Form an orderly line for Ramen O in Woden!

Posted on 15 June, 2022

Lovers of Ramen O’s sublime ramen can now rejoice.

Eighteen months after opening in Belconnen, the acclaimed comfort food restaurant is opening its doors in Woden today.

It’s not a moment too soon for those hungry hordes who have run the gauntlet of queues to purchase the now-famed bowls of brothy goodness created by Japanese chef Shunsuke (Shun) Ota.

Canberrans don’t traditionally queue for food, but when Ramen O opened in an unassuming building on Benajmin Way in Belconnen late in 2020, word spread so quickly of its superior offerings that within days queues were forming, waits were long, and even worse, they ran out of ramen. Canberrans had had a taste and they wanted more. They nagged Shun to open another store, and when he asked them where, they suggested Woden.

Shun, who hails from Nagasaki, and who moved to Australia to work in Nobu in Melbourne before coming to Canberra to work in Lilotang, is a fine-dining chef.

And he uses those fine-dining techniques to mix a master ramen broth in tonkotsu style. The recipe is a secret (hailing from his own region and passed through the family) but we can reveal it’s heavy on the pork bones.

Vegetarian ramen

Of course there are vegetarian versions and with names like Ramen Wow! Ramen Oh! And Ramen Oh My God! there is a firm expectation that the same standards that put Belco on the ramen map will now extend to Woden.

Located in the Furzer Street restaurant strip containing The Alby and eightysix south, Ramen O provides more than just ramen. Gyoza varieties, char ciu pork rice bowls and dessert mochi are also on the menu. But with 11 versions of ramen available allowing for extra noodles and extra toppings of choice, this really is the place to settle over a steaming bowl of this classic Japanese dish.

Char cui pork rice bowls

Shun is excited to begin the Woden chapter,  but is understandably nervous about demand given how crazy things got in Belconnen.

“We did not expect it. It was a bit overwhelming!” he said.

With the fitout designed by his wife Yuki, and the store managed by Ayano Horibata, Shun wants Ramen O to continue the tradition of “comfort”.

His move from fine dining restaurants into hearty ramen bowls was the result of his desire to provide comfort food and comfortable surroundings for his customers.

There are no bells and whistles at Ramen O in Woden, but it does have a lovely tranquil Japanese aesthetic about it. There’s seating for 50, while the kitchen is geared up for its own takeaway menu.

So if you rock up tomorrow and there are no seats available, you can at least cross your fingers and put in a takeaway order (and there is no phone so it’s a case of first come, first served!) Good luck ramen-lovers.