We are sitting on orange crates with a thoughtful cushion topper, our knees are almost at hip height and we are biting into a crispy, scorched square of rice which we have topped with unctuous tuna tartare kissed by spicy mayo and spring onions…and it is a spiritual moment. Pink and purple neon lights make any photo look like we are in a nightclub. We couldn’t care less, we are ordering via our phones and this food is INSANE…eyes roll back into their sockets as the perfect mouthful hits our olfactory senses.
Well, peeps, you wouldn’t think this much excitement could happen in the inner west burb of Burwood. But it’s da bomb! Chase Kojima became famous for his high end innovative Japanese cuisine at Sokyo at The Star and rightly so. His tuna nigiri changed lives and I dunno maybe inspired a few little bambinos to be born, such is the happy factor of dining there.
It’s great to see chef’s progress from fine dining to the masses, and Senpai was first born in a Chatswood laneway with a more formal evening
omakase set menu. At Burwood he unleashes us with complete abandonment to choose what we want, when we want it, no bookings, walk-ins only. Yee-harh!
This is fun, fast and absolutely bloomin’ fabulous food. In fact its head scratching to eat food with such complexity, skill and mind blowing flavour with side dishes at around seven dollars. The main event is the ramen (no surprise given the name) but that is to ignore a whole treasure trove of pleasure which exists outside a bowl of 24hr cooked bone stock and meats.
Well the spicy tuna crispy rice was such a winner we give salmon tartare a whirl. A little bowl of raw NZ Ora King salmon tossed with karashi miso is accompanied by large sheets of ‘please crack me’ rice crackers. It’s slightly sweet, but is deliciously scoopable, fun eating. We put in an order for a beer and a Yoshinogawa sake which arrives within a few minutes.
Next, we order our warm sides (creating our own kind of DIY degustation)
Crispy brussel sprouts arrive with arare rice crackers which are bite-sized Japanese crackers made from glutinous rice and flavored with soy sauce. The addition of coriander, spring onions all tossed in a punchy miso sauce is addictive. Corn ribs are delicately cut into sections and slathered with a
cumin szechuan teriyaki glaze which is all fluffy on top with shavings of parmesan. Crispy fried boneless chicken tenders are tossed in a sweet and sour yuzu glaze. You could cut with a knife, but it’s finger lickin’ good, why bother? The chicken is succulent, buttery, creamy white.
So for a place about ramen, perhaps we should order some? The yuzu shio chicken ramen is a delight, it is a light, clean flavourful stock. Poached chicken slices are nudging up with noodles and a half boiled egg. The house order is the Tonkotsu for which Chase uses a special process. Using different bones he puts them into a spinning kettle which over time grinds them down into a broth which is reduced 3 to 1 over two hours, then comes the blast freezer, water and freeze again. Seems like a lot of work for a bowl which is being downed in about 10 minutes judging by the stella turnover of happy diners!
So when you put your spoon to your mouth there is a certain amount of reverence to this silky liquid which looks simple, tastes complex and has been a labour of love. Want more noodles? No problem. We could have opted for Malatang Ramen – a spice numbing pork based soup, Wagyu or even a veggie ramen (no way!!) Here the broth is a vegetable based soup topped with tofu, fried burdock and wakame.
With locals all slurping away there is no doubt that the ramen is the thing they come here for, but to miss the other elements is almost a disservice to a restaurant which leads with a headline, but the real story is about the journey through the menu. We are only sorry we didn’t have the tummy room to try the famous Kakigori. It is a highly technical dish (we can see the blocks of ice in the freezer) crystal clear shaved ice is served with, well lots of things, but our neighbours are devouring one with strawberry cream, strawberry merigue and milk foam!
They say it is all about the journey not the destination. GPS set for Burwood 2134.
Sydney Restaurateur Howin Chui and Chase Kojima
Senpai Ramen, 14/27 Belmore St, Burwood NSW 2134
Hours: Tuesday – SundayLunch: 11:30am – 3pm (last orders at 2:30pm), Dinner: 5pm – 9pm (last orders at 8:30pm)
