Raramen

Ok, so it’s my second time here. The first time I came with a mate as I’d never tried the ‘dumpling thing’ before.
In his words, if you go to an Asian place and there are no Asians eating there, don’t go. Well this place has a nice mixture of both.
Extremely casual and very affordable, the variety of dumplings and other asian savory ‘snack’ foods is excellent.
They have free slushies, however in the heat and because it’s free, often the coldness of the slushie leaves a lot to be desired. Would’ve given 5stars to this view but because of this will only give four.
However, definitely recommend Raramen for that quick meal before a movie.

Raramen aka bobs kitchen is a great cheap feed! I mean for 15 dumplings you’re paying $ 7 – 8 and that will more than suffice most peoples hunger.
For me I go there for a whole heap of dumplings, it awesome to go with some mates and share 4 – 5 plates of dumplings and experience a whole heap of different flavours. It’s all about value for money you can’t go in expecting 5 star dining but they have hit their target market perfectly. I would recommend it highly to anyone that wants a good serve of dumplings or noodles.
I think they have capped it off perfectly by offering free slurpees, and having service that is super quick. It just means by the time you fill up your slurpee and get a table you barely have a wait at all!
As I have known it Bobs kitchen is the one of the shining lights on kingsway.

This is the worst place I have ever been to
Service is bad — no manners or English
Dumplings were ordinary
Diners beware

DUMPLINGS are a must when you visit Raramen.
This place used to be called Bob’s Kitchen however went through a renovation and is now part of the Raramen franchise.
*Cash only
–You can buy frozen dumplings here to take home which is very handy on a lazy day
–Free slurpees and tea are provided
–Don’t expect fancy service
–The service downstairs is more efficient than upstairs
–If you have a friend who speaks mandarin bring them along! If you get stuck with a language barrier it is very handy
MUST HAVES:
–Vegetarian steamed dumplings: they are green but oh so delicious
–Fried beef dumplings
–Pork and prawn steamed dumplings
–Singapore noodles
–Beef noodle soup

Dumpling, dumplings dumplings. Yum Yum Yum. Dumplings, yum, Dumplings, YUM, DUMPLINGS DUMPLINGS DUMPINGS, YUM YUM YUM.
This is a group favourite, because dumplings and plentiful at that. Top it off that it’s cheap as. To the point we fed a small army for about $ 12 each and we rolled down the stairs and out the door.
Being children trapped in grown up bodies, we all love the free slurpee and make a couple of hits to the machine.
On the other side, BYO, bring beer as you get hit for $ 2 per person for corkage and they don’t seem to wash their glasses well. Besides beer is so good with dumplings.
Service from the staff is underwhelming, but when you are paying absolutely nothing for a massive meal, I’m not expecting much.
Run in, eat and food coma.

Raramen has been a family favorite and will forever remain as a family favorite. It is a humble store. It is a store where you cannot expect extravagant service or restaurant ambiance but the ultimate trade off is amazing food and amazing prices.
The dumplings at Raramen is beyond comprehension. I haven’t found any store which serves dumplings quite like this restaurant. The texture, consistency and taste are all always perfect that it makes all the other dumpling places seem mediocre.
The prices is also unfathomable. From other stores you can expect to pay $ 6 for a place of 4 – 5 dumplings. At Raramen you pay $ 8 for a plate of 12. Not 12 skimpy, terrible quality dumplings, but 12 fat and tasty dumplings. Mind you, they also add the option of steamed or fried. They truly cater for the health conscious (;
Now in all of these positives, there must be a trade off. Indeed there is, and that would be the service. The service in Raramen is adequate. It is not terrible nor is it a 5 star dining experience. You’d need to acquire your own plates from the cupboards and the sauces and condiments are communal in some circumstances.
Overall, Raramen is a 5 star food experience. It is not ‘perfect’ but the quality of food plus the prices minus the adequate service still equals to amazing. If you’re a dumpling person and are wanting the taste ride or your life then head over to Raramen and taste it for yourself.

Lots of varieties here at reasonable prices, but overall the taste is just average. Chilli oil dumplings 红油水饺汤 & Shanghai fried noodles 上海粗炒面 are acceptable, but the little dumplings 小笼包 are dry & tasteless.
Upstairs sitting is spacious and good for larger groups. Kids will appreciate the free slushie, though I find it too watery. Service is surprisingly fast even during busy times.

RaRamen’s food is pretty good. We regularly order their steamed vegetarian dumplings, spicy cucumber, Spinach with peanut sauce and Chinese Broccoli with Oyster sauce. One aspect of Raramen that is annoying is that they don’t accept anything other than cash. Also, they are closed on Monday’s.

