing.