Ramen restaurants are already abundant within the Melbourne CBD, so those looking to open a successful ramen restaurant will need to bring something new to the table. This is the approach Mappen Ramen took when opening their first Melbourne store less than a month ago. Although the first of its kind in terms of ramen, the concept has already been adopted by various udon and donburi restaurants in Melbourne, such as Udon Yasan and Rice Workshop.
Previously Passionflower
Mappen Ramen
Self-serve fried items
After first taking a tray and choosing your ramen style and toppings, you move along to the section with fried items and sides. With a variety of options to choose from I found it difficult to resist having at least one of the fried items. The fried chicken was cooked well and very juicy, however due to the nature of the self-serve counter, I ended up finding a stray hair on my chicken.
Large Miso Dragon $9.90
The Dragon ramen was different from any other ramen I have had before. The chilli side of the broth had flavours reminiscent of Szechuan cuisine. The strong flavour was quite penetrating and overpowered any hint of miso that would have been found in the broth. While the problems were small, when coupled with the fact that the noodles were far too soft, they left me unsatisfied and looking for more.
The one upside of the experience was that the staff were very friendly and helpful as I was ordering. While there were quite a few disappointments, none of them were particularly large and with some small improvements I could see Mappen Ramen attracting more people with their niche of fast and affordable ramen.
The one upside of the experience was that the staff were very friendly and helpful as I was ordering. While there were quite a few disappointments, none of them were particularly large and with some small improvements I could see Mappen Ramen attracting more people with their niche of fast and affordable ramen.
Food Rating 6.5/10
Overall Rating 6.5/10