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11 Bligh Place, Melbourne, 9620 9000
My score: 3.5/5
I don’t remember minced chicken stopping conversation before but the tsukune (chicken skewers) at Mugen shushed my table of sake swillers in an instant. Chicken is often banal but this is so outstandingly rich, juicy and textured, thanks to the incorporation of ‘soft bones’ (cartilage, but that doesn’t sound as nice), a common addition in Japan but little seen here. One bite and I lapsed into happy reverie.
They’re one pleasure among many at Mensousai Mugen, a new ‘Japas’ (Japanese tapas – ouch) and ramen (noodle soup) restaurant owned by Yoshi Kurosawa, who also owns 13-year-old bar Robot across the laneway. The gyoza dumplings are great too, fried on one side and releasing tasty spurts of porky juice when bitten, recalling xiao long bao (Shanghainese soup dumplings) in liquefied lusciousness. They’re served with miso dressing rather than the soy standard because that’s how Yoshi ate them back home in Saitama. Also on the snack menu is a creamy potato salad, served in a jar alongside prosciutto on bread. It’s a reminder of how outward-looking and adaptive Japanese food can be.
The little dishes are so good (and the Japas menu is soon to expand) but ramen is the real focus, and more particularly tsukemen-style ramen, in which thick, cold noodles are served separately for dipping into broth. Ramen aficionados – they are legion and fanatical – love tsukemen because the tight, bouncy noodles can be appreciated as stand-alone art then seasoned delicately with the soup. The housemade wholegrain wheat noodles are good but a deep, complex, clean base is the key with ramen. Mugen rocks it with a ‘triple broth’ of pork, chicken and dried fish, cooked for 48 hours, then seasoned variously with curry, dashi, miso and soy. It’s as full-bodied as a steroidal weightlifter. Once the noodles are finished the broth is topped up with a light dashi broth then drunk straight from the bowl. It’s one of the world’s more delicious rituals.
Mensousai Mugen is modest and immaculate, with a ground floor kitchen and a monumental iron staircase leading to the small basement where concrete wall nooks and dramatic lighting suggest an industrial bunker. Ramen newbies are treated kindly (there’s a menu comic that explains the intricacies of tsukemen) and the food is cheap but uncompromising. Dip in.
See their website.
More Japanese:
Akachochin, 33 South Wharf Promenade, South Wharf, 9245 9900
The riverside deck is a great place to enjoy Akachochin’s flavour-bomb snacks (stuffed chicken wings!) and creative sushi. Monday night’s sake degustation is one of the better deals around town.
Rolls, 237 Carlisle Street, Balaclava, 9527 5615
For a mostly takeaway neighbourhood sushi joint Rolls does a very classy job. Teriyaki and other hot dishes round out the options.
Shop Ramen, 329 Smith Street, Collingwood
Steamed buns and ramen are the deal here. The vegetarian ramen with tofu, pickled mushrooms and cashew milk has plenty of fans. Save room for a shake or pie.
First published in The Age, February 23, 2013.
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