Ichicban boshi bondi junction

Ichiban's 'flagship' store of 15 years in Bondi Junction is no more. As we discovered this evening, Ichiban Boshi has taken up residence in the Bondi Junction outdoor mall. And I can't help but feel a little disappointed.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Ichiban Boshi with all my heart.

However, it no longer inhabits the delightfully dingy and worn-in space, where you get to walk through the kitchen and up the precariously narrow staircase to sit upstairs or jostle for a position at the bar. Instead, it has been replaced by a clean, almost spartan space across the way from Oporto et al in (do it in an American accent) 'the mall'.

Check out the soviet-esque art on the wall. Perhaps they have requisitioned the props from the latest Stolichnaya Vodka advertisement and canvas-mounted it...

It may garner more foot traffic now, but in my opinion, whilst Ichiban will still do some of the best ramen in Sydney, it seems to have lost a little of that special (aged and dirty) gloss that made it such a perfect little hole in the wall to dine in.

R.I.P old shop.

On another note - there isn't much left of summer so order the Hiyashi Chuka whilst you still can. I like to think of it as a Japanese take on a ham, mayo, cucumber and egg sandwich - deconstructed. Oishi!