hakatamon ramen

to be honest, when i first came to visit hakata-maru ramen, i got lost. this inconspicuous restaurant is not visible fromchatswoodstation and you would be lucky to notice it if you caught a bus from the bus interchange directly outside or opposite the restaurant....

this is probably one of the more authentic japanese restaurants that i have been to - pre-made ramen is stored inside a wooden box, waiting to be boiled and served to customers. even ryo's just stores their ramen in large plastic boxes outside their kitchen. also, their pork cutlets and karaage chicken appeared to be double-fried - i.e. pre-fried once beforehand, and left in a pile in front of the deep fryer until ordered, at which point the pork/chicken is deep-fried again to give it a crispy coating...

always return tochatswoodfor their ramen. great prices for good quality ramen. the staff is also friendly and helpful.

hakata maru inchatswoodis an epic noodle eatery and a place to try sooner rather than later. classic style japanese eatery, super casual and efficiency at its best. god seated quite quickly and priority to order not far behind. we had booked a table for 6+ people so would recommend booking for your visit.
it’s really all about the ramen but make sure you arrive early (before 6pm) for the happy hour and snack on dumplings and chicken karrage. best to give the edamame a miss. not particularly enjoyable for me on this visit.

now to the main event - the signature ramen. it was my first trip here but others in my group - let’s call them noodle connoisseurs - have been here many times. high quality noodles and delicious broth also means it won’t be my last visit either.

loads of choice for ramen including, white tonkotsu ($12), clear shoyu ($14), miso tonkotsu ($14.50), dandan (spicy $15.50) and the signature supreme ramen ($18.50). five stars for hakata maru inchatswood⭐️

tucked away nearchatswoodstation, there is something about hakata-maru ramen’s noodles that make them absolutely simply sensational. it might be the delicious perfectly balanced rich, milky pork broth, or the thin straight noodles, or the gooey egg, but hakata maru is my favourite place in sydney for a bowl of ramen. 

for only $11.80 you can get a white tonkotsu and add $2.90 for a seasoned egg. compared to other upper market ramen, this is very reasonable and i would 100% recommend this place for hakata ramen (ramen which originates from the hakata district of fukuoka city in kyushu, has a milky tonkotsu broth and rather thin, resilient noodles). yarm!!!

we live no where near this place and come tochatswoodjust for the ramen.

i normally order the pork ramen with black garlic . it’s super delicious and warms the heart each time . the broth is delicious , not too salty or thick . you can ask for the noodles to come harder too. the service is very sweet and you can make alterations to your liking .

the only disappointment is the accompanying menu items like the bau ‘s and gyozas. we no longer order these and go straight for a good hearty bowl of ramen!

visited sydney for a short break, and my friend who lives in chatswood, recommended me to try hakata-maru. it was gooooood!. a casual japanese restaurant, on ground floor of a corporate building close tochatswoodtrain station and opposite the rsl. i always love a restaurant where they provide you with a basket underneath your table for you to put your handbags and jackets. i always feel a little more friendliness from the service provided.

hakata-maru ramen is a popular japanese ramen bar inchatswoodwhich offers a variety of broth and other side dishes. the casual restaurant features a mixture of bar seats and proper low tables and the open kitchen allows me to peek at the young chefs preparing my meal.

i ordered their signature black tonkotsu and kakuni bun. the braised pork belly and pork slices were overcooked and hard. and i feel the restaurant could do more to avoid the boar taint. otherwise, the broth was savoury and delicious although it was marginally too oily for my preference.

it's still a cold raining night...

so to break the hot pot routine time for a hearty ramen to shake off all that misery....

i knew the name was familiar, think i've seen this place in china town somewhere...couldn't put my finger on it but oh well we were inchatswoodand we wanted ramen so wah la!

okay the miso tonkatsu ramen! noodles very elastic...or in chinese we call it "teeth bouncing" who invented this phrase and how high were they...? topping wise, id say okay bit stingy...i mean i've seen other places be more generous in regards to bamboo shoots and corn; oh and not a slice of chashu but hey the scattered traces of diced braised pork belly was different - id say an acceptable. after all ramen is about the noodles, soup and bamboo shoots; yes the one topping i care about...now the soup! are you being sly and putting butter in your miso soup hakata...! honestly i can't even quite remember how long ago i've seen butter as a topping but recollection wise, i do recall the best miso ramen i've had in japan was topped with a thick slice of butter - so you win childhood memory points...side note*** if you didn't actually put butter then kuddos to you for making me taste butter!

the other was the signature hakata ramen, dangerous times, when i see "signature" on the menu cause your almost setting yourself up to fail...or artificially giving yourself a higher bar to jump over! with the utmost courtesy and i believe she did a great job was the waitress who i inquisitively asked what was the difference between the signature and the regular tonkatsu soup which she replied with it's the black garlic ramen with more topping to which i say i appreciate your honesty!

