RaRa Ramen Randwick — Restaurant in Sydney

If I can give negative stars, I probably would. I rarely rate any place this harshly and this rating may offend some people, but the food and the experience I had was beyond comprehension. If you have a minute, please hear me out.

I was there to try out Rara as I have seen some good news articles and reviews. We ordered gyozas, karaage chicken and two different ramens (tonkusu and black garlic).

Karaage chicken was the first dish to be presented (unfortunately I didn't take pictures), it was not as good as I expected but it is above average, crispy skin on the outside and juicy chicken on the inside, so I had my hopes up for the next dish (little did I know that was the best dish of the night).

Gyozas came soon after, nicely dressed with chopped shallots. The taste however, was not as good as it looks, it was VERY oily inside out, the wrapped felt like it was soaked in oil.

Moving on to the ramens, after all that's why we were there. Boy I wish I have never heard of Rara or ever made the decision to step inside. The tonkusu broth was heavy and extremely salty while the noodle is undercooked and chewy (I'd say it is even saltier than Ryo's), the black garlic we ordered was the final nail on the coffin. It didn't add much flavour to the broth, but it added even more oil to the already heavy broth. I hate wasting food but this bowl was the only bowl of ramen I couldn't finish in my life.

I wasn't going to write this review even tho the food was absolutely not fitting to its price tags, until I encountered the unpleasant experience when it came to the bill time. I was asked to add on "optional tips", and that threw me off the edge. For one, I received virtually no service besides been led to our seats and had our orders taken. No one ever checked on us to see if the food was ok or topped up the empty water jug. What "TIPS" do you expect here? And two, there is no tipping culture in Australia (some may disagree, but as far as I know it is not customary nor should anyone openly ask for "optional tips", especially when there were no service given what so ever) Overall, I would NOT recommend this place to anyone and I will not step into any of its associated Rara...

I’m late to the Rara Ramen train. After a failed attempt to visit the Redfern original where I found most everything sold out and no space to eat-in, I’d filed it under too hard. In the ensuing years, owners Katie Shortland and Scott Gault, expanded into RaRa Randwick. This outlet is within an easy walk of the Randwick Ritz cinema and it takes bookings. It was pretty much empty when we arrived. Red neon signage, blacked out ceiling fixtures, simple bar stool seating, and stiff-backed wooden banquets make it feel like a nightclub waiting for guests to pour in. The ‘DJ box’ is the window into the kitchen, where the ‘big noodle energy’ takes place.

Rara is known for their freshly made Hakata-style noodles. They’re thinner and firmer than other ramen noodles I’ve tried, and a highlight across both the black garlic and chilli tonkotsu ($24.50) and the chicken tantanmen ($25.90). The tonkotsu broth, made on water, garlic and pork bones, is seasoned with shio tare (a blend of salt, sake, bonito and soy sauce). Flavour is further amped with house-made black garlic oil and chilli oil, a coal grilled slice of free-range pork belly (chashu), shallots, shredded black fungus and half a seasoned egg (ajitsuke tamago). The seasoned chicken mince-topped tantanmen is even bigger in flavour. Nutty Sichuan-style sesame broth is spiked with Sichuan pepper and sansho chilli oil. It’s quite salty, so Japanese pickles ($9.80) provide welcome respite, as do the toppings: black fungus, seasoned bean shoots (menma), crushed nuts, and bok choy, presented as a single, hard-to-navigate-with-chopsticks, piece.

While they overcharge for it, the Echigo Koshihikari rice lager ($19.80/500ml) is the best booze match for the saltier soup. The tonkotsu goes alright with the Hakutsuru Tanrei junmai sake ($25/180ml). While I still like the dry 196 Double Lemon ($14) as a not-too-sweet RTD, it didn’t go down well with...

Ra Ra Rubbish: Poor Service and Questionable Practices

I’ve been to this restaurant three times to give it a fair chance, and now I feel prepared to share my experience publicly.

First of all, the staff need to be more hospitable. I arrived alone at lunchtime to a nearly empty restaurant, with only a family ahead of me. Two staff members were at the front of the house. Despite making eye contact, one staff member continued with her task instead of seating me. I had to wait several more minutes for the other staff member to finally seat me. The front-of-house service was terrible!

Secondly, you require customers to order via a QR menu, yet at the time of payment, there’s a request for a tip. What exactly is the tip for? Let me remind you that we are not in the United States, where tipping is customary. In Australia, tipping is not, and should never be, an expectation, especially given our higher wages. Management should not pressure patrons into tipping through the QR code system. I’m happy to tip at the end of my meal if I’ve received good service, not when paying via QR code. This practice is ridiculous!

Thirdly, since when should I have to pay extra for chili oil in a Japanese ramen restaurant? Absolutely ridiculous! When I asked for chili oil, the waiter mentioned it was an extra, but she didn’t inform me of the additional charge until she brought it to the table, along with a machine for me to pay $1.90 for a small plate of chili oil. Are you out of your mind?

In summary, the service was incredibly bad, the charge for chili oil was outrageous, and the quality of food did not justify the price. This review is to let everyone know what to expect. There are better Ramen options on Anzac Parade without the absurd practices of Ra Ra Rubbish Ramen. Management, please manage your team and...