Ramenati at Don Too + I’m off to Philippines

On a freezing night after work, armed with a pair of chopsticks my fellow food bloggers and I along with our partners, descended upon Don Too betting on a hot bowl of ramen as our winter solace since the epic Ramen Hunt held back in April. Funnily enough, I bumped into the Tummyrumbles crew the first time I ate here a more than a month ago. I had suggested that there must be some ‘food blogger telepathy’ going on as we had also been to the same places a few times thereafter!

When ordering, you have a few choices – 250 grams or 300 grams of either thin or thick noodles. I usually go for the 250 grams with thick egg noodles as this leaves room for Gyoza.

Photo courtesy of  fellow eater I Eat Therefore I Am– thanks for the decent photo!

Unlike the other Don Don outlets, they only serve Ramen and Gyoza. So don’t expect any bento boxes or teriyaki chicken with rice here. Another thing to note is the care taken in the preparation of each bowl that leaves the kitchen. How do I know this? Because I was literally watching as they were skillfully laying down the the nori that would later encase the perimeter and add flavour to the soup to the final positioning of the precious eggs. Be patient if it takes a little long to be served – it’s worth the wait.

Now, you may have been tainted from previous experiences in other Japanese joints that would usually over boil the precious eggs often resulting in a dry, pale yellow form. At Don Too however, what you’ll find in amongst the light but tasty broth and tender Charsu Pork pieces are slightly pasty and salty, orange tinged nicely boiled eggs which were completely satisfying. If you’re like me, you will likely save these gems towards the end of the meal as as done with prawns or scallops.

I won’t go into too much detail here as I think in this instance, I’ll let your curiosity about Don Too linger to the point where temptation cannot be resisted. Of course it doesn’t come close to the ramen I’ve had in Japan and yes Don Too is part of a chain, but damn,  it’s the closest so far in Melbourne.  For the price you pay, Don Too is definitely taste bud worthy and great value for your benjamins.

” Resistance is freakin futile! “

To ensure my due diligence has been done, I have visited Don Too more than a few times prior to writing this post. It’s all about the consistency. I will post up some better images once I get my SLR over to Don Too. I just wanted to get this up before I start to post about even more ramen had in Japan.

As you will be reading this, I would have concluded my stay in Japan and be on the way to the Philippines to submit to even more sunburn. I don’t tan, I just get lobster red despite the sunscreen!

Bai Bai!

Details: Located at 340 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne 3000 Phone: 03 9670 7113

Bring a date here? Why not.

Night out with friends here? Yes and would also make a great lunchtime pit stop.

Service: Courteous and friendly- even giving us extra pieces of pork!

$$$: Under $15 Cheap Eats Certified

Food Rehab Verdict: Sent me to food rehab (book this place now! Wowzer) – Greenlight

So um, where do you get your Ramen fix? I’m up for anything!

Just like tapas, share this with your friends: