Restaurant review: Canteen, by Ramen Daddy, is the perfect cocoon for lunch in Fyshwick

If Eric Carle was describing this story, he would probably describe us as a couple of hungry caterpillars, arriving on a Thursday lunch to a pretty full venue, which feels a whole lot more like Kyoto than Fyshwick. In fact, it feels like we have been searching for somewhere great to eat in Fyshwick for our whole lives.

The décor is timber, mostly recycled, the tables are heavy and the chairs are comfortable. The open kitchen looks out over a beautifully crafted 'wave' shaped bench for singles and doubles, with most of the parties dining today in pairs or triplets, including on the freshly planted bamboo garden deck. There is a larger space for groups within the adjoining main building and it looks like this place is well equipped to scale up and down as required.

We use the QR coded menu system to fast track a couple of beers to the tabletop; a Heaps Normal XPA ($8) and a Minoh Pale Ale from Osaka ($16). If you haven't tried Heaps Normal, it has taken the non-alcoholic drinks market by storm and it's widely rated best in category, with lovely hoppy aromas and a lemony zip to it. The Minoh is from just outside Osaka and is a thirst quenching classic pale ale style with a refreshing citrus aroma and punchy American hops.

We also QR our food order and I'm split in my mind as to how well this works. The venue saves on a staff wage or two, and there is no bill to pay at the end (or worries about split bills), but being asked by the app how much we would like to tip when we have just walked in the door takes some of the charm away from the experience. Having said that, this is Kyoto not Fyshwick, so we roll with it, without knowing that the service will indeed be very smooth.

On the first course, we shared a Mozza Sando - crumbed mozzarella katsu sando, barbecue, mayo ($15) and with eyes bigger than our quite standard sized heads, we experience a flavour explosion of pillowy-soft, thick white bread wrapped around voluptuous, melting mozzarella, with a tangy duet of sauces.

It makes me wonder why the common vernacular is to describe some Japanese food as a umami bomb? Could it equally be termed a 'umami grenade', such as this little pocket rocket, which would quite easily be enough to fill up a Fyshwick tradie for lunch?

But we were still hungry. On the second course, we shared a Chicken Katsu Sando ($16). This is a similar dish and the chicken has a lovely fine and delicate sandpaper like crunch on the outside but is succulent and juicy inside. The thick white bread makes it taste like summer has just arrived.

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Although it may be slightly greedy to down a couple of sambos before lunch, we were still hungry. On the third course, we went for a Hot Daddy - creamy chicken broth, house made rye noodles, spicy miso ($21) and we eat right through the middle of it.

There are essentially three components to ramen; the broth, the noodles and the toppings. This is what is termed as a Tori style ramen (paitan n Shoyu). The noodles are churned on site in the custom noodle room, processed in the house grain mill and made from Australian rye.

This ramen has a chicken based broth and a lovely creeping spice. The flavours are three dimensional and the noodles are supple and slurpish. The soy marinated egg is cooked to perfect texture with a lovely bean shoot crunch which cleanses the palate.

As we were still hungry, on the fourth course we had a Spicy Miso Pork Mazesoba - soupless ramen, house made rye noodles, spicy miso pork ($21). This is also a lovely dish and within the same genre as the previous one, sans broth. Great for people wearing a white shirt.

On the fifth and final course, we shared a crème caramel ($10). One thing that I particularly love about Japan is the influence of French bakery culture and this crème caramel is technically perfect. The flavour is carried by a slight bitterness in the burnt caramel, which walks a tightrope between the silky texture and the outrageous sweetness of the custard. It's the only dessert on the menu and we eat right through it like the fat little caterpillars that we now are!

We are no longer hungry when we leave this cocoon and after all of these courses, we will just be eating a shiso leaf the next day. But you don't have to eat this much to love Canteen. It's a brilliant spot for a quick lunch. And don't forget to leave a tip when you arrive.

Address: 3, 1 Dairy Rd, Fyshwick

Phone: 5105 0803

Website: eatcanteen.com.au

Hours: Wednesday to Sunday for lunch. Thursday to Saturday for dinner.

Chef: Regi Enriquez

Vegetarian: Some vegetarian options within the small menu.

Noise: Pretty good but quieter on the deck

Outdoor seating: Yes

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