Wholesome noods – i like ramen opens its permanent plant-based eatery in Fortitude Valley
It’s been an emotional couple of weeks for fried-chicken loving denizens of Fortitude Valley, but it also marks an exciting new age for the entertainment precinct’s food scene. Brunswick Street’s The Coop recently announced it was transitioning from meaty bistro into a fully-fledged plant-based eatery in conjunction with the folks behind i like ramen. The Gold Coast-born noodle soup crew has been wowing tastebuds for weeks through it’s weekly vegan ramen pop-up at The Coop, and now salivating slurpers can get their fix every night of the week from today, Thursday October 25.
It doesn’t matter if you’re changing degrees, career paths, living situations or even an outfit – shaking things up can be a scary prospect. Thankfully, The Coop’s latest pivot from fried chicken to plant-based dining wasn’t a spur of the moment decision, rather a shrewdly calculated culinary move. For the better part of the last few months, the Fortitude Valley bistro has been giving its kitchen over to the crew from i like ramen every Sunday – allowing the Gold Coast crew the chance to seduce Brisbane’s tastebuds with its selection of vegan ramen. Now, The Coop is making way for Australia’s first plant-based ramen outfit permanently, with i like ramen officially opening its Brisbane joint this week. The space remains largely the same, but cosmetic adjustments have been made to the venue, which now boasts a new mural from Adam Busby and hanging work from local artists Cindy Nelson and Danielle Falls.
Our friends on the Gold Coast rave about i like ramen’s inventive bowls, which offer sharp and balanced flavours across its broth and ingredient selection. Highlights include the chick’n white miso ramen, mean green ramen with spinach ramen noodles and the cauliflower and onion ramen with activated charcoal noodles. For its hotly anticipated permanent Brisbane location, the i like ramen crew have bolstered the menu with a swag of tasty plant-based sides. Alongside your steaming brothy bowl of goodness, you can snack on panko-crumbed mushroom and kimchi baos (lathered in sriracha aioli), crispy agedashi tofu with shiitake dashi, garlic soy Asian greens topped with beetroot and fried onions, and house-made kimchi with crispy garlic roasted baby potatoes. i like ramen’s famous sour cream and panko mushroom Po’ Boy is also available, which is served with tangy Asian slaw, sriracha cashew aioili, roasted seaweed and sesame. The drinks offering will also shift to focus on quality – classic tinnies, craft beers, natural wines are currently on offer, while a selection of kombucha cocktails will arrive come summer.
i like ramen opens today. For more information, head to the Stumble Guide.
The Stumble Guide is our comprehensive Brisbane dining guide with more than 2400 places to eat, drink, shop and play.
