Ton Ton Takeaway Chifley, Sydney CBD

After the closure of Ton Ton Ramen at Regent Place, you could be forgiven for thinking that it was gone for good. Fear not! Another branch remains open at Chifley Plaza close to Martin Place. Unlike Regent Place which seems to be aimed at the student crowd and tourists wandering in the Town Hall area, this takeaway shop is dominated by nearby office workers looking for a quick lunch. But hey at least it's still open (for lunch only) if you are a massive fan of their food!

I was going to choose the signature Ton Ton ramen but then I spotted the $10 lunch deal with ramen, 3 gyoza pork dumplings and a choice of a bottle of water or a can of lemonade for $10. Sounds too good to be true? On this occasion, the ramen they had on offer for the $10 lunch deal was miso ramen - one of my faves :).

Miso ramen - Miso-paste flavoured soup topped with BBQ Pork ($9.00)

When I got the ramen, I've noticed that the noodles were buried underneath an epic pile of bean sprouts, shallots, char siu (BBQ pork), sesame seeds and nori. The broth was quite rich and thick but not to Gumshara Ramen's level of thickness. For a miso-paste soup, the broth wasn't as flavoursome as I hoped. However, I did enjoy the BBQ pork which was melting in my mouth. The moist and soft BBQ pork and the firm ramen noodles made up for an otherwise fairly average broth. Maybe it's just my personal preference lol. The serving size is huge so it should keep you satisfied for a few hours or much longer if you have everything from the bowl.

What was really disappointing was the pork gyoza dumplings. I was expecting them to be piping hot with a firm texture. I reckon these dumplings were out in the open for a few hours because it was way too cold, soft and lumpy. 

Pork gyoza dumplings (can't remember price on its own)

Considering the terrible weather we've had lately, I decided to make another visit to Ton Ton Takeaway (only a good 5-7 minutes walk from work) to try out the TonTon Ramen. While it was a tad oily, it was more flavoursome than the miso ramen with a nice but relatively minor spicy hit that I loved. While it's not your average tonkotsu ramen particularly when it comes to flavour, ingredients and richness (especially Gumshara); it does hit the spot on a cold, wintery day. Once again, the pork was soft and the noodles were bitey though an oozy egg would be perfect for this ramen.

TonTon Ramen - a special 'Tonkotsu' soup - mildly spiced thick pork broth topped with BBQ pork ($9.80)

Though I thought that the miso ramen wasn't the best that I've taste, I am still eager to try out the many other ramen options on the menu including the Chicken Kara-age ramen, spicy miso ramen and the Kogashi Ninniku (black sesame) ramen. There is a decent variety of choices on what to eat at Ton Ton Takeaway. Not only do you get noodles like ramen, udon and soba noodles, you could also get rice dishes like rice bowls, teriyaki and curry dishes. For a generous serving, the prices are very cheap at less than $10 for nearly every dish on the menu for anyone who is on a budget. While there is a wait because of the hectic lunch hours and the busy office workers in the area, it is fast paced so you don't need to wait too long to get your feed. Or if you are free all day, I'd recommend going in non-peak lunch hours (before 12:15pm and after 1:30-2pm) so you won't need to wait too long at all. 

Ton Ton Ramen
Level 1, F1, Chifley Plaza
2 Chifley Square Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9222 9960
http://www.tontontakeaway.com.au/chifley/default.aspx?page=12