Ajisen Ramen

Seems I am on a good run with ramen places this week. :) Ajisen is very good for a chain, having friendly service, affordable prices and delicious food. I ordered the pork belly ramen with a rich broth, large serving of egg noodles, cabbage, seaweed, green onion and an egg. Most ramen bowls are $ 12 and will completely fill you up. No need to order extra toppings. They have an ample menu to choose from with donburi and bento box options as well. The restaurant is spacious and would be good for small groups and kids.

Waiting staff are very accommodating, friendly and efficient when it comes to food. I ordered the salmon bento without the dumplings and they substituted it with gyoza which was nice of them.
The only downfall was that the tomato on my salad had mould on it so not much attention to detail as the dressing almost covered the mould. Still paid full price, when I advised this to the waitress she apologised but unsure wether she understood.

Not a bad lunch spot and a good deal.
Lunch boxes are your best go to, for about $ 11-​$ 14 for an old school Japanese style meal where you get your rice and protein of choice, a bitof salad and side dish (usually some dumplings, tofu, or lotus roots chips)
Alternatively you can get a rice bowl with good selection from grilled salmon, teriyaki chicken, eels and Japanese curries.
The ramen is also good value, most comes with soft boiled egg but the soft shell crab has deep fried scrambled egg. Tasty soup and great choices
We’ve had the chicken katsu lunch box, soft shell crab ramen and chicken karaage bento box.
Even though this is not a high end fine dining restaurant, it’s a nice friendly yummy lunch spot that can be casual with a touch of posh.

Interesting Japanese discovery. Will indeed comeback to try out the other ramen flavours.

I’m a regular at Ajisen. I’ve been coming here for years and years — and the menu just keep getting better!
That said, I believe that Ajisen is now serves the BEST Gyu Tan Don in Melbourne.
Gyu Tan Don is thinly shaved, spicy ox tongue over rice and it is AMAZING.
The G.T.D. here is excellent, but make sure you specify how much chilli you like, as it’s a fine line between pleasure and pain, and Ajisen loads up the chilli on this one!
A new feature is the membership cards — The system converts 10% of your bill onto a membership card for future purchases (You spend $ 30, you get $ 3 on the card). No joining fee — how awesome it that?!
Ajisen are also licensed for beer, wine and sake — and the prices are reasonable too. They’ve also added a lovely yuzu lemonade — and it’s really tasty. Kind of like lemonade with marmalade on the bottom, in a very good way.
And they have a bathroom, which is handy!
The service is usually quiet quick, even when busy, and meals often come out within a few minutes of each other if you are dinning in a group.
The staff are helpful and friendly, sometimes their English isn’t perfect, but you have a clear menu and the staff have little electronic ordering devices, so I’ve never had a problem ordering.
Honestly, this place is fabulous. I’ve been coming here for years, and when I travelled to Singapore, I found an Ajisen and immediately ate there. I eat here regularly, and am very comfortable with the lovely atmosphere and gentle, friendly staff. I like their greeting as you enter, and I like the chilli oils and garlic powders on the tables. I’m very fond of this place… And I have nothing but good things to say about it.
My only option is to say FULL STARS because why else would I come back so often?

It’s a chain shop so I don’t expect much but their broth is really good. It’s not really healthy to drink to much of the broth but it’s really delicious and I couldn’t help myself.
I love the extensive menu and variety of entrees and sides. The edamame wasn’t that great. It came out warm but the texture was lacking. Like the beans just really weren’t very fresh. I had the plain ramen which was perfect for me on that particular day. I contemplated getting gyoza but I’m glad I didn’t because I couldn’t really finish the edamame.
The noodles always leave something to be desired and the staff aren’t really very generous with the water, but Ajisen is enough to satisfy a ramen craving.

Went here one night with some friends for dinner — and it has nothing on ramen served in regular Japanese places, or Little Ramen Bar.
The ramen noodles that were used were thin, almost like mi goreng. It was also sparse in flavour, serving size and toppings for that price.

