Tom Yum from hell
If you want your restaurant to go viral then TikTok is your bestie and tomyumfromhell has really capitalised on the social medai hype and established itself as a viral Tom Yum ramen spot which ironically is right next to another viral (yet considerably more fancy) Japanese ramen restaurant Mensho. How was the ramen and sides? Let’s get into it.
Photo credit: @tomyumfromhell (Instagram)
Tom Yum from hell is a newly established eatery hidden in Temperance Lane (Sydney CBD) which opened with a BANG! It was all over social media and the hype didn’t die down for weeks, fueled by the cold weather with noodle dishes being perfect winter warmers and more reasonable pricing compared to Mensho next door. My attitude towards viral TikTok restaurants can be summed up in two words - “Cautiously optimistic”, let’s get into the feed.
Seafood tom yum ramen
Tomyum seafood ($22.90)
If you are undecided between the three varieties of tom yum ramen - get the seafood one, this was easily my favourite! These noodles are served with seafood, two chicken meatballs, an onsen egg and fried enoki mushrooms. We got the level 2 spice but next time I might try level 3 (appropriately named “oh hell nooooo!!”). There are three main reasons why this was my favourite:
The seafood was moreish and fresh with prawns, scallops, octopus and mussels
Broth - this is more of a creamy tom yum broth but I loved that the noodles and seafood soaked up and enhanced the umami of the broth which may lose it’s intensity if served with pork belly/wagyu beef
Sides - fried enoki was served on the side to retain the crunch and the lemon wedge cuts through some of the depth of flavour in the broth, both clever add ons to the ramen.
Have I convinced you to give this a try yet, if not - your loss.
Wagyu tom yum ramen
Tomyum wagyu beef ($21.90)
The wagyu tom yum beef noodles is a replica of the seafood except for the wagyu beef slices that’s added to the soup. I have mixed feelings about this - the beef was tender and perfectly cooked however I wish they were cut into smaller pieces, the bigger pieces were harder to chew and overall didn’t soak up the goodness of that soup as well as the seafood option. If you are a wagyu lover then this might be for you but I highly recommend sticking with the seafood tom yum ramen option.
Sides
Tom Yum Spring Roll ($7.90)
This is the specialty that’s a must try on the menu and one bite was enough to have me going back for more - these were chunky, crispy spring rolls stuffed with vermicelli, chicken and mushroom. The texture and flavours of these spring rolls are spectacular and that dipping sauce was umami, the cherry on top of a great side that you can enjoy alone or share with friends.
Wagyu Skewers ($13.90)
I liked these wagyu skewers a lot better than the wagyu ramen because the tenderness of the meat is a lot more prominent in skewer form, the sauce was umami and complemented the wagyu well however I feel like in the Sydney food scene there are SO MANY wagyu heavy dishes i.e. wagyu onigiri, wagyu don, wagyu burger… so it’s quite difficult for me to rate whether these wagyu skewers stacked up to other wagyu based dishes. In saying that this was a solid 7/10 and I would give it another try if I go back for the seafood tom yum ramen.
Crispy pork belly and fried enoki ($15.90)
I don’t want to end on a bad note but the pork belly was a little disappointing (this is a photo from Tom Yum from hell’s Instagram where the pork belly is served with enoki mushrooms but when we visited it was just one huge portion of fried pork belly). Don’t get me wrong, when hot the crispy pork belly is perfectly crunchy with a decent fat to lean meat ratio but we must have left it sitting for too long, and let me tell you, nobody likes cold and chewy pork belly. I would recommend getting the crispy pork belly tom yum ramen instead as I ended up dipping these into my ramen broth for some extra flavour.
Overall rating: 8/10
Tom Yum from Hell is a spicy, casual Thai restaurant that inadvertently makes a mockery of all other fancy fine dining restaurants in the Sydney food scene. The set up is simple and reminiscent of the street food night markets in South East Asia, the tom yum soup is umami and heart warming. I deducted points for some of the sides but if you stick to the noodles this place is easily a 9/10. Please try the seafood tom yum ramen, in my opinion this is the best option out of the three on the menu. If you are a spice lover I would try the level 3 spice (you won’t know til you try) as that will be what I’m trying on my next visit (level 2 spice was pleasant but I want to be slapped across the face with the spice, in a good way). Have fun slurping!
