Sumo Bar Happy @ Waterloo Street

Sumo Bar Happy fits the bill for hole in wall eatery, I swear I walked passed this so many times, the only thing that caught my eye is their huge hole in the wall that doubles up as an easy entry or exit point for customers.


They have recently tweaked their opening hours to Thurs - Sunday for lunch and dinner and only dinner from Monday - Sunday.


Bone-In Short Rib Ramen ($42)
600g bone in US prime short rib, red wine tare, house made yakiniku sauce
Spicy Tonkotsu broth ($2)




Good for two, the companion and I were clearly overfed when it arrived. The bone in itself was such a photogenic piece of art, I swear I could be full just on that. The broth was rich, flavourful and very tasty - all those hours of simmering definitely did the ramen some wonders. I love the smokeyness of the broth, just inhaling breaths of this was enough to satiate my ramen craving.


Who needs a Japanese dude to decode a winning bowl of ramen? Not quite, I say when Sumo Bar Happy made things all so right.


I would however say that the top up for spicy tonkotsu was somewhat a waste of money, barely spicier than tonkotsu.


Bring a man-ppetite to take this down like a champ or...walk away feeling like you've hit your meat quota for the week.




Loco Moco Don Set ($18)


All lunch sets come with an heirloom tomato salad, mains and black sesame castella cake. Truth be told I was sold on the Nagano style luncheon meat - does anyone have a weakness for luncheon meat like me?


Unlike the nonsense that goes into spam, this is perhaps healthier with meat yet the texture was an inbetween powdery and chalky, an odd one here yet the drizzle of sauce and slab of foie gras made all things right.


Plus, the castella cake was such a treat! Soft with a nice bite to it, top marks for unassuming dessert. I wish they sold this ala carte though!


Sumo Ramen ($23)
Tonkotsu Broth, oxtail, braised beef tendon, sliced US beef, red wine short rib, Nagano pork char siew


My ramen obsession continues with a more manageable portion and more varieties of meat. I love how their ramens come with a freeflow of lava eggs - yum yum yummy. Both the Bone-In and this are must tries, each has a different favour profile and I had a tough time deciding which I actually like more.


I cannot wait for more visits to this little gem - does not help that the service staff are so warm, jovial and...they bring such joy to mundane work days!




Sumo Bar Happy
261 Waterloo Street