Images supplied
The doors are officially open at Norwood’s new specialty pork ramen restaurant Butaok, revealing an intimate 25-seat dining room, private solo booths and a tightly edited five-dish menu.
Following a successful soft opening, the team behind sister restaurant Toriok is now welcoming diners into the finished space, which feels spacious and polished despite its deliberately limited capacity.
At its centre sits one long communal table with room for 18 diners, while six individual dining spaces offer a completely different way to dine. The private seats have been designed for solo diners, giving guests their own little space to enjoy the experience.
It is a noticeably different environment from sister restaurant Toriok, which has a smaller, cosier and slightly more industrial feel. Butaok instead leans towards a more elevated, open setting while still keeping the number of diners small.
The team had its first chance to see the space properly come to life during a soft lunch opening on Friday, September 18. Plenty of existing Toriok customers were among the first through the doors, giving an early indication of how people would respond to both the new dining room and Butaok’s pork-focused menu.
Some long-time Toriok regulars naturally still gravitated towards the chicken-based ramen they already knew, but Owner Hugh Ok said customers were quick to recognise the same attention to quality in a completely new setting.
For Hugh and the team, reaching opening day after months of preparation has brought with it a mix of excitement and nerves.
There are just five main dishes to choose from: the signature tonkotsu ramen, spicy tonkotsu ramen, a lighter pork shoyu ramen, abura soba and vegetarian miso ramen. The abura soba offers something different again as a brothless noodle dish, while the pork shoyu provides a clearer and lighter alternative to the richer tonkotsu.
Rather than building an extensive menu, Hugh said the approach reflects the same philosophy that has guided the team from the beginning.
“We make it simple but keep the focus on a good bowl of ramen.”
The team simmers its broth for 22 hours overnight and makes its noodles by hand, while the pork is marinated in house-made soy sauce for at least two to three days before being served with spring onion and a soft-boiled egg.
“We put a lot of effort into making ramen … We simmer (the broth) for 22 hours overnight, with handmade noodles as well, so we hope people enjoy it.”
For Hugh that difference is part of the point. Butaok was never intended to replace Toriok or reproduce the same bowls in another suburb, but to give diners a distinctly different ramen experience.
Now, after months of preparation and a soft opening that put the restaurant through its first real service, Butaok is ready for the next stage.
For diners, that means choosing between a private booth or a seat around the communal table, picking one of five dishes and getting one of the first tastes of Norwood’s newest ramen spot.
Butaok
When: Opening 28 September
For more, keep an eye on their socials.
