My first memories of Chinatown and the casual hawker-style eateries stem back to when I was a kid, and my dad use to rave about the cheap yet genuine meals he had tried there. Winding back the clock to my first visit to the iconic Asian food mecca of Eating World, it would be a good twenty years ago, and do you know what? Not a single thing has changed.....except for maybe the "follow us on social media" messages on the signage. Hashtag #foodblogger #foodie
Feeling a tad nostalgic, I decided to make a lunch break expedition for old times sake. Following the advice of noteworthy reviews and recommendations, I made a bee-line for Gumshara Ramen. Known for their week long process of creating a flavour rich tonkatsu broth, I knew these guys were serious about their ramen making craft.
The menu may be small but there is a focus on putting time and effort into a concise menu of high-quality classics. There isn't a chicken or seafood option in sight, just pork. Cooked to perfection, falls off the fork pork.
Eating World isn't glam-dining, it's noisy, there is plastic cutlery in self-serving stations, neon and fluoro lighting, yelling and raffle tickets to mark which order is yours. It's like someone picked up an authentic hawker food centre from Singapore and plonked it next to the harbour and I like that. The raw and unpretentious nature of food being made from age old recipes without the tweezers to assemble the flowers is what makes the whole experience so attractive.
I got my BBQ pork ramen take away, and was astonished by the sheer serving size. Not like some places where they load up on the noodles and less generous with the meat, this was very good value for $14 and I can say in a challenge of ramen vs Chloe. the ramen won!
This is a rustic, raw and real flavour of hawker style food straight from the streets of Asia to the heart of Haymarket Sydney. A must visit for those who appreciate flavour over finesse.
Eating World Harbour Plaza,
Shop 211, 25-29 Dixon Street
Haymarket
Comments