Ka Sushi Ramen
A few people at work went to Ka Sushi Ramen last week and a couple of them told me how good the food was. Desperately NEEDING to have Japanese, I was really excited to try out the place, so I convinced E to come with me for an early dinner today (at 4.50pm) as our date night this week.
The restaurant is situated near ANU and Unilodge, a hub of cheap uni-student meals - my preferred type of restaurants :) Looking obviously new, it is clean and had a modern Japanese feel to it. We opted to sit outside as the day has been hot and sunny, and we are really lacking that this summer.
I was quite disheartened when I noticed that the waitress (owner?) wasn't Japanese, however, as I perused the menu, my excitement soon came back. It wasn't hard to choose which ramen to choose, as I am a creature of habit. Tonkatsu-based soup, Char Siu Ramen with egg is always a winner to me :)
The menu looked impressive, offering a selection of dishes, like bento, sushi and several side dishes. I read a review online that their Hagedashi Tofu is really good, so we opted for that as our entree.
I have to say, I do agree with the review on this dish. It was delicious! The silky tofu, slightly battered, went really well with the salty sauce, the squirming flakes and shreds of seaweed added to the yummyness of it all. Even E agreed that it was a nice dish, even though he isn't a seafood person himself. We quickly gobbled it all up within minutes!
When E made the order, he noticed (and confirmed my suspicion) that the waitress was in fact Chinese. The few containers in the kitchen apparently also had Chinese writing on them. I was so disappointed, because Canberra seriously need a proper authentic Japanese place!
But I digress. E chose the spicy mince ramen with tonkatsu-based soup. This was tasty, though it did have a Chinese meal-y taste to it. I preferred this dish than mine. In fact, I did scoop up some of this soup and had it with my noodles etc instead.
This was my Char Siu ramen with spicy pork mince and egg, on a tonkatsu-based soup. As you can tell from the picture, the soup was disappointingly runny, not thick at all. It was rather bland and totally lacking flavour. I loved the noodles, it was cooked perfectly, and the Char Siu were also quite tasty. I don't know what happened to my other half of egg, but it was also delicious, though really salty.
To say that I was disappointed, would be an understatement. It could be because I have been extremely lucky in that I have been to Japan twice now and experienced what authentic Japanese ramen are like. That, and because I grew up in Brisbane/Gold Coast, which are packed with yummy cheap authentic Japanese restaurants. So, I will not cross Ka Sushi Ramen off completely just yet, because I am keen to try their rice dishes. Maybe ramen aren't their strong point, so if their rice dishes are, then it is still a win for Canberra.
Ka Sushi Ramen
ph: 02 6247 1477
Shop 3, 121 Marcus Clarke St
Civic
