Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen (it's gween!)
Thanks to @haraiva for the recommendation!
Located on the street with all the big name brands (Gucci, Versace, Giorgio Armani) and just a few stores down from Lune Croissanterie, you might be a bit daunted by Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen at first. But once you past the bright sign illuminating your way, it quickly transitions back to a homey Japanese ramen bar, with a samurai adorning one of its whisky bottles on the walls just to really knock it in for some tourists.
This is their spicy tobanjan ramen (tobanjan is a paste made from chillis and fermented beans). It had a really nice kick to it, and the bean paste is a great accompaniment much like how miso in tonkotsu broth accomplishes the same way. The noodles were amazing - everyone at our table agreed that they were actually hard noodles (a lot of ramen places allow you to choose the hardness but don't actually get it right) and had a wonderful bite to it. By default, the dish comes with black fungus and chashu, but you can swap for pork belly, ribs, etc.
My partner loved this dish. She found the tonkotsu broth was flavourful but not overpowering. Another friend at the same table got the miso ramen instead and she very much enjoyed it too.
This is the yuzu kosho tonkotsu ramen. It's not the first time I've had yuzu kosho (yuzu is an east asian citrus, and yuzu kosho is when you take the citrus skin and blend it with chillis), but it's certainly the first time I've had it paired with ramen. This one was fantastic and definitely my recommendation for when you come here. It adds another layer to the ramen soup that far elevates it above other tonkotsu broths, and it stays interesting long after the novelty fades past the first few bites. This is something I really care about (especially since I'm aware that I do like to chase novelty) as most things are flashy just for the sake of advertisement or word of mouth, but doesn't hold up at all in taste. Once you get past the fact that your soup is green, you're left with an absolutely excellent bowl of ramen. SUBSTANCE.
The chashu is wonderful. Has a good bite without being stringy or getting stuck in your teeth, and gets more and more flavourful as time goes on. You really need to slow down and enjoy this and feel how the pork blooms over your mouth with every chew.
If there's one thing I'd say about Ikkoryu is that this was legitimately the first time I felt that I didn't have enough broth to go with the noodles. Or perhaps I simply enjoyed it so much that I didn't realize how much I was drinking? Either way, Ikkoryu is the best ramen place out of the three I've tried in Melbourne, and it's one I highly recommend.