Manpuku Neutral bay (HUNTER)

A rainy cold Sydney day, coming into Manpuku was a highlight of the week. We were instantly warmed by the genuine welcome from Ken. Food was awesome, beers were frosty and the house sake is ace. Recently moving into the area, Manpuku will definitely be our new local ramen joint.

I had a mixed experience at this restaurant. The food itself was quite good overall, but the long wait (about an hour) and a couple of service issues made it less enjoyable. The ramen was enjoyable in many ways. The pork and chicken were tender and flavourful, and the soft-boiled egg was cooked perfectly. The broth was well-balanced (nicely seasoned without being too salty). However, I found the noodles themselves lacked flavour, even though they had a good springy texture. Only two staff members were working during my visit, handling everything from cooking to cleaning and seating guests. They were clearly working hard, but it meant the service was slow. I ended up waiting around an hour for my meal, and personally I felt that the dining experience wasn’t quite worth such a long wait. The staff was polite and doing their best, but they were obviously stretched thin because there were so few people working. I had asked the waitress for no coriander in my ramen, and she acknowledged the request. Unfortunately, the dish still arrived with coriander sprinkled on top, likely due to the rush and oversight in the busy kitchen. Since I didn’t want to wait any longer for a correction, I simply removed the coriander myself and continued with my meal. Despite the long wait and the mix-up with my order, I still think this restaurant could be worth trying, depending on your expectations. The food quality was good enough that I might return when I have more time or if I visit during a less busy period. If you’re patient and go in understanding that service might be slow at peak times, you can still enjoy a tasty meal here.

A very small, cute little ramen restaurant. Highly recommend the signature ramen - beautiful rich creamy broth, great toppings including the meat and al dente noodles. We came here on a Friday night after 7pm and waited for a table for around 30min. When seated the food took a little bit of time to arrive as well. Overall worth the wait and we had some starters to nibble on. I‘d recommend this place!