so anyways...yeah just a black garlic tonkatsu ramen with more toppings! i wouldn't say it's "signature" as there's nothing that really differentiates it from the regular soup; however it did come with the straight noodles "which id simply call egg-less noodles" are they better than egg ramen noodles, nada but "authenticity" yes!

so on the soups! wonderful, magical and i wouldn't ask for anything else on a night like this. egg noodles great lovely cooked to that al dente state. egg-less straight noodles, cooked very well too but it's just inferior to egg noodles in terms of taste...i mean the best ramen noodles used duck egg...maybe that's my biased to egg noodles?

many many criticism, but look i certainly feel like
you surpassed my expectations or maybe it was just the right weather but i may have to come again to do quality control...?

i was devastated when hakata-maru haymarket closed down, however happy to hear that thechatswoodbranch was still running so i could get my ramen mix. this is definitely my favourite ramen in sydney, the black garlic tonkotsu broth is my go-to, and it's very reasonably priced too!

updated(nov 2018)

we went this store occasionally, and felt the soup is getting weaker.
our last visit, we felt the same. moreover, the soup wasn't hot enough. water and spoons weren't on the table (all gone) and they didn't fill again.

we are over with this outlet. we will try the other one in north sydney shop, but not in chatswood.

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hakata maru in market city in china town was my favourite one. unfortunately it has been closed due to building redevelopment. so, i tried hakatamaru inchatswoodif they are good as market city.

the price for white tonkotsu is $1 more than market city but still reasonable. however, the soup was better at market city one, which was more creamy, thick and strong flavour. the two shops in different places serve slightly different flavour is kinda disappointing, but i'll still try another bowl at chatswood, as soup would change (slightly) time to time due to ingredients quality and season.

the table i say is sticky, it's needed throughly cleaning i suppose....

at this stage, i may prefer to have marukame udon (sister shop) if i'm going to quick meal in chatswood...

my pick of the ramen offers inchatswood(including the more famed ippudo). i love the different style of noodles they offer, and both the tonkotsu & spicy dan dan broth. this time i got the dan dan, when it came out all you can see is a blob of spicy miso on top of a sea of red soup, but once you dig through the sea of red, there's a good mix of char shu, mushroom, bamboo shoots, fungus, corn & noodles. the soup was a good spicy, not extreme so you can still taste the food. also got a side of karage chicken, which was juicy but not too oily. they do a lunch deal for the weekday work crowd, but i went on the weekend this time, but it's still worth paying the full price for.

i ordered the basic white pork broth ramen and as usual, i loved it.

the broth was rich and creamy without being overly thick or oily. it's a real trick to get the broth right in ramen. it's half the battle and i tip my hat to hakata-maru for getting as close as they have to winning it.

the toppings were basic but enjoyable. the crispiness of the wood ear mushroom and the bamboo shoots with their customary crunch are a pleasant balancer as they cut through the broth. the slices of pork could have been a tad more tender but that is probably just me being fussy. 

i also ordered a soft-boiled egg to go with my ramen and suffice as to say, it was perfect. the eruption of the yolk as it joined forces with the broth was divine. i suspect my wife may have been looking at me funny as we were eating....

the noodles, the other half of the ramen challenge, didn't disappoint. i prefer my noodles to be straight and slightly firm. no soft noodles for me, al dente all the way thank you very much. i greedily ordered two second servings which left me bursting. i think that i will go for civility next time and just order the one.

at $10.50 for the basic tonkotsu dish, the price is extremely reasonable. the all-japanese staff have always offered me an authentically professional service which i very much appreciate.

conveniently located close tochatswoodstation, this little gem of a place has become my go to spot for a good ramen lunch in sydney.

i'm not always a ramen person, but every time i come go hakata-maruchatswoodi am always satisfied. the service is friendly and fast. the menu is varied (if you don't want ramen there are other options) and the serving size is good too. expect to come back here, it'll become a favourite.

rich, creamy and thick soup base with generous serving of springy noodles, i'm sold. it's probably one of the best ramen experience i've ever had, the super affordable pricing is an added bonus! it's such a satisfying meal that we have nothing to nitpick at all. well maybe there is, why is there no other outlet elsewhere. one more reason to visitchatswoodagain for my next trip.

good place for a fast meal when craving ramen. hakata-maru ramen isn't far fromchatswoodstation but it's located away from most of the other restaurants. i find the meat in their ramen delicious. the broth isn't as rich or thick as i'd hoped and the noodles used feel different from the ones at gumshara and ryo's. that being said, i have found the ramen there better than the other joints i've tried so far in chatswood.