Lucky Chan’s Laundry & Noodlebar

Lucky Chan’s Laundry and Noodlebar is Australia’s first crowd-funded restaurant. The names of its hundreds of backers are immortalised on the venue’s walls and chairs.

As you might expect, the venue looks like a laundry from outside. The front window features old commercial washing machines filled with clothes, including a pair of fluorescent undies none of the venue’s six owners will claim. Repurposed washing-machine drums, water pipes, ironing boards and bed sheets are scattered throughout the three-storey venue (the top floor is an open-air deck) to complete the theme.

The menu takes influences from a number of Asian countries, and doesn’t mind breaking with tradition. Which isn’t to say it’s haphazard – a dedicated ramen room on the second floor produces fresh noodles daily. Whether ramen, udon, flavoured or dyed, there’s no noodle this machine can’t create. Finish a Godzilla bowl and you’ll get your photo on the Clothesline of Fame.

New dishes appear regularly and a full menu change happens seasonally, but baos, dumplings, small shares and desserts always score a place.

Many of the beer and cocktail options are quirky and weird, and there’s a wide selection of Japanese whiskey. Wines are selected to match the food, such as the house wine, a collaboration with Bella Ridge featuring a Japanese grape variety, Kyoho.