Mensho Tokyo Ramen Melbourne (DANDENONG)

Had high expectations for this place and was my first time visiting since it opened. We waited about 30ish minutes for lunch on a PH which was okay. They have upstairs seating but the vibe is completely different (in a not good way) from that of the ground level. It’s quite cramped upstairs as well (x2 tables of 4, x1 table of 2, and two bar style areas fitting 10 ppl). We placed our order via the QR code although there was an additional card surcharge (on top of the 15% PH surcharge) even though they don’t accept cash? We ordered the Shoyu ramen w/ egg ($31), the Toripaitan Ramen w/ egg and Karaage (~43 for the two items). The ramen tasted good and can’t go wrong with the Karaage (although unsure why the eggplant is part of the dish). My disappointment was after I started eating the Shoyu ramen, I realised my pork chashu was missing. I notified the staff and showed a pic taken at the start, and they said they mistakenly made the Vegan version. They offered to either remake or refund, but I was okay with just getting the pork on the side in this instance (probably should’ve gotten the refund tbh). Service was also quite mid for the price point, they don’t know who ordered what ramen (even though each table has its own # / code) and first brought me someone else’s order and was quite adamant that was my ramen, until I showed the email receipt. There was quite a long wait between when my ramen arrived and my friend’s, easily ~15mins (this happened to the table next to us too, by the time the girl got her ramen, the guy was at least halfway through finishing his). You would think to increase turnover when they don’t take reservations, they would ensure everyone at the table is served at the same time. Overall, the food was good, but the service and ambience and everything else really takes away from the experience and I believe there are similar and possibly better ramen places to go to in Melbourne.

Overall, the experience was okay. The sushi and corn were actually quite good — probably the highlights of the meal. The ramen was a bit too greasy for my taste, and I think it would’ve been better with a refreshing side dish. We ordered a soft-boiled egg, which was forgotten at first, but they did bring it later — the service was alright. One downside: they don’t accept cash, and there’s a card surcharge that wasn’t mentioned upfront. It felt a bit inconvenient and not very customer-friendly.

I did not have to queue on a Thu around 1.30pm. Beware that the seatings next to the noodle bar (table 1, 2 3 at least) would be very warm. I ordered the spicy toripaitan ramen which was quite nice. The broth was rich, with a hint of oil drizzled on top (that resembled olive oil strangely). Noodles were the thick curly chewy type, al dente. The spice was not a lot (personally i prefer more of a kick). $25 for that bowl, a couple slices of really thin meat and some handful of ground mince meat. Also had the fried mushroom for $10, nicely seasoned. I tipped the spicy salt into my ramen for the extra kick. Will be back when there is no queue. Service was just ok i feel, could be a lot better with more 'please' and 'thank you' rather than 'wait outside'. Some people won't appreciate being talked to like that.