“At Canteen, each noodle is handmade daily on site from Australian durum wheat, rye flour and kansui in a custom nood room.” Dining reviewer WENDY JOHNSON’s been a new place at the Dairy Road Precinct. 

ATTENTION all noods. It’s time to head to Canteen, Dairy Road Precinct. 

We visited on Canteen’s first day and the team performed with precision, dealing with the odd glitch professionally. 

At Canteen, each noodle is handmade daily on site from Australian durum wheat, rye flour and kansui in a custom nood room. Canteen pays full respect to Japanese Tori-style ramen featuring steaming hot chicken broth with exceptional flavour. The menu is fully focused on Japanese cuisine, with some French influences.

Canteen also lovingly creates fun, tasty Japanese sandos, special rice bowls and more.

Choose from three eating zones – shared courtyard in the foyer of the building, outdoor garden courtyard (furniture still coming) and indoors (order with a QR code and then it’s table service). We settled indoors fascinated by the massive gleaming pots and gigantic sieves and industrial strength emulsifiers in the open-concept kitchen, all put to work to produce bowl after bowl of absolutely delicious ramen.

Our tastebuds were tantalised with the warm edamame with soy and wasabi ($8) and, just because we could, we ordered the fries with Daddy sauce ($8). They were thin, piping hot, perked up with nori salt and served with a bowl of house-made barbecue sauce (secret ingredients) and a dollop of that famous kewpie Japanese mayo. Who is Daddy? Ramen Daddy, of course, which has developed a cult following in Canberra.

It’s no wonder ramen is often referred to as Japanese soul food. Four types are on Canteen’s menu and the Hot Daddy ($21) was spectacularly spicy with perfect noodles (not soggy). It was loaded with yum toppings, many of which add texture, and a perfectly cooked egg. 

The mazesoba (soupless ramen) with spicy miso pork was equally excellent ($21) and, again, the noods had that perfect chew (nothing worse than a gluggy nood). The pork is slow cooked and so tender. We slurped away loving every bite of our multi-layered umami experience.

Fries with Daddy sauce… thin, piping hot and perked up with nori salt and served with a bowl of house-made barbecue sauce. Photo: Wendy Johnson

The warm edamame with soy and wasabi. Photo: Wendy Johnson

The super sexy crème caramel. Photo: Wendy Johnson

Canteen – Hot Daddy Ramen. Photo: Wendy Johnson

The mazesoba (soupless ramen) with spicy miso pork. Photo: Wendy Johnson

Canteen dishes up rice bowls and the chicken katsu ($20) was packed full of goodness. The chicken, super crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, was decorated with drizzles of creamy kewpie.

Last, but definitely not least, was the super sexy crème caramel ($10). OMG. It’s one of the best, if not the best, we’d had, and we were told that a small amount of brown sugar is used towards the end to augment the gentle burnt flavour. 

Canteen specialises in Japanese and Australian spirits, wine, beer and sake. Staff are highly knowledgeable and happily offer suggestions. Cocktails are uber cool.

Congrats to the staff for stacking dishes quietly. Canteen has paid huge attention to sound proofing with its contemporary interior design, but restaurant operations can be noisy. Canteen’s staff operate with care.