USE YOUR NOODLE

Ramen Ya

Shop 9, The Paramount, 108 Bourke St Melbourne 3000

(03) 9654 5838 or http://www.ramenya.com.au/

Ramen Ya is a casual modern take on a Japanese ramen bar. Architect Matt Gibson’s brief was to turn a bookshop into a dining space with maximum cost effectiveness – like a nutritious ramen soup that brings great value for money. Ramen Ya’s first incarnation is in Melbourne’s GPO and the owners wanted their next restaurant to be located on a busy city street.

Keeping with the Southern-Japanese influences that inspire Ramen Ya’s noodles, the conceptual idea references traditional Japanese push-cart stalls (‘Yatai’) which are synonymous with pork-bone ramen. Key aspects of this theme include bright paper lanterns that light up the night, use of low-cost natural materials (generally timber) and an intimate and informal dining experience.

120 spherical paper lanterns are suspended in a cloud-like arrangement achieving a strong visual statement at an extremely low cost. The other graphic element utilised was the use of natural timber –characteristic of the ‘feel-good’ factor of Japanese Yatai. Re-salvaged Messmate is a local timber, economically priced, with beautiful grain. It was utilised to clad the main servery bar and bench and the oversized solid pivot entry door – offering a welcoming ‘natural’ contrast within a ‘glossy’ commercial context.