I know this overseas trip was a while back but we had such great meals that I just couldn’t not publish these stories. Finding a restaurant in Tokyo is not an easy experience, the addresses make no sense in relation to street signs and the easiest thing to do is ask a passerby or if you happen to see a Police station (Koban) they’re best to ask. So when we emerge from Aoyama Itchome train station and have no idea where to go, the nearby friendly neighbourhood Police point out the way-of course they know Menya Musashi ramen. We follow their instructions to the ramen restaurant with the tell tale blue curtains and Japanese writing on the outside.

You know that you’re in a slightly different ramen restaurant when you walk in and hear reggae music playing and there’s a team of young cool tattooed guys at the helm whilst the patrons themselves are a range of ages. It’s full and there are 4 people waiting for a seat. As most ramen restaurants, they’re not a linger and savour kind of place, within a few minutes, everyone that was waiting is seated.

We however are standing in front of the vending machine looking confused. My very limited Japanese can only read a few things (in Katakana and Hiragana) so we do what we always do in this situation, either order what the person before us ordered or just press a random number. Ramen is between Y750-1200. We hand the tickets to the goateed guy behind the counter and he asks if we want the soup “Kotteri-aji” (thick or heavier) or “Assari-aji” (thin or simple). We choose thick as that seems to be what everyone else is ordering.

Examining the ramen for “doneness”

The show is definitely on the floor where one of the gumbooted guys carefully extracts one single strand of ramen, pulls on it gently and examines it carefully for “doneness” before inevitably putting it back in the pot. Once done, he takes out the basket of ramen from the boiling water and then shakes the excess water onto the floor with a deft flick onto the floor producing a clapping or slap sound several times until the ramen is ready.

Menma (bamboo shoots)

We receive the bamboo shoots first, simmered in a lightly sweet soy stock.

Ramen Y820

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**Please note South has now closed**

One of the disadvantages to foodblogging is the complete inability to go back to a place. No matter how much you’ve enjoyed your meal, there’s always somewhere else to go being that this is Sydney and there are more restaurants than you can poke a fork at. However after our first meal at South I had a craving for the ribs. An intense craving. I’d managed to procure one from Gina’s plate only to lust for more, not helped by South’s proximity to where we live. Every time we’d drive past it, I’d think of the ribs. So a return visit was scheduled, indeed it was scheduled with the same group of friends we originally went with as they were also hankering for a repeat. And I had my ribs, yes I did.

Leo, the chef and owner

The day we visit is also the day that South received a huge almost full page very positive review by Helen Grreenwood in the Sydney Morning Herald. So we’re lucky we’ve booked. Indeed many people show up without bookings to be told nicely that the tables are booked.

There are some must trys, obviously the finger licking, lip smackingly good ribs are to be ordered. In fact everyone bar Phillippe (who doesn’t share) and Hot Dog (who in a friendship-stretching gesture has taken up Phillippe’s non sharing cause with a difference-he won’t share his meal but he will partake in our meals) wants to share so that we can try as much as possible.

Hot Wings $16

We start with the Hot Wings, those vinegary deliciously sauce wings from last time. It’s something Hot Dog can’t go past and he reluctantly offers us some.

Crawfish Pie $15

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Trust me when I tell you that I am not a satanist. Nor that I am judging being a satanist, but as I am queasy at the sight of blood a future as a Satanist is not in my cards, nor is being a doctor (aversion to bodily fluids also cancels this out). But when my blogging buddy Christie and I drive past the Goat Meat restaurant on our way to the Harry’s Bar event, we squeal with excitement. A Goat Meat restaurant you say? Yes. One with drawings of goats frolicking outside? Yes. And just like that we cancel our dinner plans elsewhere and make a last minute decision to go Goat Meat.

In the restaurant there is another large table of people mid-meal. We ask to see the menu-just in case-just in case of what I am not sure. We are intrigued by the offerings so we sit down and ask the waitress for her recommendations. We’re not well versed in goat meat, both of us only having it in curries, so she recommends the grilled goat meat and the raw goat meat (stay with me, hold onto my hand, it’s not as scary as it sounds). There’s a page of more traditional (and non goat-ey) dishes and a page of the more bovine kind. The waitress asks us if it is our first time here and indeed it is and she smiles and says proudly that this is the only Goat Meat restaurant in Australia.

Salted Lemon juice and Salted Plum drink $3 each

We order some drinks, a Salted Lemon drink and a Salted Plum drink. We’re not sure what to expect but they’re actually quite delicious albeit quite salty. I don’t find them as thirst quenching as I’d like though but they are very flavoursome.

Grilled Goat Meat with rice vermicelli $18

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