Sixteen seats. A single cold Yebisu (or a softie if you’re that way inclined). A pot of 22-hour chicken broth is bubbling away while two chefs move in tune behind the counter. It’s the kind of simple perfectionism you’d expect to find down a narrow alley in Tokyo, not Adelaide.
Enter Toriok, a six-month ramen pop-up set to open this November by chefs Hugh Ok and Terukazu Mukai – friends, colleagues, and now co-conspirators in what they call “the pursuit of the perfect bowl.”
The pair met working side by side in Unley’s fine dining Japanese restaurant, Ginza, almost two decades ago, and have since spread their wings far across Adelaide’s restaurant scene. But their shared obsession never really went away.
“Ever since I first discovered ramen in Japan, it became my soul food,” says Hugh. “I’ve devoted myself to creating ramen in new ways, continuously experimenting with recipes with Teru, and searching for the perfect taste.”
That pursuit recently took him back to Japan for what he describes as “research.”
“Breakfast, lunch, dinner – all ramen,” he laughs. “About twenty bowls in a week. I wanted to understand what makes those Michelin spots special – and it’s really all about balance.”
Balance is exactly what Toriok is built on. Terukazu leads the kitchen, a Kobe native who combines his heritage and 20-year-long run as a chef into every bowl. The name itself translates to “chicken place”, and the concept follows suit – five bowls, all chicken-based (plus one veg, for good measure).
“Tonkotsu [pork bone] ramen is everywhere in Adelaide, but it’s heavy,” Hugh says.
“We wanted to create something lighter – something you could eat every day that’s healthy. That’s why we focused on chicken. It has so many health benefits.”
“With our ramen, we focus on quality ingredients and sodium levels. We haven’t really seen anything like that here.”
The menu rollout includes all the good stuff. The toripaipan is a medium-to-full-bodied ramen with a cloudy chicken broth. The spicy ramen follows the same base, lifted with house-made chilli oil. The shoyu offers a clear soy-seasoned broth, while the mazesoba is a soupless ramen tossed with chicken, beef mince, cooked egg, and mixed vegetables. There’s also a miso-soy vegetarian ramen for plant-based Japanophiles who still crave the umami depth.
Each broth takes almost 22 hours to prepare, built around what Hugh calls the five essential elements – broth, noodles, sauce, flavour oil, and toppings – balanced until the bowl feels complete.
Inside Toriok will be intimate. Just sixteen seats and the two chefs steps away, ladling steaming broth as diners look on. The drinks list is short and sharp. Yebisu (Japanese beer) or a small selection of soft drinks. If you’re dawdling, you’ll miss your serve. The duo caps bowls at 100 a day.
“We want to keep it small so we can focus on quality,” says Hugh.
“We’re not trying to be fancy. We just want to serve one damn good bowl that anyone can recommend – whether you’re happy, tired, or unwell. That’s what ramen is for.”
No need for a ticket to Tokyo. Come November, you’ll find the steam rising from Eliza Street, and Adelaide’s newest ramen obsession with it.
Toriok opens this November on Eliza Street, next to Plus 82 Gogi.
What: Toriok ramen pop-up
Where: 14 Eliza St, Adelaide
When: Slated for November 1
@toriok_adl
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