I decided to go for some Ramen. I have been to Hakata Gensuke before but the one on Russell St and I decided to try the one on La Trobe St inside the QVC. This place has a long setup and there are tables on one side and on the other side is a bar where you can watch someone cook the ramen and in the middle is the kitchen. It was not as busy as the other branch but it could be because it is not as close to China town but also because they use Chicken broth here not Pork Broth.
God Fire
GENSUKE original creamy chicken and dashi broth with a secret blend of “Spicy Fire” topped with homemade noodles, tender chicken cha-shu, bamboo shoots and spring onions
You can choose how spicy you get the broth and I decided to go for three chillies out of four. I also went for normal texture noodles with normal saltiness and with spring onions. The noodles were nicely cooked and had a nice firm texture to them. The broth was really spicy and was really good. Also in the bowl was thin slices of chicken and some bamboo shoots, which were fantastic additions to the dish. Such a great bowl of ramen and I love the difference from the pork broth.
Chicken Karaage
Hakata Style Juicy Fried Chicken served with our secret spice
These are made differently compared to the other branch. The chicken is just presented as normal from a cut of chicken thigh compared to it rolled into a ball at the other Hakata. The chicken was nicely cooked and had a nice flavour to it. On the side, there is some five spice salt that you can dip your chicken in.
Gyoza
Hakata style bite-size chicken dump- lings, pan-fried and served with citrus pepper
This was alright but not my favourite gyoza of dumpling. The chicken filling was really nice and the skin was thin. However, I just did taste them maybe because I felt the skins needed to be cooked a bit longer and the skins be a bit crisper.
This place is not as busy as their counterpart on Russel Street. However, the service is still really good, the food comes out really fast and the food is still really good. You can also add extras to your bowls like an egg, seaweed and more ramen. I suppose the difference is if you want Pork Broth or Chicken Broth ramen. An advantage with this place is that they also have a happy hour deal for cheaper ramen in the afternoon.
Address: Constance Stone Lane, 200 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Website: Hakata Gensuke Tori
Trencherman's Travels 