Chef Fujio Tamura – formerly of Kokoro Ramen – opened Misoya Sake Bar on Sydney Road, Brunswick, 10 years ago. The small shop specialises in miso ramen made with a chicken or vegetarian broth base. But at his new venue, Ramen Shouyuya, just a five-minute drive down Sydney Road, it’s all about soy sauce – or shoyu – ramen.

Tamura is also part of the team – which also includes former Warabi chefs Jun Oya and Takuro Abe and former Warabi sake sommelier Matthew Ng – that opened Fitzroy’s kappo-style omakase restaurant Shusai Mijo last year.

“Omakase dining is a cultural tradition, a form of cuisine that encapsulates the Japanese philosophy toward food, refined over many generations,” says Tamura. “Ramen, on the other hand, is often considered a part of Japanese subculture. Its appeal lies in its modern, casual and approachable nature.”

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Like his miso ramen original, the new shopfront is nondescript, with noren fabric dividers covering the door and wooden shades covering the windows. Inside you’ll often find Tamura working behind the ramen bar, dishing up one of three shoyu ramen options: chicken, vegetable and slow-cooked duck inspired by kamo nanban, a Japanese duck and soba noodle soup.

While miso ramen is a staple of Tamura’s home prefecture Hokkaido, shoyu ramen originated in Tokyo. Typically, the broth is made with chicken or pork, and Tamura says that in the last 20 years or so in Japan, people have been building the base using dashi made from niboshi (small dried fish such as anchovies or sardines) rather than from katsuobushi (bonito flakes).

At Ramen Shouyuya, for the chicken and duck options, the base is made using niboshi dashi and chicken broth and the vegetable option comes with a vegan base made using kombu and dried mushroom broth. Each bowl is served with thin ramen noodles that are made in-house with wheat flour, salt, eggs and an alkaline mineral water called kansui, using a Yamato-brand noodle-making machine from Japan.

The menu is tight, but you’ll also find sides including pickled cucumber, ganmo nimono (deep-fried tofu that has been stewed with vegetables), and deep-fried chicken wings seasoned with soy sauce and garlic sauce and finished with a chilli pepper glaze that were inspired by Yamachan, a popular Japanese fried chicken chain. There are also two dishes – poached chicken and stir-fried vegetables – served over rice, and mitarashi dango (skewered mochi balls glazed with a sweet and sticky soy sauce).

Ramen Shouyuya
692 Sydney Road, Brunswick
No phone

Hours:
Tue to Sat 5pm–9.30pm