There’s a new ramen restaurant in Belconnen and we think they dish up the best ramen in Canberra. Ramen O is located upstairs in the Churches Centre on Benjamin Way in Belconnen, it’s next door to one of our favourite Belconnen restaurants, Thip’s Thai.
I received a message from an Eat Canberra follower last month telling me about an amazing new ramen joint in Belconnen and I finally made it there for lunch today. I can confirm it’s oishii (Japanese for delicious). I’ve always been a fan of Japanese food but after visiting the incredible country more than 4 years years ago, I fell in love with the culture and the food even more. If you like the Kyushu style ramen (also known as tonkotsu ramen), you are going to love this place.
The interior is modern and minimalistic and there’s a few tables for two people outside as well as bench seating and standard seating inside. I arrived early, at about 11:15am and took a seat until I could order when they opened at 11:30am. It wasn’t long before another 15 or so people had filled the restaurant.
Kyushu style ramen is rich and the broth has a thicker consistency because it’s cooked with a combination of pork bones and collagen cooked over many hours. There are 9 different bowls of ramen to choose from ranging in price from $18-30. They also have pork and vegetarian gyoza, a mochi dessert and a selection of non-alcoholic drinks including a range of organic loose leaf tea.
I chose the Ramen Oh! and I have zero regrets. The broth was think enough to coat the noodles so you get a mouthful of flavour in each bite. The Ramen Oh! has half of a perfectly gooey ramen egg, a piece of char ciu pork and various other toppings you would typically find on a ramen. One piece of pork was enough for me because although I love the tonkotsu ramen, I sometimes find it too heavy so a piece of the rich pork was perfect. If you want more pork you can order one of the other bowls of ramen that includes extra char siu pork. The pork was perfectly flavoured, melted in my mouth and it was charred beautifully. The noodles had a slightly chewy texture (exactly how they should be) and you can even order extra noodles for your broth if you run out. This is common at ramen restaurants in Japan.
I loooove gyoza so I had to try them. I went with 6 for $10 and was really impressed. They had a beautiful flavour, the wrapper was thin and they had crispy bottoms. They were served with a zesty citrus paste and a light gyoza sauce on the side.
Ramen O opens for lunch and dinner during the week but they usually sell out at about 1pm for lunch and they’re only open for a few hours for dinner. There’s currently one man in the kitchen creating these tasty Japanese dishes. If you know ramen, you know the process of making it takes hours, sometimes even days. They’re not offering takeaway yet so you can only eat it if you dine in but I think it’s the best way to enjoy it.
It’s a welcome addition to Belconnen’s food scene and I can’t wait to return with Mr Eat Canberra for dinner. He’s a massive fan of tonkotsu ramen (he ate about 20 bowls when we were in Japan) so I know he is going to love it! I think you will too.
DETAILS
Address: 1F/54 Benjamin Way, Belconnen (upstairs in the Churches Centre next to Thip’s Thai)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ramen.o.japanese/
Trading hours: Monday-Friday 11:30am until 1:30pm and 6-8pm for dinner
Photos by Amelia Bidgood.
Amelia Bidgood
Amelia is the Founder and Editor of Eat Canberra and the Founder and Managing Director of Eat Canberra Food Tours. She's a qualified journalist, presenter, freelance writer and also runs a boutique communications agency working with small business owners on all things social media, content creation and marketing. She's taught cheesemaking classes, judged hospitality and tourism awards, completed the WSET Level 1 Award In Wines, loves to cook and has travelled to 23 countries. She's also passionate about mental health and has recently started studying to become a Counsellor.