Ramen Champion — Restaurant in Brisbane City

Warning, extensive review ahead! On my continuing quest to find Brisbane's best Ramen joint, the wife & I finally made it to Champion Ramen Sunnybank. I've been wanting to try Ramen Champion for ages, but after our immensely disappointing recent visit to Taro Ramen Ascot (absolutely awful, see review), my wife has been reluctant to go anywhere other than Genkotsu for Ramen since.

The decor at Champion is disappointingly "Western Food Court", but it was clean, & had plenty of tables & seating. The place was reasonably busy, so this was a good sign.

We each ordered the "Classic Champion Ramen", plus shared toppings: Corn, shallot, egg, & extra pork slices. Totalling  $35.30, the pricing was very reasonable.

After ordering, the wait for our food was a little longer than most Ramen joints, but it was pretty busy, & there appeared to be only 2 staff members?

The Tonkatsu broth was rich, creamy, & delicious (I suspect traditionally cooked). First class. Note: Normally I would go with the spicy option, but the "Spicy Champion" was served with a huge dolop of spicy sauce & minced pork, which did not look at all appealing, so I opted instead to spice things up with the free home made Hot sauce from the condiments bar. (Very hot & very tasty, a wise decision I must say.)

The flame grilled pork belly slices in place of the typical traditional ChaShu (rolled roast pork belly) was an interesting twist. The slices were the perfect thickness (thin), the long narrow shape of the slices made them much easier to eat (with chopsticks) than your typical round Chashu slices, & the flame grilled finished really added a whole other dimension to the flavour, which was delectable. Suculent, tender, & easily on par with the best ChaShu, if not better! Absolutely first class.

The Ramen here is served with half an egg as standard (as it should be), but the egg was not your traditionally marinated "Ajitsuke Tamago", nor was the yolk softness perfect (though not far off). However, at only $1 for extra two half eggs, you can't complain.

We also had 1 Kaedama each (extra noodle) which while free (as it should be), was not as tasty as the 'eggier' home made noodles of Genkotsu Ramen.

My wife was disappointed with the absence of bamboo & seaweed from the broth, but personally I prefer it this way. Seaweed is available as an extra at $1 for 5 sheets, which is ridiculous, as most people only want 1-2 sheets per serve of Ramen anyway.

Even more disappointing for my wife was the complete lack of Takana from the menu. While not to my personal liking, Takana is the traditional 'must have' side dish for any Ramen joint, so this is definitely a black mark against Champion. (Even the '2 Star' Hakataya chain of food court Ramen joints have great Takana!)

On the plus side, the Karaage chicken here was 1st class, & possibly the best we've had! Crunchy coating, suculent & tender inside. Beautiful. The Karaage was $8.50 for 5 (large) pieces, making the price 'middle of the road', but given the top quality, definitely worth it.

Miles ahead of the likes of Hakataya, but not quite on par with Genkotsu (the current king of Ramen in our books), our experience here overall was definitely enjoyable, & we would eat here again if looking for Ramen in the area.

If you are a Ramen connoisseur, I definitely recommend you try this place if for no other reason than to experience what the flame grilled pork belly slices bring to the dish.

Overall, my wife gives it 3 stars, & I give it 3.5-4...

Ramen, oh ramen, the stuff of flavorful dreams! We're talking about broth that could make your taste buds dance a cha-cha, and noodles so lovingly crafted you'd think they were destined for a red carpet event. But guess what? Our recent visit was more like a noodle-y snooze fest.

Imagine, a serving that was more discreet than a ninja in moonlight, graced with not one, but just two pork strips (that's like inviting only two friends to a party – awkward!). And the noodles? Well, let's just say they must have been in a rush from the 2-minute store across the street.

But wait, there's more! The broth, the supposed maestro of flavors, showed up to the taste party without its A-game. It was like the dull intro music at a blockbuster movie – you know, the one that makes you wonder if you're in the right theater.

And then comes the grand finale: the price tag. I get it, pinching pennies is a sport these days. But hey, ever considered that whipping up a ramen masterpiece that's practically singing with flavor could be the ticket to a full house? It's time to toss the budget scissors and wield a ladle of culinary genius instead.

Kudos, though, to the pork – the one shining star in this noodle opera. But seriously, for the price we paid, I was hoping for a taste explosion that could rival a fireworks show.

So, here's the deal: next time you're at the broth cauldron, let it bubble away a bit more. Extract every drop of flavour like you're solving a mystery. Make those noodles feel like they're winning the lottery. And trust me, with a bit more oomph, you'll have a ramen sensation that has us coming back for more, and maybe even writing an...

Have been a regular to this eatery for a few years now. Portions have shrink in size and really have gone up in price, 4 or 5 dollars per serve just in the last year. I know their direct competitors (hakataya) have also gone up in price by a lot in the last year but this place have also shrinked their portions in my experience. "Shrinkflation" in its maximized expression. Anyway, won't be back, not that the owners will care anyway. Sayonara!!!

Response to owner or manager.

Your portion of noodle may be generous but not your amount of soup. You do not have to accept my opinion at all, I did not write this review for you. I wrote this review for other possible customers, for them to be aware of my experience in your overpriced noodle soup eatery. You should stop playing smart by offering me the giant Ramen and do your best to acknowledge my experience on your eatery. As I stated previously, the owner won't care about my experience which I have corroborated now by your response. How wrong to disregard my customer experience in your eatery instead of acknowledging that some aspects of your business might...