麵屋猪一（Inoichi Ramen） — Restaurant in Sydney

NEVER GO TO THIS PLACE** if i could give this 0 stars i would. Last night I went in just to order takeaway for my husband. One of the ladies sat me and my friend down and said to scan the QR code. As I was about to this male worker told us to stand up and scan another QR code as we cannot sit because we are getting takeaway.. Firstly I understand if the restaurant was packed and there’s a queue for ppl wanting to go in BUT THERE WASNT. So by us standing in the middle of the restaurant we were literally in the way of the waitresses carrying around hot bowls of ramen and we felt so uncomfortable. Then another lady told us we can take a seat and wait for our food-which is now confusing as the previous worker told us we couldn’t sit down. 20mins go by and we notice ppl who ordered before us got there food so my friend asks the process of our food. The guy checks his little monitor and says that he can’t see my order as I didn’t pay… I show him the confirmation receipt on my phone and he still is saying I didn’t pay. I show him my commonwealth bank app that their restaurant took out the money but the worker says “it says pending so that means your money hasn’t come to us yet”. I told him all your transactions will saying “pending” for a week because that’s how banks work. I show him my transactions from 2-5 days ago which ALL say PENDING. I tell them I have a confirmation receipt and proof from my bank that I paid why can’t you make the ramen to which the male worker says “we can’t make you your food coz it’s not in the system” so i ask for a refund and he says “I can’t because it’s not in the system but when it doesn’t say pending you can come back and I can give you a refund”… (why would I come back a week later just to get this refund) so at this point I say what am i doing here then if you can’t make me my food or give me a refund after I been waiting around for 20 minutes for nothing. This older female worker comes along and forces me to take the $20 from her pocket as a refund and begins yelling at me “YOU TAKE THE MONEY AND GO JUST GO TAKE THE MONEY”. I have never ever created a scene in a public place because I am not that kind of person so when she began yelling at me and continued yelling at my friend and I as we were leaving was more than unprofessional. We left feeling angry, humiliated and so confused on what just happened. So I strongly strongly recommend DO NOT GIVE THIS PLACE YOUR MONEY. They are so rude and unprofessional and liars. If you don’t know why it didn’t show up on your monitor don’t try and gaslight me saying it’s my...

The reason for a 5 star rating is to let more people see my review, besides that, this restaurant isn't even worth 1. Before I dined here, I was under the delusion that this is the original 「Inoichi」from Kyoto, and I had very high expectations of this restaurant as a ramen lover.

*Standardise ramen store set-up with table seats, individual seats and counter seats. QR code ordering with customised options.

*3 in the kitchen and 1 floor staff with 11 customers in house by the time I ordered. And it takes almost half an hour to get my order served (see picture 2), this is kind of unacceptable for a fast food outlet or even a restaurant for a noodle soup. (As a personal habit, I always order a bowl of steam rice with my ramen to finish off the soup after I finish eating the noodles, but some restaurants like this one don't serve steam rice, therefore I ordered extra noodles and extra topping for my order)

*After 28 minutes of waiting time, I got my order served without extra topping and they didn't read my request saying "no black fungus" the extra served of noodles that I ordered didn't come in a separate bowl and was tipped right on top of my bowl like left overs (see picture 1) Before my order serve, I didn't see anyone including my self were complaining, and I heard a kitchen staff yelling loud rudely to the floor, but we can't understand what he say.

*Poor taste with factory prepared food flavours. A double serving of noodles in the same bowl brings out a very strong alkaline taste with a slight bitterness. The ratio between noodles and soup was not balanced, and they will ask you to pay $14 for extra soup. (compare with the photos from some other reviews can tell most of those are promotion pictures)

However, the floor staff was friendly, but in general with their outcomes, this is not a "worth trying" restaurant. Even though everyone had their own flavour of tates, this store can't even make a standard, normal or proper bowl of noodle soup, all I can think of to name this dish is a noodle soup. If anyone including the owner of the store thinks this is normal, I have got...

If you hate small talk but love good ramen, get yourself to Inoichi Ramen in Burwood, Sydney. Seriously, it's an introvert's dream. It's quiet, you get your own space, and the best part? You order and pay entirely via a QR code on your phone. No forced chats, just blissful peace while you wait for your food.

Now, about that food. I went for the Red King Ramen. The broth itself is something else – a deep, inviting red colour and a really complex flavour. It's not just spicy; there'sy diall savouriness from the garlic and toasted sesame oil, maybe even a hint of smokiness. It coated the thick, chewy noodles perfectly (getting that extra serving was a good move, the noodles held up great). The toppings were solid too: the pork chashu was nicely tender, the soft egg had that perfect, rich jammy yolk, and the fried shallots scattered on top gave these great little bursts of savoury crunch with every few bites. It all just worked together really well, a properly satisfying bowl. My only tweak? 'Medium' chili was more flavour than fire for me. Tasty, but I'm definitely dialling up the heat next visit if you like a real kick.

Don't skip the sides, they were seriously good. The Fried Pork Gyoza hit that perfect spot – soft, slightly chewy skin on top giving way to a golden, properly crispy-fried bottom. Inside? A classic, juicy, savoury pork filling that was just pure comfort. And the Chicken Karaage? Man, this was textbook stuff, maybe even better. The batter was incredibly light but shattered with an audible crunch when you bit into it. Inside, the chicken thigh meat was steaming hot, ridiculously juicy, and seasoned perfectly. Piping hot and dangerously addictive – easily some of the better karaage I've had around Sydney recently.

Bottom line: Inoichi Ramen is a great find in Burwood. Perfect for dining solo, the QR system is slick, and the food hits the spot – that ramen is unique, and the sides are genuinely top-tier. I'll definitely be back to explore more of the menu and test my...