This is another favourite CBD haunt of mine. Perfect for a cheeky, I can’t be bothered with dinner, meal. My main of choice is the katsu kare. Whilst I wouldn’t consider myself a learned sensei, I have had my fair share of these bad boys both in Melbourne and Japan. This is the real deal. The golden crumbed slices of deep fried pork doused in curry sauce and the odd potato and carrot chunks get me salivating every time. At $ 13 it is great value too. I usually perch myself on the window seat stool at the Bourke street store. Wave if you seem me sitting there like the cat who got the cream!

I’m giving this an easy 4 stars. Reasonably priced (by American standards) and great service! On the first visit we went in 5 minutes before closing and they were still happy to serve us! I NEVER do that since it’s kind of a dick move but damn we were hungry. The last two visits I got the Buta Don. Tasty… as…shit! (the good shit)

Went in on a brisk autumn weeknight for a big bowl of ramen and some gyoza.
The paiku ramen was above average — the broth was tasty and the toppings generous but I wasn’t sold on the noodles and the just-​too-​gelatinous rib meat (but that might just be down to personal taste).
The gyoza were just okay. They didn’t blow my mind in terms of flavour and were quite chewy. We also ordered the tori karaage which was not memorable and not the best I’ve had in Melbourne.
Don’t get me wrong — I was all set to love Ajisen Ramen. The prices are very reasonable and the service is quick. They also have a significantly larger menu than most cheap Japanese places around the CBD. Then again, that might be why I wasn’t overwhelmed with my visit.

Ajisen Ramen’s menu is quite generous, offering great choices from entrée to noodle and dishes, Bento boxes and some vegetarian options as well.
I had the Beef Bento and I really liked the Gyoza that was included in there. You’d generally not find Gyoza in a Bento box so I always order them as an entrée. They’re awesome, I love them!
One of my friends had the Grilled Salmon Bento and she said it was really nice. It looked good as well.
I’ll definitely go back — The Ikayaki (Grilled Squid with Ponzu Sauce and Mayonnaise) looks seriously good as an entrée…

Per usual, I can’t write a review without relating it to NYC.
The reason I sought out Ajisen Ramen is because my friends from Unilocal NYC had the good taste to get dinner from Ippudo Ramen every so often. I had no idea that Ramen could be anything more than those cheap noodle packets you eat mainly during college/​uni. Needless to say after trying «real» raman I GOT THE HUNGER.
And then I left New York. Left the delicious ramen, but I could not leave The Hunger. It followed me through Sydney where I tried to fill the void with assorted thai soups. The Hunger remained.
It followed me to Melbourne where I tried to get my fill on cheap sushi handrolls. But try as I might, nothing could fill the void The Hunger left. I had to find Ramen. Real Ramen, Real Good Ramen.
Like a smart little Unilocaler, I didn’t have to look too hard. One quick Unilocal search told me to look no further than Ajisen Ramen. I collected coins all day long expecting high prices. (If a bowl of ramen can cost $ 20ish in NYC, I figured I should expect to pay at least that in Oz.)
BUT I WAS WRONG!
I rallied up some friends for en evening in the city, and we gave Ajisen a fair old try. My eyes bulged out of my head all cartoon-​like when I saw the average price of a bowl of ramen was $ 10-​$ 12. Holy cow, I’ll take 2!
«That’s all fine and well, Ike, but did the quality suffer at such a low price?»
Heck no, friends! That ramen was everything I had hoped for. Chock full of noods, veg, fried tofu (you can get meat too, i just love tofu.) swarming and swimming in a warm, flavourfull broth.
Well, let’s just say that I’ve been so pleased that I have been back multiple times to get take away ramen. Yes. Take away ramen. Go! Get some.

hmm, the new year brings a new menu and new prices.
The ramen set A and set B are now gone, replaced by other set menu dishes. Ramen seemed to be same price however not as good value as set A and set B previously.
I tried a teriyaki chicken set lunch and my friend, a chargrilled beef set lunch.
Consisted of meat dish described as well as green tea, bowl of rice, salad and a miso soup.
Rice was a bit old and dry, my chicken was a bit gristly. Wouldn’t do it again.
A shame, really.

