Forget It’s Winter at These Four New Noodle Soup Shops

Ca Phe Mai, Double Bay

Time is the most vital ingredient in a good broth, and the pho ga at Ca Phe Mai has been simmering for four generations – metaphorically speaking. Co-founder Cindy Mai inherited the recipe from her parents, who ran a restaurant in Canley Vale. They got it from her grandmother, who worked in kitchens after coming to Australia as a refugee. And grandma got it from her mum, who ran a restaurant outside Saigon. The lucid chicken pho is available from 11am alongside creamy chicken laksa, three types of banh mi and three types of vermicelli bowl. But any hour is good to visit this trailblazing business, which serves restrained fusion breakfasts (lemongrass pork sausage-and-egg muffin, anyone?) from 7am and Vietnamese-accented cocktails until 10pm. Shop 1, 377 New South Head Road, Double Bay.

Ratchawat Thai Beef Noodle, Haymarket

Another chef who knows the value taking his time, Ratchawat co-owner Varittha “Toki” Vatthakul spent a decade perfecting his recipe for kuay tiew neua tun (Thai Chinese beef noodle soup) – literally, not metaphorically. The robust, mahogany-hued broth is made by simmering beef shin, tendon and brisket for six hours, then cooking them thermally for a further three. Those three cuts, plus marinated beef and house-made beef balls, are available as mix-and-match options for your bowl. Add rice or egg noodles and you’re all set to eat your way to collagen heaven. 6–8/827–837 George Street, Haymarket.

Towzen, Sydney

You couldn’t find a sharper contrast to Ratchawat’s traditional meaty broths than this. Towzen, founded in Kyoto in 2004, is a 100 per cent vegan ramen chain that made its Australian debut earlier this year. Oat, walnut and soy milks are the keys to the rich, creamy finishes found here, proving you don’t need animal products to make unctuous, flavoursome soup. There are seven bowls to pick from, including a shoyu ramen with oyster mushrooms and chanterelle oil. But the even less traditional options are some of the bestsellers, like Thai green curry and a Sichuan tantanmen spiked with sesame paste, peanut paste and chilli oil. 346–348 Kent Street, Sydney.

Mensho, North Sydney

How excited can you get about a Tokyo chain opening its second Sydney location two years after the first? Ordinarily, not very. But the Hot Listed Mensho isn’t your regular ramen shop. It’s famous for tori paitan, a creamy chicken broth made by cooking chicken, kelp and vegetables for six hours and then refrigerating the mix for a further 24 to develop the flavour. That alone is worth travelling for, but we love that founder Tomoharu Shono adds an exclusive city-specific dish to every menu from Bangkok to San Francisco. Sydney’s is a lobster bisque that uses an entire lobster per bowl, paired with asparagus, marinated bean sprouts, spinach, scallops, smoked mixed nuts and tangy sumac. 155 Miller Street, North Sydney.