Overview
That next Japan trip might be a little further off than anticipated, but there's nothing stopping you from diving into regular bowls of hot, aromatic ramen in the meantime. And new delivery service Gomi Boys Ramen is making it even easier to score a weekly fix of that Japanese soup...minus the cooking and kitchen clean-up.
Melbourne chefs Ryan Maher and Ben Reardon launched their ramen drop-off business back in June, delivering handmade, ready-to-heat soup kits to select suburbs each Thursday. They followed it with a couple of pop-ups at Thornbury bar Nasty's when restrictions eased, but are now back solely on delivery runs while the city's in lockdown 2.0.
The duo's ramen skills are the result of regular travels to Japan, while their business name is a reference to the Japanese word for rubbish or trash. "We are basically nodding to the fact that we are two white boys making ramen," explains Reardon. "Hence the tag line 'rubbish humans, excellent ramen'". And, with a couple hundred orders flowing in each week, it seems that last part rings especially true.
Michael Oulton
Currently on the Gomi Boys menu, you'll find eight ramen varieties, with plenty of vegan, gluten-free and allergen-friendly options among them. All kits feature a mix of top local produce and premium Japanese ingredients, with fresh handmade noodles, toppings, broth and seasonings ready to be heated and assembled in your kitchen. The boys' signature soup is a Shinjuku-inspired niboshi tonkotsu shio ramen, starring a pork and chicken broth elevated with anchovy and fish sauce. Or, you might fancy shaking things up with the szechuan-spiced cauliflower tantanmen, featuring a mushroom-based broth with tahini and gochujang.
Each kit clocks in at $19.45, with add-ons like pork belly chashu and extra noodles available for a few more dollars.
While they're on the hunt for a permanent space, Maher and Reardon are operating out of West Footscray, so the Gomi Boys delivery area currently covers a range of northern and western suburbs. Kits are dropped off between 2pm and 7pm on Thursdays only, but they can be kept in the fridge to be used within three days. Orders are taken through the website between 12pm each Friday and 8pm on Mondays — or until they've sold out.
Gomi Boys Ramen delivers to a range of suburbs each Thursday. Head to the website to check the delivery zone, see the menu and place an order (Friday to Monday). Delivery is free, but there's a minimum order of $38.
Images: Michael Oulton