“Crocodile what-what?” Tuulikki asks when I tell her the odd name of the restaurant we plan to eat at. It takes her a few goes to get the name right and even then, I’m certain she’s not convinced. But from the number of seated patrons enjoying meals, we aren’t the only ones to have noticed this oddly crocodiled theme Thai restaurant on a strip of town bursting with eateries. The decor is full of dark brown wooden tables, square stools, large sprays of tiger lilies, delicate spun straw orbed lights and …crocodiles. Everywhere. And in every incarnation you could possibly think of. Even our waitress takes our order using a Crocodile pen. We don’t know what crocodiles have to do with Thailand but they have an awful lot to do with this place.

A quick glance of the menu shows that prices are rather low, from $8.50-$12.00 for the most part. There are 8 different varieties of Som Tum (Green Papaya salad) which I adore so I know I shall have to choose one of these. Apparently the difference in each is the topping which ranges from tiny mud crabs (which I’ve ordered) to grilled scampi, soft shell crab and deep fried salmon. I had also read that the BBQ pork with rice although dull sounding, was good. And of course the crocodile chef on the menu just beckons you to order the Noodles Senior style where you choose the type of noodle (hokkien, egg, rice) then choose the sauce (thai basil, chili, chinese, malay or cashew nut) and then choose the topping (tofu, veges, chicken, beef, pork, roast duck, prawn or seafood). We choose the thin rice noodles with malay peanut sauce with tofu.

Looking around at the signs, there are specials that are written in Thai only so there must be a fair amount of Thai patronage. And should you want to call friends in Bangkok, they have two clocks, one set on Sydney time and one set on Bangkok time. The music is pumping and loud, especially towards the middle and back of the restaurant and the plasma screens show Thai singers singing various pop and disco songs like “I Will Survive”.

Som Tum Pu (with small mud crabs) $8

Five minutes after we’ve ordered, our square plate of Som Tum Pu (with mud crab) arrives. Its a small but pungent dish. I personally love it but know that people are usually divided by it, only being swayed when being told how healthy it is. It is indeed tangy and pungent with fish sauce and packed with tiny dried prawns, shredded carrot and green papaya and very salty tiny black mud crabs. Some crab pieces are a little too big and when you’re trying to chew them, it takes a good crunching with your teeth of the larger pieces. The salad itself is good although I must admit I find Sailors Thai Canteen’s Som Tum better (and its not just because it comes with gorgeous caramelised BBQ pork sitting on top).

BBQ Pork with rice $8.50

Our BBQ pork with rice arrives next and its a huge plate with two types of BBQ pork. One the fatty belly pork crunchy and fried to a crisp, and another like thinly sliced Char Siu. The sauce coating the dish is unusual and strong with sweet cinnamon and star anise. I don’t know if I love it as much with the sauce. One of my greatest pleasures is eating Char Siu with plain rice. To me the sauce is too mysterious and a little unbalanced and almost powdery.

Noodle Senior: thin rice noodles with malay peanut sauce and tofu $9

Our Noodle Senior arrive last and its an impressive tangle of rice noodles. Its packed with coarsely ground peanut pieces and vegetables with three fat triangular chunks of deep fried tofu and stir fried egg. I didn’t expect to like this very much as I’ve found most satay noodles drowning in the sauce but this is subtle and nicely flavours giving the right hint of Malay satay sauce but not drowning or overpowering it. Its soft noodles and crunchy peanut and vegetables are perfectly seasoned and its easily the best dish of the night.

We’re stuffed by the end of our meal and still no wiser as to what Crocodiles have to do with Thailand!

Crocodile Senior Thai

768 George Street
Haymarket (opposite Marigold Citymark)
Sydney
+61 (02) 9211 6300
Cash only
No split bills
Open 7 days from 11.30am until 10pm

In the middle of nowhere really, sits a Japanese Ramen restaurant that if you happen to be driving past during lunchtime or dinnertime, you may find a queue of young Japanese people outside waiting for a table. We’d often wonder what was with this place as we drove past perplexed at the eager hordes standing outside. Apparently the only place in Sydney that serves real, Tokyo style ramen, Ryo’s noodles marches to the beat of its own taiko drummer. The tables are shared, you help yourself to water, they don’t take bookings, its cash only, there’s no takeaway menu to be had, yet it still works beautifully.