Tasty soup base and great interior, but the few times I’ve been, they really skimp on the ingredients. For example the seafood ramen had 1 prawn, 1 – 2 pieces of squid etc. It’s not really worth the $ 11 you pay for it.
Overall not too bad, but if you have a decent appetite you’ll have to order more than just a bowl of ramen as the portion is not the biggest. Otherwise, tastes pretty good.

There’s nothing wrong with Ajisen… as other reviewers will tell you, their gyoza is tasty and their soup broth is flavoursome. Really though, what I went here for was their ramen. And it’s nothing to write home about.
If you’re looking for ramen, there are a bunch of better places. If you just need something relatively cheap to sustain you and you’re right outside, hey… don’t let me stop you.

A great locale at Bourke Street as you are heading away from Bourke Street Mall and towards Melbourne’s Parliament House. If you want quality, fairly cheap and authentic Japanese food; then come here. Also I love it when the staff welcome you in Japanese here; like a small chorous; yet your not entering a sushi train.
Quick and prompt service which is already a massive tick of approval in my eyes. Great for lunch any day of the week. Quite a casual setting, and if you don’t mind sitting on the traditional dark brown wooden seats with tables to match; even better. The Asian Fusion is coming alive.
A hot green tea comes to my table in no time, although the tea bag was almost as large as the cute cup which the tea was served in which was a little off putting. Not the best green tea I have had at a Japanese restaurant, although still enjoys that beautiful authentic taste.
My salmon sashimi was elegantly simple but divine, and so well presented in a circular motion. Have never come across sashimi presented so beautifully; normally it is stacked on top of each other; or side by side; not like a little sashimi cake. I was impressed.

The reason I think Ajisen is worth mentioning is because their soup broth is damn good. Many people may dismiss this place, but it’s honestly worth a try. Ok, not all the ramen stocks are great, some are quite light in flavour or a tad salty, but the paiku broth is spot on. Though I’m not a huge fan of the gelatinous bones in the meat. «What a sell out», you say. «Anyone who likes ramen for a chain store doesn’t know what they’re talking about.» Hey, this is a big deal. It’s so hard to find ramen that comes anywhere close to the stuff in Japan. Frankly I don’t care who makes it, hell, let Maccas start making the McRamen and if it tastes great, I’ll be the first one in line. I know many people out there won’t agree with my Ajisen review. But all I can say is, taste is subjective and if you think you’ve found a better ramen place, then cool. Why don’t you let me know and we can compare notes?

Check out the menu! It has a great variety of ramen, donburi, bento, and a few other things. Chances are, if you like any sort of Japanese food you will probably find something you like. I ordered the Chargrilled Beef Ramen, my friend Chasyu Ramen, and we shared a plate of Gyoza.
The Gyoza was pretty good (they’re pan-​fried dumplings for those who aren’t familiar with Japanese food) and are a must-​have appetizer and staple dish! I recommend ordering it, especially if you’re with someone who isn’t really familiar with Asian dishes because it’s a difficult food to dislike.
The Chargrilled Beef Ramen was alright, it could’ve been better though. I was expecting bigger meat pieces, but they were cut up really small and didn’t look much like the picture. It was still good though. However, I noticed that my meal didn’t have much ramen in comparison to my friend’s Chasyu Ramen. They should probably have a better system of standardising how much ramen goes into each bowl because I wasn’t filled up at all from my meal (and I don’t need to eat that much either).
The restaurant is clean, spacious, and the ramen comes out at a reasonable time. Overall, I would say that I’m a fan of this spot and would definitely come here again. They have a wide variety of delicious-​sounding meals that I would be really keen to try (and all at decent prices too) and everything was pretty good quality.
Things they could improve on:
~ Standardising how much ramen goes in a bowl.
~ Maybe friendlier customer service. It wasn’t bad or anything but friendly service could never hurt.
~ Bigger beef portions on that Chargrilled Beef Ramen! Or at least changing what the picture looks like.