Ramen Daikoku — Restaurant in Waitematā

A few months after my previous 5 star review, they changed the menu and up the price. No problem with all that but the taste changes the same time, boo… The ramen now come with half egg but it’s always well done (you won’t get the soft boil egg showing on the menu). No more fresh spinach on top but cabbage and carrot… Even the chashu tastes and looks very different. Soup is also a let down, taste more like powdered soup, lack the depth and the noodle is also different. Curry and karaage however thankfully still taste the same. But the fried rice is off the menu. So in general a big let down. The staff and chef is still the same and lovely but the humble soul food is just no more. Sad.

—— My previous review: —— We’ve been dining at this place for maybe more than 15 years? I think this branch exists probably longer than that. Food is super affordable, servers you fast and efficiently and you will leave with a full belly without your bank account crying out loud. The best value is the ramen combi (you can choose your fav ramen plus a side e.g. karaage chicken/small friend rice/gyoza) The best flavoured ramen (in my opinion are the shoyu and tonkotsu). The flavour of the food wasn’t quite up to their standard the last time we visited, hopefully they can get back on track. Also, since COVID restrictions have been lifted and more people pouring into city every weekend - I hope they can consider open on the...

The most disappointing aspect was the unpleasant taste of the food and the terrible services . First, the ramen – the broth had a faint flavor with an odd hint of instant noodle seasoning. It lacked the rich, hearty essence of authentic pork bone broth and seemed artificially concocted. Furthermore, the ramen's egg, which should ideally be a soft-boiled or runny yolk, was terribly overcooked, resulting in a very poor texture. Moving on to the takoyaki, it was evident they were reheated convenience items, not freshly made on-site. The octopus inside was tiny, and the texture was far from crisp; overall, the taste was extremely unsatisfying. Lastly, regarding the service, my companion and I had barely glanced at the menu when a waiter loudly demanded our order from behind, startling me. This lack of courtesy and impatience was quite off-putting. The restaurant lacked natural light, creating a rather gloomy atmosphere. All in all, I am highly dissatisfied with this...

Terrible! Would give them 0 stars if I could.

Food was below average. Fried rice was super oily. Kaarage chicken was tough and dry. Staff was horrible.

We ordered a few different dishes to share, when the food came we asked for a few small bowls so we could share the food but the waitress looked grumpy and said "only one for the child". So we only got given one extra bowl. I pretty much lost my appetite after this point as 4 of us had to share ramen, fried rice etc without having our own bowls...

We ended up having food left over so I went to ask for a takeaway container.. And the waitress looked at me, looked at our table and said "30 cents".. Maybe I just didn't look hard enough but I honestly didn't see any signs in the restaurant where it says they charge you for takeaway containers. So I felt like we were being targeted..

Wouldn't...