If you’re slurping ramen in Sydney, tonkotsu soup is probably on your lips. The thick, rich pork-based soup sits in pride of place on most menus around town – but Sou Ramen Lab’s Jonathan Yu and Takeshi Sekigawa (both ex- Yasaka, Gumshara) are putting chicken soup in the spotlight. And like Gumshara before them, they’re showing that food court eats can rise to the restaurant level.

As at the North Sydney lab, at this neon-lit container in Chatswood’s Hawker Lane chicken soup reigns supreme. The signature broth sees 11 kinds of vegetables boiled with chicken bones for around 20 hours at 70 degrees celsius. The result is complex and umami-filled – sans the gut-busting unctuousness of a tonkotsu soup.

Also on the touchpad ordering screen, you might see a spicy black-garlic version and another spiked with yuzu. Jazz up your bowl with add-ons including fried oyster or prawns, extra noodles and more. Like any ramen shop worth its shio, this one has a huge range of sides. Sashimi, takoyaki, gyoza – you name it.