Mappen - Bondi Junction — Restaurant in Sydney

Tonkotsu ramen bowls with chicken katsu (left) and pulled pork (right).

It’s ok for food to be mediocre but less ok for people to rave about how great it is. Soup was at best opaque but none of the rich, golden, thick, almost creamy and usually fatty pork broth that Tonkotsu is meant to be.

It was thin, tasted only of garlic. If tasty = only salty then you’re in for a tasty treat. The salt did seem to cover up lack of broth depth, but only for my first few mouthfuls.

Nothing wrong with service, ambience was fine - not particularly Japanese - so... why are people calling it authentic?

Bit like ordering a latte with a tenth of a shot, half the milk and 70% water with heaps of sugar.

Maybe the free spoonful of spring onions and fried tempura batter bits won some hearts. Or maybe good ramen is pretty hard to come by in Sydney, and this is above average, such a shame.

In Mappen’s defense: -The soup wasn’t unpleasant ( I only felt cheated) -They have other good deals on offer like their 3 mini bowls (samplers of full sized items) for $9.90. -Food comes instantly -You have a choice of ready sides to add on -Prices are below average for Bondi Junction. -Free tap water and free condiments -Perhaps they excel in their other food. But if you want good ramen, this is not where you should spend your money.

This place boasted a 4.4 star review as of writing this, but personally I left feeling rather dissatisfied.

Yasaka has an outlet just opposite... If you are willing to spend $4 extra you will get a taste of more authentic tonkotsu...

Ok good but service not very helpful.

First time trying Mappen and we didn't really know it was a DIY affair. We were asked to head over to the counter to order. We placed our order and just waited but then she told us to move along down the line. We proceeded down the line as advised but we soon realised we should have collected a tray at the start. We then proceeded to the cashier who then asked what our order was again... (we werent given any order number!) So we had to order it all again. We paid, was given a number to take to the table. We waited then one of our dishes arrived. The waitress was about to take away our number until i tried to tell her that we had a second dish. Again she asked me what i ordered and then went back to the kitchen to confirm. She finally came back and returned our table number.

Our second dish finally arrived and we were left wondering why there was no cutlery. I looked around until i noticed that we had to pick up our own cutlery at the cashier. Again... I don't have a problem with getting it myself... IF they had bothered to inform us of the procedure instead of just expecting us to guess how to do things.

The food is average. Ramen is ok but the broth is very runny and lacked flavour. The wagyu beef was poor quality and was borderline tough. I've had much better food at...

Japanese rice bowl concept. You grab your tray and order a main, i ordered a large chicken tonkatsu ( curry), then move along the old bistro style counter and pick up side orders like skewers, tempura, etc from an open warmer. You grab a drink and pay at the end of the counter. I took a side of takoyaki which is octopus balls on a skewer with barbeque sauce and katsuobushi ( shaved dried tuna) and calpis which is a fruity non carbonated canned drink. I have to admit it is no Coco Curry as there is no spice heat in the curry. The curry was needing more seasoning but was acceptable and edible. Price wise at $10-12 for main it was definitely budget friendly. With main, side and drink coming in under $20. Would I come back... Yes I would if I am after a healthier fast food option in the Bondi...