Tonight is our second visit and I have only one thing on my mind: Miso Bolognaise which I first read about on Grab Your Fork. It was the dish I ordered on my last visit and hoggingly kept to myself abandoning all pretense of sharing and breaking the sacred plate swapping routine with my husband. He wasn’t bothered, he was in love with the Ramen with prawn balls in a tangy pork stock soup. On the last visit, we retired to our separate corners of the table huddled protectively over our respective plate and devoured them like we hadn’t eaten in days.

However tonight, we’re on better behaviour as we have guests, Miss America and Queen Viv. Its 7.45pm and already there’s a small queue outside. As they do not take bookings, we have no choice but to join them and the owner lets us know that we may have a 30 minute wait. Luckily the food gods are looking favourably upon us and they seat our table of 4 within 5 minutes. Seated at the table towards the back we have a good view of the restaurant and when I look to my left I see some autographs from various Japanese sporting celebrities (I had to ask, I would be the last to know sporting celebrities, Japanese or not) but also a familiar looking signature, that of Iron Chef Hiroyuki Sakai who has a lovely abstract signature/drawing and who visited Ryo’s on the 15th of April 2005. We discuss this with the owner who says that he often gets Chinese politicians and celebrities but he largely has no idea who they are, preferring the sportspeople (his pride and joy being the signature of a Japanese kickboxer).

We ask him what’s good, and he suggests combining items number 2 (Ramen Noodles in a Soy Sauce Pork Soup $10) and 3 (Ramen Noodles in a Spicy hot Pork Soup $10) in a special order. Sounds good to me. We also order Tokyo style ramen ($9.50), Miso Bolognaise ($11), spicy deep fried chicken wings (3 for $4), rice ball with roast pork ($3.50, only 10 of these are made per day!) and, with Queen Viv’s urging of “Craaaaaab!”, the soft shell crab ($5).

A scant 5 minutes later and our large steaming bowls of noodles with stiff nori sheet sails arrive to a grateful and hungry mob. We are sharing tonight and have two bowls of the Combination 2&3 ramen and we dig into the noodles, depositing long noodles into our smaller bowls with spoonfuls of the scarlet tinged soup. The thin slices of BBQ Pork floating on top are soft and delicious with a ring of fat around one edge. The soup is fantastic, earthy and rich, full of the marrow from pork bones and slightly spicy. The noodles as always, are toothsome perfection, with the absolute correct texture.

The Tokyo Ramen has slices of BBQ pork on top too but the stock is a soy sauce based one and its lighter and less hearty but still flavoursome. The soy sauce boiled eggs are appropriated by an appreciated Miss America and my husband who adore them. I’m too busy with my favourite dish, the Miso Bolognaise.

I’ve never seen this dish at any other places and it deserves a special trip just to have this. Even if you’re not a huge fan of miso soup like me, this is gorgeously rich, the miso giving it the sauce a smoky mystery and not that overpowering saltiness that miso soup verges into. Miss America loves it but feels that she couldn’t eat a lot of it as its so rich. I disagree knowing full well that I ate a whole bowl of it to myself.

Our smaller dishes arrive as we’re slurping our noodles appreciatively. The soft shell crab is a whole small soft shell crab beautifully deep fried to a crisp. As I find with all crabs, it looks slightly peeved at us and I wait until Queen Viv pulls it apart before eating it.

The spicy chicken wings are good and there’s a resounding earth shattering crunch as we bite into them and a slightly spiciness. However the rest of the table seems more absorbed in the noodles to pay any attention to these.

The rice ball filled with Roast pork is still one of my favourites. Nothing flash or showy, its comforting snack food with deliciously roasted pork shards and sesame seeds sctattered throughout, not just in the centre. Its hard to portion up into 4 so everyone just helps themselves to a little bit in favour of the ramen so I take the rest of this delicious rice triangle.

Leaning back, patting our stomachs contentedly we marvel that for once, we haven’t over-ordered. Then spying the 6 people waiting inside and 5 outside, we make a quick exit, stage left.

Ryo’s Noodles

125 Falcon St
Crows Nest 2065 NSW
Phone: +61 (02) 9955 0225
Thu-Tue noon-2.30pm, 5pm-9.30pm
Cash only
No Bookings