Open Mon-Fri 9am–8pm, Sat-Sun 9am–7pm
Phone: (07) 5527 6600
http://hakatayaramen.com/
An emergency work trip to the Gold Coast today got me thinking about Ramen on the glitter strip and why it hadn't come into my mind before this. Seems logical to be covering Ramen in a city less than an hour away. A quick search on my phone brought up a few options. Among them was Hakataya at the recently refurbished Pacific Shopping Centre. Hakataya is arguably the most well known Ramen-Ya in Queensland and certainly the most established with eight locations. It could be said that they preceded the current rising popularity of Ramen in Brisbane with a footprint here since 2010.
I ordered the 'Nagahama Ramen' which is the most basic option on the menu. It's a simple tonkatsu broth with a shoyu tare. Other options include a bowl with extra pork, one with added chilli paste, one with a miso tare and one they describe as having a 'seafood' taste. I would assume they season liberally with dashi and bonito. This is a deliberately basic in & out place so options are limited beyond that. There's a gyoza dish, a rice dish and a few other side options. No booze here, but a few soft drink options. They also offer take away.
I arrived just before lunch to very quiet shop so my bowl was presented to me directly over the counter by the chef in less than 3 minutes. It was a simple looking dish, everything visible, clean and tidy. Included was the broth, sliced spring onions, noodles, what they describe as 'pork back ribs' (they must roll and truss them before cooking?), a side dish of takana (pickled mustard greens) and NOTHING ELSE (no egg!). Immediate and then lasting impression wasn't great. Their website claims that they cook their broth for 48 hours but I must say that time really wasn't reflected at all in the end product. Thin and under flavoured soup with little to no stickiness, cloudy but hardly opaque. The noodles were very nice I must say though. Firm and chewy, grabbed the broth as well as they could under the circumstances. The pork was really soft, perhaps too soft. Kept warm in a tray and added to the broth at time of serving. Fell to pieces with just a light grab with the chop sticks. Not a good sign. Perhaps the biggest faux par though- no egg or option to include egg. Really disappointing, but I guess it's a conscious decision as part of the business model for a place like this? They have a policy here of free extra noodles at quieter times and when the chef saw that I had finished my first serving he offered me another. Perhaps the most redeeming element to the entire meal.
Serving ware was appropriate. A simple white bowl with printed emblem on the inside with heavy spoon and disposable chop sticks. The bowl was shaped fine for direct sipping. Side sauces and seasonings including chilli, mirin and soy were available at a few locations along the benches.
Price was very cheap at $11.50 to start, though with the exclusions of some of the Ramen must-haves, maybe the value isn't so great. Again, they clearly have a business model established here, but with the growing popularity of this cuisine in Queensland, they could easily charge two extra bucks and include a half egg.
The layout of the shop was very nice, new and modern, being an island type kiosk with the kitchen in the middle, surrounded by benches facing inwards. The kitchen itself was very tidy and clean. Payment options are cash, card and pay tap. Parking options are many as it's in one of the biggest shopping centres in the state.
I suppose a shop like this has it's purpose. It's in the middle of a busy shopping complex, so they're clearly attempting to charge low and pump out as much as they can. I'm sure it would suit the type whom doesn't really value Ramen culture and whom wants a quick simple meal, but it's hard to think about coming back here when there's more and more options popping up at the moment with much better offerings. Multiple cooking pots on show in the kitchen indicate to me that they cook on site, which leads me to believe (and hope) that not all broths across each shop are created equal. I will certainly visit more of these shops with time, but I would have no reason to ever come back here.
No comments:
Post a Comment