Gumshara — Restaurant in Sydney

I visited this amazing ramen store a few years ago and ever since I have been chomping at the bit to get back and do a review on what I consider the most authentic pork ramen this side of the equator!

On a cold and stormy Sunday my dining partner and I headed to China Town in Sydney. Walking down Dixon St we avoided the tourist traps selling overpriced peaking duck and other Asian fare and headed straight to where the locals go... the Eating World Food Court. While it might feel like a less fancy option than the restaurants on Dixon St it is all the traditional food, with the same or better quality and at a fraction of the price!

At the far end of the food court, tucked away in an unassuming corner is the Gumshara Ramen Store.

This is a real, fair dinkum ramen shop that makes the traditional pork broth from boiling up the pork bones and extracting the rich, thick and delicious bone marrow. They even close between lunch and dinner each and every day to cook up a fresh batch of soup base.

Gumshara only prepare pork ramen. Because of this focus their ramen is on point and probably the most authentic you will find in Sydney.

They have two styles of pork soup one lighter but still full of flavour and a thick soup that coats the inside of your mouth and is super rich and hearty.

If you are a fan of meaty pork and that classic umami flavour then you need to try one of their offerings!

I went for the ultimate in ramen pleasures, the Super Mega Ramen Noodle Soup. This dish is true to its name and at $30 a serve is worth every dollar. This hefty bowl of pork gluttony packs a lot into the bowl. You get the standard noodles, spring onions and marrow soup with seaweed garnish but the pork is loaded into this dish in three different and tantalising ways. There are the slices of pork that circumnavigate the bowl, a huge slab of BBQ pork sparerib and a BBQ fatty pork skewer!!

If I haven’t painted a good enough picture for you then let me back up the description by saying just how deliciously perfect this bowl of pork really is. ITS REALLY GOOD!! Everything is cooked to perfecting and the pork is just amazing, full of flavour and a fantastic messy journey into pork perfection! I am a big eater and I couldn’t finish my serving. I probably didn’t need the addition of the second perfectly cooked runny egg but how could I resist, amazing!

The store provides a number of house made condiments to go with your meal and it is worth trying the pickled ginger and garlic toppings.

I washed the meal down with a Fuji Apple soft drink which was quite good considering there wasn’t a nice Japanese beer available in the food court.

Totally worth the money defiantly worth trying if you are ever...

We’ve always been big fans of Gumshara from its humble days in a small rundown food court in Chinatown but since they moved to the new store the food, service and ambience has changed significantly. Being a cold day after work rather then cook I thought I would buy take away home and visit my old favorite Ramen spot to find that they had moved. Upon arriving at the new store I noticed a small queue out the front which I thought was normal considering the history of the brand. I had walked inside to enquire about buying takeaway and they said you had to queue up which I thought was abit weird but on my way outside I found quite a few empty tables so anyway out we go on the footpath. I had 3couples and a table of 4 in front of me which I thought to myself that’s alright shouldn’t be too long considering there was tables cleared to take new guests but I had waited 35min to get in to order my takeaway then I was back to where I had enquired about a takeaway half an hour ago which was still fine because my partner and I was craving this for a while. After ordering my partner had craving for dumpling so I went to the restaurant next door to buy takeaway and they were delicious well filled and hot, perfect for a cold night. Upon getting my order I went back to Gumshara and I still waited another 15-20min for the food to be ready which was mind boggling. During this waiting time it got me thinking maybe they’re trying to increase interest by slowing there service to ensure people saw the queue and create a crowding for the brand which I thought was smart but not genuine anyway after all that I am more then 1hr in and heading home. I would say the ramen was ok, we order 2 different ramen, my partner had the Spare rib ramen and I had the spicy tonkotsu ramen large but the flavors is not the same as before and the whole experience has changed my mind on this brand. I think me and my partner will need to be on the hunt for a new ramen spot. Quite disappointed on this new...

Fabulous.

I eat and cook a lot of pork. This is the real deal. No punches pulled on the flavour and richness. Not for the (pork fat) feint hearted or the menu modification crowd.

Eaten here many times, but it has been a few years. I think they have gotten even better, or I just really needed ramen. I respect that they control entry to ensure quality and service speed. The cookery is exemplary. The simplicity of the broth that is rich and creamy is only achieved by a long slow cook and quality ingredients. The pork cuts are perfectly cooked. The condiments and add ins are excellent. Japanese kimchi, pickled cabbage chilli side delicious. A-class noodles. Perfect bounce, flavoursome.

This is serious cooking and dedication to a dish and a just few variations that you just don’t see often enough.

I love that you return the tray when finished, as a perfectly satiated guest it feels like the least I can do.

The hospitality world has it tough, I have the utmost respect that the team here run a tight and efficient ship, they explain the process and rules/way things work. I will gladly oblige for such delicious and well cooked food.

It is some of the best food I have eaten in a restaurant. (A well travelled chef myself, so I don’t offer that compliment lightly.) Congratulations on keeping small enough to hold to such a high standard.

I have tried to get back my last few visits to Sydney, but it didn’t happen, to have such a delicious, soul warming meal, that hit all the right spots this evening was just what I needed.

There was a small queue at 5pm, the place is obviously popular. I posted a review which I don’t do that often, in the hope other real cooks and eaters might read it and decide to go. This place deserves to be successful and remain so. You should think about eating here as being as (or more) interesting, delicious and special as the glitzy hatted restaurants with harbour views.

Thank you team....