Now Open: Chase Kojima Brings His Purple Neon-Lit Ramen Restaurant Senpai Ramen to Burwood

After nine months feeding the crowds in Chatswood, Chase Kojima – one of Australia’s most influential Japanese chefs, known for Sokyo in Pyrmont and now-closed Simulation Senpai at Darling Square – has brought his Senpai Ramen brand to Burwood.

Like the first location, famous for its nine-course omakase-style menu, it’s serving slow-cooked, impossibly delicious ramen. But the new site is more casual, with an à la carte menu and a walk-ins-only policy.

“There’s a lot of great energy in Burwood,” says Kojima, who’s also executive chef at fine-dining Japanese restaurant Kiyomi on the Gold Coast. “The best part is that people stay out late dining.”

Senpai sits in Emerald Square, half a block away from Burwood’s hawker-style alleys. It’s hard to miss – look out for the red and purple neon emanating from the walls and ceiling. Kojima says the design was inspired by cyberpunk video games.

While the interior is largely the same as its predecessor, the menu has some exciting new additions. Kojima has added Chinese influences to his ramen, including a stand-out Malatang-style soup, which he describes as a “Sichuan twist on tonkotsu”. Tonkotsu, a traditional Japanese ramen, is Senpai’s biggest hit in Chatswood. The Malatang version features the same 16-hour house-made pork bone broth, infused with a spicy sauce of Sichuan peppercorns and dried chillies. So expect a slight kick, but it’s “not overwhelming”, says Kojima.

Another addition is the rice don, featuring king salmon from New Zealand and a selection of house-made sauces, plus the crispy rice caesar, an arrangement of romaine lettuce, egg and crispy rice, topped with nori dressing.

Also getting loads of attention is Kojima’s kakigori, a Japanese shaved-ice dessert that comes in four flavours: green tea and red bean, fresh strawberry, mango with coconut milk foam and sago, and black sesame sauce with sesame praline.

“We’re making them really light, but big,” says Kojima. “I’ve been really focusing on the ice. I filter the water, so the ice is crystal clear, then cut it with a really sharp blade at the perfect angle, so it shaves super-thin, but not snowy – like the layers of a sharpened pencil.”

There’s also an umami soft serve, made with partly caramelised milk, to add a touch of nuttiness, and a splash of soy sauce, for a hint of savouriness.

Senpai Ramen Burwood
14/27 Belmore Street, Burwood

Hours:
Tue to Sun 11.30am–3pm, 5pm–9pm

senpairamen.com/