Oh Vietnam and Japan. Besides being two of our favourite Asian vacay destinations, they’re also responsible for two of THE most drool-inducing soupy faves eternally on our to-eat list. Pho and ramen, we salute you, never tire of your slurpy flavoursome goodness and we are getting one helluva craving right now #getinourbellies.

Thankfully, there are several Asian gems right here in our GC ‘hood who can help us get our ‘phomen’ (pho and ramen) fix, so let’s do this – from north to south.

Pho Vietnamese Kitchen
With a name like this, there really is no mistaking what you’re going to find here. With authentic flavours from the Saigon region, it’s the place to stop in when you’re mid-shop and in need of a healthy, yummy energy hit to recharge the batteries. There’s pho-a-plenty, plus other Viet wonders like their scrumptious grilled pork vermicelli noodles salad. Yummo.
Where: Westfield Coomera, 103 Foxwell Road, Coomera or Pacific Fair Shopping Centre, Hooker Boulevard, Broadbeach Waters

Can Tho Kitchen
A northern GC institution, Can Tho Kitchen has it all. Ridiculously delish meals, share platters, awesome service, and a super cool fit out and ambience which one may not expect from a northern GC suburban restaurant. Booking out regularly, people travel from far and wide to experience this husband-and-wife team’s traditional home kitchen recipes. Oh and the cocktails – legendary (and yes, we speak from experience).
Where: 5/465 Oxley Drive, Runaway Bay

Phở Việt (8 Street Harbour Town)
The Harbour Town Eats precinct offers its fair share of high-quality multi-cultural eats, and this is one of their bangers. Fresh, delicious and always consistent, it’s a sure-fire winner every day of the week (literally). The Tofu Pho Noodle Soup is a fave, as is the Combination Pho with rare beef brisket, chicken and beef balls.
Where: 147-189 Brisbane Road, Biggera Waters

Ramen Danbo
If you’re a ramen fan in Southport or Surfers, let us give you some advice; get yourself a hit of Ramen Danbo stat. Their Tonkotsu broth is all time and is the secret base making the ramen so next level lush. But don’t just take our word for it!
Where: Kiosk 8.01, Chop Chop Cavill Lane, 6 Orchid Avenue, Surfers Paradise or Shop 24, Mercato on Ferry, 59-73 Meron Street, Southport

Muso Ramen + Gyoza
Muso is oh-so famous for its ramen and gyoza goodness and is conveniently located in not one, but three suburbs. In other words, there’s really no excuse whatsoever not to chow down and fuel your ramen addiction. Cooked to perfection and nailing all the authentic flavours, it’s the best you’ll try outside of Tokyo.
Where: Shop1/58 Brooke Avenue, Southport or 2b/2484 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach or Shop 4248c “The Kitchens” Robina Town Centre

O-Me-Ly Vietnamese Restaurant
Pho doesn’t get any better than this! A humble fave that has stood the test of time, O-Me-Ly is a long time local hit for darn good reason. The Chicken Rice Noodle Pho is amazing, as are the Rice Paper Rolls which are the pinnacle of fresh, clean eating. Next time in you’re in Broady and channelling an unpretentious feed with flavour-o-plenty, this is the place.
Where: 15-24 Queensland Avenue, Broadbeach

I like ramen
This is legit Australia’s very first plant-based ramen shop, and that in itself deserves a hearty round of applause. The perfect spot for a bowl and brew, founders Bobby and Dom have hatched a vegan beauty here with the tastiest ramen you ever did eat. Also serving up some special Japanese whiskeys, signature cocktails and a range of our natty wines, what’s not to love?
Where: 2251 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach

Goukai Ramen
If you’re fanging for ramen, a rice bowl, karaage, gyoza or a famous Goukai roll, make your way to this Burleigh hot pot spot. Known for their sensational food – and cool staff sporting equally cool baseball caps which BTW, you can buy one too – this hidden gem never disappoints. If you like a bit of spice, here’s the hot (pardon the pun) tip: order the Red Hot Spicy Ramen.
Where: 3/1837 Gold Coast Highway, Burleigh Heads

