Rara Redfern

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The gentle easing of covid19 restrictions coincides with the gentle descent of winter upon Sydney. What is winter perfect for? A big, comforting bowl of ramen, of course.

Rara is one of the most popular and highly rated ramen joints in Sydney - since its opening, there's always been a line meandering outside its small but chic Redfern location. Rara is usually a walk-in joint, but with covid restrictions, Rara is currently taking bookings through its website - make sure you get in quick, because unless you book days in advance, your choices will be limited to 5pm or 9pm sessions, if you get a spot at all.

Rara Tonkotsu with black garlic and chili oil, $18.80
The OG Rara tonkotsu is a creamy and thick pork bone broth that is wonderfully satisfying. You can also choose, for a dollar or two extra, to add black garlic or chili oil, or both. The noodle at Rara is hand-and-house-made, it is on the softer side, but delightfully bouncy. It is topped with charsiu (free range pork), half a tamago (seasoned egg, also free range) shredded black fungus, seasoned bamboo shoots and a big handful of shallots.

The black garlic adds a slightly bitter depth to the broth, and the chili oil is really quite mild - so don't expect to be satisfied if you're an absolute chili fiend; which on the other hand means you don't need to be afraid if your spice-tolerance is only moderate.

Tori Paitan, $18.80
The tori paitan is a creamy chicken broth - a first for me, because my go-to is always the tonkotsu. I am so, so, so (three times for emphasis) glad I ventured out of my comfort zone and tried this beautifully salty, fatty, and deeply comforting broth. Instead of charsiu, the protein hit for this ramen comes in the form of gorgeous confit chicken maryland. Made of dark meat, it is fall-apart soft, more flavourful than its white counterpart, and moist. the grilled corn added a dash of smokiness to an otherwise creamy soup, and if you'd like, you can further cut the creaminess with a squeeze of lime juice.

Rara's chic decor, unhurried service and drinks menu means ramen no longer needs to be enjoyed in dingy food courts / hole-in-the-wall in a hurried fashion (though these are absolutely wonderful too - see my reviews of Gumshara, Menya and Manpuku in particular). The drinks menu is small but interesting, consisting of a few great Japanese whiskies, Japanese beers, Japanese spirits / liquers (sake and plum wines) and a couple of wines including my favourite variety: orange wine (aka skin contact wine or amber wine). The mark up on the alcohol, however, is a hair high.

Score: 4.5 / 5
Cost: approx $35 - $45pp with one drink
Address: 66b Regent St, Redfern NSW 2016
Website: https://www.rararamen.com.au/

Want more ramen options? Check out my reviews of Rising Sun Workshop, Gogyo, Harada, Goryan-san and Harajuku Gyoza.

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