After much moaning I was directed to Zenya Noodle Bar in Eastwood (Sydney's Northwest). First off this meant that it slashed more than half the driving time (1 brownie point). I was then told that the place was always packed for lunch and dinner and the ramen could rival Ryo's. Bold claim! I was in my ramen withdrawal phase and I was low on fuel so Zenya was the place to go!
It was about 1:45pm and the place was busy (the Granny Smith Festival was on) but luckily there was a spare table so we were sat down immediately. Zenya was double the size of Ryo's with a modern Japanese decor complete with a large LCD TV blaring out 90s rock music videos. The black walls, darkish hardwood floor and furniture and low lighting made the restaurant a bit dark - my only gripe as it made taking photos a tad more difficult.
Quick observations about the menu:
- Prices are relatively the same as Ryo's.
- As well as ramen, there were sashimi, bento boxes, udon, rice dishes and the standard entrees (gyoza, karaage, takoyaki etc.).
The ramen were all shoyu and pork based with about 3 miso varieties. There was only one chicken based shoyu soup - Zenya Tokyo Style - which was on the specials menu. We ordered 2 Zenya Gyoza sets (ramen, 3 pieces gyoza and salad) - Tokyo Style and a mini sized Shoyu Ramen.
Zenya Tokyo Style Ramen $9.80The noodles were silky, smooth with good "slurpage". The trimmings were the same (bar the bean sprouts) although the pork piece was a bit dry without the good, tasty fat. The pork soup was nicely balanced and not as salty as my last visit to Ryo's. The shoyu chicken stock was similar and quite good but it was still lacking the depth of flavour that Ryo has mastered in his domain.
Mini Ramen - Shoyu Ramen $6.80
The gyoza (with a soy and citrus dipping sauce) tasted well...as a gyoza should (I confess it's not my favourite thing) but I liked that it wasn't soggy and watery like others I've encountered. And according to the reaction of Mr S - I'd say the salad was quite good too.
Zenya Gyoza Set - 3 pieces of Gyoza and Salad $3 with every ramen or udon ordered
Overall I must say that Ryo's Noodles still sits at the top of my Ramen pedestal (and I'm sure he always will). But for a Westie like me, the amount of fuel and driving time that I save from not having to drive to Crows Nest plus some pretty decent ramen - makes Zenya a very worthy backup for my fixes.
Zenya Noodle Bar
217 Rowe St.
Eastwood, NSW 2122
(02) 9874 2122
7 days
Lunch 11.30am-3pm
Dinner 5.30-9.30pm
OOohh Zenya! My friend has been recommending this place to me for a while cos the owner looks like him haha. Looks like its definitely worth a try :)
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