Gumshara, 13 March 2010

Picture this: two guys dressed in suits and two girls in cocktail dresses (one in heels, the other sensibly changed into flats) walking through a food court full of people in Chinatown. The party of four avoid slippery floor surfaces and dodge people carrying trays of steaming hot food looking for seats in order to prevent dirtying their outfits. A few inquisitive looks are garnered here and there but, for the most part, people are too busy eating to care. It is past 3:30pm and the food court is still unusually full.

We are at Eating World Food Court, home of the famed collagen-rich ramen broth that is Gumshara. Each pot of broth is made from 120kg of fresh pork bones and water, and requires seven days of cooking to break down the marrow and tendons to release the collagen within. We have time to kill between a wedding ceremony and reception and haven’t had any lunch yet. The location is a slightly odd choice given our attire but we are all keen to try their ramen, especially Idol who lives outside of Sydney and who alerted me to this place to start with.

We start with some crispy-bottomed gyoza. The wrappers are thin and the dumplings are quite a long shape. I’m impressed with the juicy and plentiful contents with none of the loose gappiness when biting into some others.

By this late stage of the afternoon, Gumshara has sold out of its tonkotsu ramen so Idol and I both have the ‘Garlic tonkotsu ramen’ instead, to which I add a soft-centred egg for good measure. The soup is thick, rich, sticky and very warming. The ramen strands are coated individually by this soup and makes for a very filling meal. The pork slices are meltingly tender with their even striations of fat and turn out to be one of the lighter components of the meal. The garlic adds an earthy pungency and I love how there is a massive sheet of nori.

Monsieur Poisson goes for the ‘Tomato tonkotsu ramen’ which is swathed in a much thinner, tomato broth. The tangy tomato helps to cut through the rich collagen in the broth base and it is reassuring to see pulpy tomato pieces towards the bottom of the bowl. The pork is the same as in my bowl but there are a few pieces of baby bok choy to the side.

The soup really is as rich and gelatinous as people say and Gumshara definitely lives up to its reputation. What I was really surprised to find was how un-salty their soup base was. Don’t get me wrong, there is lots of concentrated flavour but just not the usual thirst-inducing saltiness associated with ramen from some other places. I actually slurped quite a few spoonfuls of both Monsieur Poisson’s and my soups, and that really is a refreshing change.

Gumshara

Shop 209, Lower Ground Level, Harbour Plaza, 25-29 Dixon St (Chinatown), Haymarket NSW

Tel: 0410 253 180

Opening Hours:  Mon  CLOSED

                        Tues-Sun  10am-10pm

happy eating!