Great place for your fix of oily trashy Asian dumplings. Came to get my fix but shouldn’t have been surprised at the lack of service.

No no no no. Whole lotta nope. Shocking service, shocking mains, self serve drinks. I’ve eaten at some dives before but this is one of the worst.

Was in the area for a work trip down to Australia and my hotel was a few blocks from this place. I’d been told that I absolutely must visit the Chinatown restaurants in Melbourne proper, but since I didn’t get to do that, I figured this was a good alternative.
Wow. Had the twice cooked pork soup with the handmade noodles. Amazing. Fresh ingredients and amazing flavor. Also asked the waitress what the best dumplings were and was recommended the pork dumplings. Again… wow. My only regret is not being able to sample more of the menu. I was there only once and have on occasion had cravings for that soup and dumplings. Unfortunately I live in California and can’t justify the 15 hour flight… or can I?

Self serve tea and slushy. Definitely different. Service wasn’t too bad. The food was pretty incredible apart from the chicken and prawn dumplings which have you regurgitating egg for about 2 hours after you’ve eaten. You have to get your own bowls and tea cups too. I did find that strange as many of the other quick dumpling places did all of that for you. On a positive note though, the food is super quick. It literally comes out about 3 minutes after you’ve ordered it.

aww, YUM. husband & i always get the same thing, chicken & prawn dumplings and shanghai fried noodles to share. i’ll get a (free!) slurpee and he has the tea. it is so cheap and tasty, a perfect mid week dinner.
you can watch someone in the kitchen making the noodles. the service is a bit patchy, but it’s generally fast. you’ll most likely sit next to some random strangers while trying to shove delicious hot noodles in your mouth.

Bob’s Kitchen
This place is very popular. If you come right at dinner time there’s almost always a wait (not long though).
Everyone’s here for the same reason, dumplings! These people make incredibly delicious ‘fried pork dumping’s’.
It’s the way they fry it, it’s the way the mince tastes, it’s the dumpling skin they use. You would be silly to come here and not order the dumplings.
This aside, their shanghai fried noodles also go down a treat. Thick noodles covered in a dark soy sauce with bits of pork and veg. This place is so popular for good reason.
It’s a plain room, with plain ugly looking tables and chairs, no decorations except for pieces of paper on the wall with special menu items-​but who cares, your too busy scoffing your face.
Their prices are pretty good, they’ve gone up a bit since they opened-​but you’d still pay it.
Table service can be slow and hard to get at times due to the amount of people in store, but food arrives relatively prompt. The atmosphere is also very loud, but not really lively. This is somewhere you go to get a cheap and very tasty and comforting meal.
I love coming here for the food. Remember! Fried pork dumplings… you wont regret it.

Previously known as Bob’s Kitchen (and still has that sign age up under the new Raramen sign age), this place is a great option for a fast, cheap meal. In Kingsway, it can be difficult to get a park. Your best option may be the multi level car park opposite. The turnover of customers at Raramen is high. The place is constantly packed, and there may be 10 groups waiting to be seated, but you will be sitting at your table tucking in to your food in under 10 minutes.
The place has complimentary Chinese tea, and (wait for it!) free slurpees. Yes I know its odd for an Asian café to be pushing out the free slurpees, but I’m not complaining. I’m one of those people that always has the same thing when I come here. Shanghai fried noodles. Home made noodles fried with pork and veggies. You really can’t beat it.
Also nice is the chilli beef with rice. Though somewhere in the change of names the chilli beef isn’t quite as good as it used to be. Still worth the $ 9.50 though.

This place used to be known as Bob’s Kitchen. It has reinvented itself recently as Raramen, and there have been a few changes to the menu. Thankfully, the old classics are still there.
This place is permanently packed at mealtimes. I’m regularly amongst the throng that stand in line patiently waiting for a table. I’ve seen queues going down the street from the front door. Why? Because Bob’s Kitchen was extremely cheap, yet pretty good. It’s still cheap, it’s still pretty good, but yes, prices have gone up a little. Not heaps though, so it’s still an option if you’re low on cash but can’t face the kitchen to cook dinner.
My favourite is the special chilli beef on rice. Oh my god, is this dish hot. It almost hurts to eat, but I seriously can’t stop myself, it tastes that good. And it’s a great size of serving for $ 10. The pork dumplings have a pretty good reputation, too.
If you’ve never been, you have to go and experience it. It’s great. The service can be pretty slow, but it’s worth it.