Ramen Omakase | Senpai Ramen

It has been quite a while since I've had the time to sit down and write and I'm back with another food review post to kick start the 2022 adventures. This time I'll be sharing with you my experience at the first ramen omakase restaurant in Sydney, called Senpai Ramen, curated by Chase Kojima. Located just outside Chatwood Chase, Senpai Ramen has been one of the most hyped new restaurants, where it has been known that the custom-made ramen bowls cost around $100 each. 

Sashimi trio

Kagoshima A5 wagyu sukiyaki sushi

Chawanmushi

The omakase set menu charged at $65, is a seven-course menu with the options to get the add-ons, including the Kaisen Kobachi ($22) if you'd want a small taste of Senpai Stimulation has to offer and the Slow-cooked baby abalone with abalone liver sauce ($18). I decided to opt-out of the extras and focus on the set menu. We started the meal with the sashimi dish where we were served snapper, tuna, and salmon, all with accompanying sauces that paired very well with the fresh produce. Next up we had the Kagoshima A5 wagyu sukiyaki sushi, which was succulent, delicious and full of flavour. One of my favourite dishes of the night was the Chawanmushi, a steamed dashi egg custard with spanner crab and burnt butter. The butter flavours of the egg custard just melted away in my mouth with every bite. 

Stuffed Chicken wing

Saikyo miso-marinated Glacier 51 toothfish lettuce wrap (san-choy-bao)

Kaisen Kobachi set

Next, we got our Chicken wing stuffed with prawn, corn, and accompanied by yuzu kosho sauce. The wing was quite a delightful treat to have as it was packed with flavour, harmoniously combining both Australian ingredients with Japanese flavours. The Saikyo miso-marinated Glacier 51 toothfish lettuce wrap (san-choy-bao) brings one of Sokyo's signature dishes to the table without losing the original flavours or taste. It definitely brings back memories, of when Sokyo first opened their doors, where my mum and I were curious to see what this new establishment had to offer, and. we were honestly blown away. A couple of my friends decided to add the Kaisen Kobachi set, where I decided to snap a quick photo before they devoured it. It comes along with their egg-yolk sauce for more depth in the flavours offered. 

Duck Soy

Miso Chili Butter

Spicy Tan Tan Black

Moving onto the main dish of the set menu, the ramen! There are a total of five ramen flavours available; Tonkatsu, Yuzu Shio, Duck Soy, Spicy Tan Tan Black, and, Chili Miso Butter. I was really drawn to the Spicy Tan Tan Black ramen, with its 12-hour paitan pork broth, spicy tantan sauce, spicy pork mince, bamboo shoots, egg, and, sansho chilli oil. The flavours of the broth had quite some depth to them, and had a lingering peppery chilli flavour after each sip. The sansho chilli oil coated each ramen noodle evenly when well mixed together, which really balanced out the meal. I also tried the Soy Duck and Chili Miso Butter ramen broth. The Soy Duck broth had a cleaner finish in comparison to Sekka's Hojicha Smoked Duck Ramen, which made it a very light and refreshing broth. The Chili Miso Butter broth, had a similar consistency as the Spicy Tan Tan Black broth, however, it was a little smoother, and I felt the butter definitely played a big role here but resulted in a more subtle chilli flavour. I wished it was a little spicier, as I do prefer spicy chilli if it is being used in cooking. 

Plum Compote

The final dish, we finished off with dessert, which was their Plum compote, mascarpone, tropical ice cream, and ramen crumble. It was a very refreshing and delightful dessert. Kojima has proven himself year after year when it comes to flipping traditional Japanese cuisines and applying new and creative ways to express them. We ended our 90-minute dining experience at Senpai Ramen, on a rather lovely note, of being satisfied yet not too full from the omakase. I wouldn't mind coming back again to try another bowl of ramen but would be fun to see if they'll be doing a seasonal change of their omakase menu dishes. 

SENPAI RAMEN

G05/88 Archer St Chatswood, NSW 2067

PH: 0422 145 857

Opening Hours: Tue – Sun: 5:00pm – 9:00pm

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