Try hard-to-find flavors made with homemade toppings at affordable Japanese cafe Happy Ramen Express.
Happy Ramen Express has brought the flavours of Japan's popular DIY instant ramen joint to Cabramatta and has become a huge hit with students, families and TikTok.
The family-run business became a social media sensation shortly after it opened in mid-May, racking up more than 130,000 views on TikTok, with creators raving about the experience's immersive travel experiences to Japan and Korea.
Artisanal instant ramen shops have been around in Japan since at least 2014, and have started popping up more frequently in the United States and Australia over the past year.
The concept is simple: At Happy Ramen, customers choose from around 50 varieties of packaged instant ramen (from Japan, China, Korea and Thailand), then choose from toppings such as fish balls, rice cakes and vegetables that are available in the fridge (and prepared in an off-site kitchen).
Once you've paid, you place the noodles into an aluminum-lined cardboard bowl and boil them, then pour in just the right amount of water and use an induction cooker pre-programmed to heat the bowl until the ramen is perfectly cooked.
“Our goal was just to open a place where people could enjoy the feed at an affordable price, so we didn't expect it to become such a big hit on TikTok.”
Han Lee, co-owner of Happy Ramen Express
The key is affordability: An entire meal (including noodles, toppings, snacks, and drink) is under $20, but you can also order a bowl for under $5. From 1pm to 4pm Monday through Wednesday, students in uniform can order the whole thing for under $12.
“Our goal was just to open a place where people could eat at an affordable price, so we never expected it to become so popular on TikTok,” said Han Li, a former chef who runs Happy Ramen with her husband, James Lee.
“We prepared a week's supply before we opened, but it was all gone by the second day. We had a hard time keeping up with demand.”
Happy Ramen's selection of instant dried noodles and soup-based noodles includes popular brands such as Buldak (with flavours such as Habanero Lime, Double Spicy and Hot Chicken Curry), Shin Ramen, Pho Noodles and Sau Tao, all of which are halal.
Customers can freely combine ramen packets to create their own “recipe.”
“The strangest combination I saw was when a customer mixed black bean noodles with tom yum soup and topped it with cheese and corn,” Lee said.
“I was looking at him and he was like, ‘No, just try it, it’s awesome!’ He was so confident, it piqued my interest.
“It was… not the best.”
Ms Lee says her inspiration to open Happy Ramen came from her eldest daughter, 11-year-old BellaVee Lee, who loves to cook. She says instant ramen is an easy and relatively safe way for children to start cooking.
Happy Ramen's prices, descriptions and buttons are intentionally simple and kid-friendly, and the cafeteria-style tables (set out with condiments and containers of freshly chopped coriander and scallions) fill with students during the after-school rush hour.
“It's comfort food,” Lee says.
“No matter where you are in the world, people love instant noodles because they are affordable and convenient.”
Open Monday to Wednesday 12pm – 11pm Thursday – Sunday 12pm – 12am.
263 Cabramatta Road W, Cabramatta, instagram.com/happyramenxp
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