30 April 2009

Condor Japanese Noodle Restaurant, Sydney (30 April 2009)

5 York Street, Wynyard Sydney 2000



Searching for good ramen

I'm on a mission this year trying to find the best ramen in Sydney after searching for the best laksa last year during lunchtimes— "ramen is the new laksa". After checking Eatability it seemed there were 2 ramen places side by side on York St but Condor had the better recent reviews than Goshu Ramen Tei which is literally next door. So a casual lunchtime catchup with friends brings us to Condor for ramen. Condor was definitely the more popular place when we arrived at 12.30.

I order the Karaage Ramen from the friendly service and like to have my chicken karaage served on the side so I can test how crunchy it is. The karaage itself was very good and much better than Menya City and I preferred it to Ramen Kan as well. So crunchy in fact that the smaller crunchy bits were like pork crackling. Everyone seemed happy with their meals and I'd probably try the gyoza and Chashu Men next time which had a generous serving of pork slices. Keep in mind if you visit that they don't have toilet facilities for the diners.

Other places visited for ramen:
Menya Noodle Bar (11 Sept 2009)
Ramen Kan (16 April 2009)
Ramen Kan (15 April 2009)
Ton Ton Japanese (26 March 2009)


No. 42 Karaage Ramen (Noodles with Fried Chicken and Veges, Soy Sauce Base) $11.50. I asked for the Karaage on the side so it wouldn't go soggy in the soup.

No. 43 Mabo Ramen (Noodles with Tofu & Pork Mince, Soy Sauce Base) $11.50

No. 41 Chashu Men (Noodles with Extra Sliced Roast Pork) $11

No. 49 Jigoku Ramen (Spicy Ramen with Stir-Fried Shallots & Roast Pork) $11

Gyoza: Fried dumplings (6 pieces) $7. I didn't try them but other diners mentioned they were pretty good.

Tray of table condiments

Dodgy looking bottle of chilli oil has seen better days. I tried a couple of drops and was fairly hot.

Condor outdoor dining area


Goshu Ramen Tei dining area next door wasn't as popular


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Condor Japanese Restaurant on Urbanspoon

3 comments:

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

The popularity of both of them seems to go in waves. One time one will be busier and then another the other one will. I've never seen competitive business so close to each other before!

Unknown said...

the mabo dish looks so delish!

this is really one of the simplest dishes to make anywhere in the world so long as you can get hold of tofu and sauce package.

Here I bought a sauce pack so as to skip all the seasonings! and i will try this friday after work.
http://yummiexpress.freetzi.com

Simon Leong said...

Hi Lorraine, it's really funny seeing to Korean restaurants so close. perhaps one will buy out the other one?

Hi Sophie, I've never tried to make it but I guess if you have a good sauce it should be fairly easy to put together then.

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