Ramen Danbo’s first Australian ramen bar is owned by Andrew Hosaka-Zaniewski, a Tokyo-born Gold Coaster. The all-new ramen bar, located in Southport’s Mercato on Ferry precinct on Ferry Road, is quaint and traditional in its fit-out, with little two-seater nooks to slurp your ramen in peace, along with seating at the noodle bar. Now, let it be known that Andrew and his team take this ramen game very seriously. How so? Firstly, you can’t order takeaway bowls here, because, well, ramen should be eaten quickly – right then and there, otherwise the noodles soak up the liquid, and the quality dissipates. Ramen is at its best when it’s fresh, and the Ramen Danbo team simply don’t want their well-crafted ramen bowls to be consumed in any other way. Total respect.

Though, Ramen Danbo’s process of perfection begins at the source – water. We’re told that the water used when cooking ramen and rice can greatly affect the taste, so the kitchen runs all of its water through a commercial-grade filter, ensuring the water is high quality and perfectly balanced to create just the right flavour. The menu here is fairly fluid – you can choose and adjust elements, including the quantity of mouth-watering braised pork, the noodle firmness, the richness of the soup, and the level of spice, all to create your perfect bowl. If could take a few tries (heck, who doesn’t love learning delicious lessons like this?), but when you’ve nailed your prefect ramen bowl combination, you’ll want it every.single.day.

Need ramen, now? Head over to our Stumble Guide for Ramen Danbo’s opening hours and location.