Kokoro Ramen: 157 Lonsdale Street Melbourne

Let's be clear, ramen is definitely not high brow food. But it is certainly yummy and sometimes just what you need.

Kokoro Ramen is a student haven (the exact sort of people you would trust to pick out good ramen). It is cheap and fast and loud. They have a whole bunch of mix and match meal deals and design your own ramen options, along with chef selections. The noodles are homemade and so is the gyoza but... they make it once a week and then freeze it. You can kind of tell. I would still recommend it as the broth is delicious, so rich and warming.

Fussy eaters do need to be careful though. The tofu salad comes with a creamy sauce that contains egg, as do a good number of the onigiri. The vegetarian ramen is advertised as having a vegan broth but I asked what is in it and they mentioned butter (random). The vegan ramen also contains egg noodles - you can go without but you need to specify thin noodles not curly noodles. I have had the vegan broth twice and it tasted completely different each time. The second time I spent the afternoon coughing, clearing my throat and feeling as though I was wading through concrete. I recommend you check and double check your order. When you do they generally call over someone that speaks better English and you shouldn't have any problems (no guarantees). The pork broth is the best.

Things they do well: Agedashi tofu

Tempura

Edamame

Miso soup

Ramen soup

meal deals

Bring cash and enjoy Two ticks

 meal deal sized ramen, gyoza & onigiri