RaRa Ramen
If it’s authentic hand-crafted ramen you want, it’s precisely what you’ll find at RaRa Ramen. With a few RaRa’s getting around NSW, it was high time we northerners were also privy to the jaw-droppingly delicious authentic Japanese flavours. With handmade noodles, broths and some serious know-how on the art of ramen, this one is a must.
Where: 21a/50 James Street, Burleigh Heads

My Saigon Tuckshop
If only our school had a tuckshop like this! Looking for a cheap and REALLY cheerful Vietnamese hit? Call off the search – you’ve found it! My Saigon Tuckshop serves up the best-tasting pho with change left over to sample the other delectable offerings, like their infamous Banh Mi or the food of the moment, Rice Paper Rolls.
Where: 1/45 Taree Street, Burleigh Heads

Words by Bianca Trathen.

For all of those out there partial to a slurp-provoking bowl of ramen, you’ll know that when it’s good, it’s good — and when it’s really good, it’s really good. But where does the difference lie?

Scott Gault and Katie Shortland were much like any other Australian couple who visited Japan over a decade ago; they fell for the enigmatic and beguiling culture in a heartbeat. And most integral to this allure is, of course, the food.

After a chance encounter with a Japanese businessman at a bar in Tokyo’s Golden Gai suburb, the couple returned to Sydney with an invaluable connection and an open door into one of Japan’s greatest Ramen dynasties.

What followed were countless trips to Japan for Scott to hone his understanding and knowledge of this cuisine, training under masters of the ramen art.

Nonetheless, fast forward a few years. The pair have now opened four of Sydney’s best-known Ramen establishments with locations including Randwick and Redfern and plant-based Lonely Mouth in Eveleigh and Tsukemen Bar, RaRa Chan in Newtown.

A chance visit to Burleigh Heads last year meant Scott — a Brisbane-born ex-pat with sentimental connection to the suburb — laid eyes on the perfect space. And the rest — as they say — is history.

As of now, we have our own RaRa Ramen, having just opened in Burleigh’s vibrant backstreet scene!

The space is reminiscent of an emerald bamboo forest; with moody dimness drawing you in with curves and lines that will have you captivated from entering to the moment you leave. You have options of modest bench/chair table seating, high table vantage points and a bar where you can bow your head and gulp back deliciousness to your heart’s content.

The five pillars of ramen are broth, noodles, oil, seasoning, and toppings. And much like a house of cards, if you skimp in one of these, expect the whole thing to suffer!

Fortunately, these guys have all five rightly squared away as they hand-make their noodles, and only the highest quality free-range components make the grade.

So, what is there to devour?

A staple menu of ramen with their house Tonkotsu being the main attraction, not forgetting to mention the addition of vegan dishes such as the Vegan Soy Shio: complex flavours of grilled tomato and seasoned bamboo all served on a bed of Hakata handmade vegan noodles.

You’ll also find yourself armed with a reasonable number of options to tailor and modify your bowl to your liking: extra toppings and spicing things up, after all, are your prerogative!

A handful of snack items means you can sit at the bar and graze on simpler things like beautifully crafted Pork Gyoza and Chicken Karaage that you just simply must try — the crunch level is out of this world.

For drinks, the bar is looking to please those with a cocktail leaning with some cool and creative sours and highball-esque drinks to bolster an already sexy-looking selection of natural wine and fine-looking beers. Watch this space.

Presently the venue is open Friday — Sunday and wrapping things up early at 9pm. But fear not, this isn’t set to last. In the next couple of weeks, RaRa Ramen will fully develop its position as a cocktail bar after hours with adequate nibbles: textbook behaviour for those who like a post-dinner bite from time to time. Guilty as charged!

Are you feeling withdrawals from being unable to visit Japan? We say don your cold-weather gear and head to this tucked away haven of Japanese tastiness — and slurp like nobody is watching!

Where: 21a/50 James St, Burleigh Heads
Hours: Fri — Sun, 12pm-9pm (will increase soon)

Words by Alex Mitcheson.