Overview
Ramen is not an easy dish to make. The broth alone can take a dozen hours to simmer down to flavoursome perfection and recipes are jealously guarded by ramen masters. So when a new ramen joint opens, there's always a collective intake of breath. How will it fare? Will it live up to competition? Please god, let them serve tonkotsu. This drama is also as delicious as the ramen itself which is why we’re so overwhelmingly excited by Surry Hills newest noodle bar, Salaryman which will open its doors next week.
Salaryman (A+ name there, guys) is a reference to the punch-in-punch-out hordes of white collar workers that modern day Tokyo is famous for. They’re efficient in everything they do, including smashing down a bowl of ramen at a high bench noodle bar after a 16-hour workday, but somehow we doubt you’ll find anything mass-produced or impersonal here. The venue is the passion project of Stephen Seckold, executive chef of Flying Fish, and his 18 years in the industry and expertise with seafood stands him in good stead to meet our lofty ramen standards.
Salaryman will serve seasonal broths, misos fermented in-house and specialty ramen with a focus on crustacea and pork. Alongside the ramen will be a fluid izakaya-style menu with small share dishes like chicken wings stuffed with sea plant butter, smoked albacore with gooseberries and takoyaki (those tasty, tasty batter balls stuffed with octopus and sauced to the hilt). Plus, Salaryman will open as BYO until the liquor licence is finalised in early December.
To complete the experience, Salaryman features a cute little takeaway window for taiyaki, which sound similar to takoyaki, but are actually sweet fish-shaped cakes made from pancake or waffle batter and stuffed with custard or red bean paste. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. Is it too early to start lining up now?
Find Salaryman at 52-54 Albion Street, Surry Hills from next week.