Last week, I went out to dinner with a few of my friends for ramen night at Sekka Dining. Located north of Sydney in St Leonards, Sekka is right across Charlie & Franks cafe and is well known for their Hojicha smoked duck ramen. This place was recently added to my "to feast at" list, especially after hearing about their duck ramen.
As per usual, upon entering restaurants or cafes here in Sydney you must sign in as part of the precaution actions of tracking any new or lingering COVID cases to keep our community safe and healthy! My friends and I started off our evening with a few entrees, including the Tuna Ceviche and the Wagyu Tartare. The ceviche was fresh and light, whereas the tartare was unexpectedly rich and dense! I could really taste the cheese as well as the truffle aromas with every bite! It's not like any other tartare I've had and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
As for ramen, we ordered the Tonkotsu Spicy, Hojicha Smoked Duck, and the Cold Mango ramen. The great thing about their ramen is that you're able to order a mini size, meaning you can choose more than one flavour in one seating if you have the stomach space for it all!
The Cold Mango ramen consisted of a soybean vinegar base, fried mushroom and a cucumber mango salsa. Honestly one of my favourite dishes of the night as the flavours were refreshing, tangy and delicious! The mango may sound odd at first, but the combination of flavours and ingredients make this the perfect summer dish.
The Hojicha Smoked Duck Ramen was sitting in a broth made of a 16-month-old rooster, topped with hojicha smoked duck breast, umami egg, bamboo shoots, green sansho, coriander and lime zest. I did feel like the amount of sansho they provided did take away some flavours from the beautiful broth, however, it was an interesting zesty and peppery flavour overall. The duck breast was cooked perfectly, and the smokiness was very strong that I wasn't sure if I tasted the hojicha flavour at all.
I ordered the Tonkotsu Spicy, which was made of chicken and pork broth, topped with pork belly, black fungus, housemade chilli oil, umami egg, onion sprouts, shallots and sesame. I love myself a good classic, especially if it's spicy! The broth was flavourful and the chilli oil added that extra punch of flavour that I love.
For dessert, we ordered their matcha cream puff and early grey tea custard. The custard was incredibly light, in both texture and flavour. It was quite delightful to have as the meal was already so heavy. The matcha cream puff was also quite light too and the matcha cream wasn't very bitter at all!
Overall, I enjoyed my meal at Sekka and I cannot wait to come back again to try their Chicken Wing Gyoza and new seasonal ramen! I'd highly recommend trying their Cold Mango salad if it is still available on their menu as well as their wagyu tartare.
Shop 1, St Leonards Square, 472-488 Pacific Hwy, St Leonards NSW 2065
Opening Hours: LUNCH Wed - Sun: 12-2:30PM
/ DINNER Wed - Thurs 5:30-9:30PM, Fri - Sat 5:30-10PM, Sun 5:30-9PM
Mon & Tues: CLOSED
