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Level 2, The Galeries Victoria (TGV)
500 George Street, Sydney.
Ph +61 2 9262 7677.
Recently, we took a trip to Sydney and I insisted on taking Louis to this restaurant my friends took me to last time I visited - Ichiban Boshi.
Situated nextdoor to Kinokuniya in The Galeries Victoria (opposite the massive Queen Victoria Building), Ichiban Boshi commands an exceptionally brisk trade. In peak times, you take a number, and wait. And listen carefully for your number to be called, which can take anything upto half an hour.
Bearing in mind they have seating for 70 people at a time, so that alone tells you they’re doing something right.
We visited at lunchtime on a weekday, and probably waited for around 10 - 15 minutes before being called.
We were given a nice seat near the window, so we settled down to scour the menu.
Louis decided he’d try the Tokyo Ramen - Roast pork and egg in a soy flavoured soup, and I decided i’d get the Karaage Set - Succulent deep fried chicken with rice - as the table nextdoor had one and the aroma was really inviting.
After rush hour is over
Despite the food-court appearance of the place, they know how to turn out good food without costing a bomb - and that’s what really matters.
Karaage Set ($11.00)
The first thing on my menu to arrive was the Miso soup. Surprisingly, it wasn’t an instant just-add-water miso, and tasted very nice. Then, the Karaage and rice arrived, as well as the pickles on the side.
The batter on the chicken was light, and didn’t look or taste oily. And it tasted good. Really good. The chicken underneath the batter was cooked well, but wasn’t dry, and had lots of flavour of its own - even if you tasted a piece without the sauce.
The previous time I was here, I tried the Tempura Udon, which was also very good.
It’s a pity they haven’t branched out into Melbourne yet, but I have sent them an email begging asking them if they’d consider it. In the meantime, if you’re in Sydney - do drop in for a great meal. The places i’ve tried here in Melbourne don’t even come close.
Tokyo Ramen ($8.30)
There was quite a wide range of ramen, and i was initially stumped as to what i would order. By chance, i heard two other patrons in the queue talking about the Tokyo Ramen (the most basic item on the menu), and how its really popular, so i decided to give it a try.
Though the restaurant is located in a shopping mall and resembles a food court more than anything else, it was a pleasant place to have lunch. The tables were clean, and with the transparent glass windows, one could look down onto the other floors of the mall while waiting for the food to arrive. The sunlight streaming through the windows also gave the place a very warm and homey feel (yes, it was quite a nice day).
When my ramen arrived, it indeed looked like a basic set - the portions were not huge and there was the obligatory seaweed, corn, egg, scallions and a strip of pork in the middle. However, the real treat was in the taste. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the stock was very rich and tasty. This is evident in the fact that if you eat the noodles and egg by themselves, you will find that the flavours are very well infused into each individual component. I find this to be a very pleasant change from the Japanese noodles i get from Melbourne restaurants, which charge more but leave you feeling sick halfway through. The Tokyo Ramen i had, while not a big bowl of noodles, is undeniably delicious and makes you drain the last drop of soup from the bowl in true Japanese style.
I had a taste of Damien’s chicken dish and it was quite decent as well. Overall, i am quite impressed. If you are dropping by Sydney, do give this Japanese restaurant chain a go. The food is good and you don’t have to spend over $10 to get a decent meal.
