Rina Miyata, owner and chef of Muku Ramen Bar, makes everything on the menu from scratch. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Muku Ramen Bar is running a pop-up Sunday brunch until the end of the year, bringing a mix of traditional Japanese breakfast foods and contemporary fusion dishes to the Scullin restaurant.
Chef and owner Rina Miyata makes everything from scratch at Muku, including ramen noodles, snacks, and now all the brunch baked goods and bread.
She told Region she’d always wanted to open a cafe, so running a brunch pop-up seemed like a fun way to try out brunch dishes on a day when the restaurant would otherwise be empty.
When putting together the menu, Rina wanted to balance traditional Japanese dishes with Western options.
“In Japan, we eat rice for breakfast, but Corey [Rina’s Australian partner] doesn’t. So I wanted to offer some Western dishes too, but still with Japanese flavours,” Rina explained.
“We eat onigiri [rice balls] any time of day: it’s a very traditional breakfast, but we also eat them for lunch or as a snack. They are a popular dish at any convenience store in Japan. I wasn’t sure if onigiri was too Japanese… but we sold out in the first week of our pop-up!”
The ‘aburi miso’ onigiri rice ball was a revelation. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
When I take my first bite of the aburi miso onigiri, I can see why: each grain of rice is perfectly fluffy and distinct, yet the ball is perfectly formed. The rice is slightly charred, the miso creates a sweet and salty glaze, and a perfect piece of pickle with a scattering of spring onion offers a refreshing garnish. Previous rice balls I’ve tasted have been underwhelming, but under Rina’s expert care, these simple ingredients are elevated to something divine.
Three different onigiri make up a complete meal, or choose the big Japanese breakfast, which offers teishoku (set meal) style dining with a mixed plate of miso soup, mushroom katsu, onigiri, salad and pickles.
I also tried the Japshuka: Rina’s version of the popular Middle-Eastern brunch dish shakshuka. Japanese nasu dengaku-style pieces of eggplant and sweet potato replace the eggs in the rich tomato base, which is perfect to mop up with pillowy soft, house-made bread.
Hokkaido buns are filled with cream, and Chef Rina is experimenting with different fillings. Photo: Muku Ramen Bar/Instagram.
The sweets menu is worth saving space for. I indulged in a melon pan: a brioche bun topped with crunchy cookie dough. The popular sweet is named for the melon shape of the pastry (rather than the flavour). Other sweets include a sweet potato mochi donut, and a Hokkaido cream bun. Perfect for washing down with a coffee or matcha frappe.
Like the rest of Muku’s menu, the dishes are all vegan, following the Japanese tradition of Shojin cuisine (also known as temple food).
Miso eggplant meets Middle Eastern tomato in this creative ‘Japshuka’ dish. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
The Sunday brunch pop-up will continue until the end of the year, with the Haru (Spring) menu changing as Natsu (Summer) ingredients come into season. Customers can expect different fillings in the Hokkaido buns, like citrusy yuzu curd or matcha custard, and rotating seasonal vegetables on the big breakfast.
I’ll be back for the curry pan (a savoury donut fried in panko crumbs and filled with savoury Hokkaido curry) and the rest of the onigiri options.
Thanks to Rina, it looks like rice for breakfast might become more common for Canberrans!
Muku Ramen Bar is located at Shop 5/9 Scullin Place, Scullin. They are open for brunch on Sunday from 10 am to 2 pm until the end of the year. They are open for dinner Wednesday to Saturday from 5 to 9 pm. Follow Muku on Facebook or Instagram.
Original Article published by Lucy Ridge on Region Canberra.
