Located in one of the last places you’d expect to find it in the 2nd’s forgotten Vorgartenmarkt, this little ramen bar is serving up fatty pork soups that taste authentically Japanese, and fusion ramen dishes that are inspiring some serious slurping.
Every bowl of steaming ramen that comes out of the open kitchen pays respectful testament to the Japanese tradition of the noodle soup ramen at the Mochi Ramen bar.
It’s set up like a traditional ramenya, with it’s long bar crowded with stools, running along the open kitchen. And when sitting at one of those stools, if you look left and right, you’ll see right into an old butchers on one side, and a fish shop out of the 50ies on the other, and then you’ll probably smirk like we did at the realisation how out of place Mochi’s new ramen bar really is here at the old Viennese market square.The Mochi crowd, who began some kind of genetically modified sushi bar (meaning the place is a fusion of a German Kneipe and a sushi bar), have always been big on presentation, and they do not disappoint with their version of the Ramen. Each bowl showcases it’s own look.
The most traditional of the the ramen on the menu, the Tonkotsu, is a murky light brown bowl of tasty pork-based broth, set off with bursts of colour from spring onions, a lettuce leaf, and bits of corn bobbing about. The soup is also served with a generous helping of impossibly tender braised pork, a boiled egg – and, of course, ramen noodles. The strands (made by Mochi) are superior to many a noodle strand we’ve slurped at before. The vegetarian variety, the Mushroom Miso Ramen, is full of flavour and flair. Layered and arranged in a way that makes it a pleasure to eat, we couldn’t get over the overwhelming taste of the Shitaki mushroom-infused broth. Whatever ramen you choose though, you’ll be glad the spoon is bigger than your mouth.
Check out our full review of Mochi Ramen bar, here.
We recommend… being adventurous and trying one of the many Sakes on the menu
We love… the interesting drinks menu, which includes a number of wines we’d never heard of (which is a good sign) and a few craft beers
