Genkotsu Ramen, Eight Mile Plains, Brisbane

Sometimes in life, you may want to eat out at fancy restaurants or maybe the newly opened restaurant that everyone is hyped up on. However, there will always be that comfort food whether it may be a good ol' burger or just your mother's cooking or even just a big bowl of fried food. Now, a big bowl of ramen may not suit everyone but trust me, during winter or rainy days, you would definitely want to put your hands around a hot bowl of ramen filled with goodness. Genkotsu reminds me of the Ramen eateries in Japan, petite but cozy serving up good classic comfort food.

'Shio' (AUD$9.5) was a Ramen with a salty base soup which allows those who aren't a big fan of the Soy Sauce based soup but would still like the original Tonkotsu without all the extras. Served with Pork Chashu and shallots, very simple but I do believe that the salty base soup can be too salty for some. There are also chilli powder and sesame if you would like to add or alter the original soup to your liking.

'Black Garlic' (AUD$11) has a Shoyu (Soy sauce) base soup which combines perfectly as it blends together well. Served in a large black bowl with Chashu pork, bamboo shoots, shallots and the main star of the dish, the black garlic oil. The ramen itself was thin and cooked well, it was chewy and not overcooked until it was soggy. The slow cooked egg had its own flavour as it has absorbed all the goodness it has been cooked in. The soft Pork Chashu melts in your mouth and basically is another highlight of the dish however, I have to say that after mixing the black garlic oil with the soup, it definitely will blow your mind and tastebuds and allow you to experience something different than the normal Ramen you usually eat. The soup was very rich and had a strong depth of flavour which was comforting.

Just a note before you do come in, seats are very limited and there are usually a queue at peak hours with people waiting outside the door. It is a very tiny place with probably only fitting about 20 or so people hence the fact that they have bench seats which sometimes you may just need to share with other diners. The good thing is that the service is fast and after ordering and finding a seat, the next thing you know, your Ramen is ready..

Ikkudo Ichi, Grand Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia

Ikkudo Ichi is one of the many Ramen places you can dine at Grand Indonesia Mall in Jakarta. It is quite a small area inside but fits a decent amount of diners, though you might have to wait for a bit sometimes when they do have a queue. I would say though overall that the ramen here reminded me of the ramen back here, but it just had a more Street and casual feeling..

As you can see, the restaurant itself is quite small and we arrived here after work quite early so it wasn't right on dinner time allowing us to get our table quickly and by the time we finished eating, there were so many diners coming in. When  we sat down, we were offered drinks and we ordered both a 'Hot Ocha' and 'Cold Ocha' (Both at IDR9,8rb - AUD$0.98). It's nice to see when Japanese restaurants serves their green tea using real tea leaves, and not just tea bags.. Quite dissapointing if they do. Gladly, they used real tea leaves as you can taste a bit of the residue as you get to the bottom.

'Age Buta Gyoza' (IDR28rb - AUD$2.8) are Deep fried Pork Gyoza in which a portion gets you 6 pieces which I found was a normal amount in Japanese restaurants. It was rather small than I thought it would be but not too much. It was fully deep fried and there are also grilled gyoza if you would like a healthier option on the menu.

I found that just a simple light soy sauce as a sauce was a nice dipping sauce instead of a sweet chilli or a chilli sauce given along with the dumplings. It was very hot when it arrived so be careful when biting into it. The filling was delicious with the pork broth oozing out a bit as you bite through it.

All ramens are served with either chicken or pork charsiu, spring onions, sliced mushrooms and soft boiled golden egg. We both ordered the same which was 'Tori/Buta Signature' (IDR49.8rb - AUD$5) which was their Signature ramen served with either Chicken or Pork Charsiu in which of course, the choice of meat would be obviously Pork Charsiu.

The first thing that you see when you get a big bowl of ramen on your table is its presentation, then you see if the soft boiled egg is done right, then you check if they have given you a sufficient amount of charsiu, then you take a spoonful of the broth, sip and taste it, try their ramen noodles... then judge and comment.. well, that's the way I eat my ramen usually. Soft boiled eggs were cooked nicely, the broth reminded me of your Tonkotsu base but it seemed to be a bit thicker compared to the lighter version. Full of flavour, the seasoning and spices has been balanced out well, the ramen noodles were chewy and cooked through well.

One of the best thing you get here where you won't get anywhere else (even in Aussie, I haven't been to a Ramen place where they would offer this..) is that they serve you fresh garlic along with a wooden skewer and a garlic press. Why? So that for those garlic lovers, like myself... is able to mince your own garlic whilst inserting it into your ramen, as much or as little as you would like. What a fun but also very garlicky way to eat your ramen. Although not all ramen is good with garlic, or may not suit it as well as it being how it should be, having a few garlic cloves is always so gooodd I reckon.. And yes, with just being the two of us dining, we did finish the whole garlic portion given in the bowl.

One of the nicest, humblest Japanese Ramen places to dine at, I would come back here again and try their other Ramen.. Maybe their Curry ramen or their Tsukemen..