I’m back everyone! Now you all know how much I love Japanese food…so why don’t we just make a start from there?
Now for as long as I could remember, this restaurant has always been here. Through high school all the way till now, the famed Japanese restaurant was always a nice quick favourite of mine. So after all these years, why don’t we give it a post.
Walking in felt like nothing changed. Located on the top of the Galleries Victoria next to Kinokuniya, it had that food-court feel to it which somehow moulded into a restaurant. With the menu pretty much staying the same, I opted for my usual favourite; ramen! But first, lets get some drinks and entrees going yeah?
Iced Green Tea Cappuccino ($4.80) and Melon Soda ($5.50)
Have you ever had a Melona ice cream bar from those asian convenience stores? That’s what the melon soda tasted like. No, that’s not a bad thing. So…artificially melon tasting, it’s the perfect sweet drink for me. On the other hand the green tea cappuccino was also quite nice. With the taste of matcha pulling through and being served with a sugary syrup to ensure consistent sweetness throughout, it was a great drink. Maybe too filling for a drink with a main though!
Unagi Tasted ($12) and Beef Tataki ($9)
Entrees. Aw yeah. Unagi is one of my favourite things ever and Ichi-ban Boshi didn’t disappoint. Super soft and tender and you gotta love that delicious unagi sauce it’s marinated in.
On the other hand, the beef tataki was actually a pretty big disappointment. With the meat being too cold to the point it was as if it was half thawed, it ruined the enjoyment I usually have with tataki. The meat did enjoy a nice tang to it though and could’ve been a great palette cleanser otherwise.
And yes, of course we’ll talk about the ramen.
Tantamen ($13)
Something which I love about this place is handmade noodles. There’s something about handmade noodles which gives it a unique chewy alkali feel to it. Most places forget the importance of the noodle. Luckily this place wasn’t one of them. With the broth of the Tantamen having a rich spicy miso flavour to it, it was nothing special but the noodles did tie it together. Absorbing that flavour while retaining that little bit of chew. Awesome.
Tonkotsu Ramen
I’m also a sucker for urgency and deals. At the CBD branch they offer their special tonkotsu based ramen which is limited to about 15 bowls a day. 15. I need one right now. And yeah. I can understand why. The broth was incredibly rich and that bone marrow flavour comes right off the bat. With the fatty oily layering going on with that ever so tender piece of pork, it was like a dietician’s worst nightmare. Oh and those noodles man.
What can I say? All these years and Ichi-ban Boshi hasn’t changed one bit. And why should it? It’s tasty. It does things well. Apart from that unfortunate beef tataki and I guess a pretty average tasting ramen broth, this restaurant has and always will be that place.
Fight The Craving 