Eddy Tsai and Ann Hsu of Canteen by Ramen Daddy. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Who are you?
Ann Hsu and Eddy Tsai, the co-owners of Canteen by Ramen Daddy at Dairy Road.
Tell me about your business.
Eddy: Ramen Daddy started as a side project when I worked with John Leverink (also a co-owner) at The Boat House. We started it as a pop-up at The Forage and it went really well. We always sold out. At the time, we realised there weren’t many ramen shops in Canberra, so it was a good opportunity.
We found a space at Verity Lane and we were quite busy straight away. We realised there was more we wanted to do – more dishes, different service – so then we found the space on Dairy Road.
Ann: The Molonglo Group [Dairy Road owners] chose the name Canteen for this space because they wanted it to be a spot that anyone in the precinct could come and eat. We also wanted it to be easy for people to come in without stress, perhaps just to pop in for lunch or a date night.
Eddy: I don’t like to say we are just a ramen shop; we are a restaurant that also makes noodles and ramen.
How did you get involved in the hospitality industry?
Eddy: My mum was a really good cook so I always had an interest in food. However, I didn’t have any skills when I first arrived in Canberra, so I started as a kitchen hand, washing dishes and observing how the chefs worked.
Gradually, I started learning more, jumping in to help the chefs and slowly moving up. When I started at The Boat House, it was my first experience in a fine dining environment, and it was like working with artists! It was really fun to learn everything there, and that’s when I went to CIT to do my commercial cookery course.
Ann: Coming to Australia from Taiwan, I looked for front-of-house jobs. And when Eddy was working in cafes, I started as a barista, a role I held for 10 years.
Chef John Leverink (L) of The Boat House is also a co-owner of Canteen with Eddy and Ann. Photo: The Boat House.
If you weren’t in hospitality, what would you be doing instead?
Ann: I’m boring! I’d probably just have a normal 9-to-5 salary job!
Eddy: Before I came to Australia, I was in the navy in Taiwan for 5 years as a professional diver. So if I wasn’t cooking, maybe I would be a commercial diver around the world.
What is your food philosophy?
Eddy: For me, it’s very simple – satisfaction. Everyone feels satisfied when they finish eating at Canteen. I want everyone to have a really good meal every time they eat here.
What is a must-use ingredient for you when cooking?
Eddy: Our house-made ginger glaze is the secret ingredient for us. When you cook Japanese food, you always use sake, mirin and soy sauce. Our glaze is kind of like a master stock: we reduce those sauces with ginger and brown sugar.
What’s an underrated Canberra venue that you love?
Eddy: Nicky’s cafe in Dickson. They make everything from scratch, even the focaccia.
Ann: And we’ve known Nicky and Max for a long time, since we worked together at The Cupping Room. So we’re really happy that they finally have their own business.
Max Owens and Nicky Kim are the owners of Nicky’s in Dickson. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Who do you admire in the Canberra food scene?
Ann: Tim Manning from Redbrick Coffee. There’s a bunch of amazing people working with him; everyone is like a big family there, and the coffee is always so good. He’s very open-minded and has created a lot of opportunities for young people in the industry. I used to work for him, and he was really supportive when we started this business.
Eddy: Ben Willis. I first met him when I had the opportunity to have a young chef’s lunch in 2016 or 17 at Aubergine. I really like his style, and I admire his achievement for creating the best restaurant in Canberra for like 10 years.
Where do you like to go for a drink in Canberra?
Eddy: Paranormal has really cool wines and good food dishes as well.
Ann: 11e Cave. We always get inspired when we go there. And something good is that there is no reception, so you really have to talk to your friends!
Who is your dream dinner party guest, and what would you make them?
Eddy: My Mum and Stepdad. Mum passed away three years ago, so she never had a chance to visit us here. I would love the chance to cook for her at Canteen. But the next thing would be to bring my Stepdad here – he has never tried my ramen before!
What is your current food obsession?
Eddy: We have been making homemade sourdough every week. We’re working on a special black sesame rye sourdough, which we’ve been making for almost two years. No matter how many times we make it, there’s always an opportunity to make it better. We learn something new every time.
Eddy says he thinks of Canteen as a restaurant with ramen (not just a ramen restaurant). Photo: Ashley St George.
What’s the best thing you ate this week?
Ann: Yesterday we went to a little pho shop in Queanbeyan called Sai Gon Phở, and snuck in just half an hour before they closed. The menu is small and very simple, but they always have great pho.
What’s a food that reminds you of your childhood?
Ann: White bread with strawberry jam. I always slept in every morning so my grandma would package that for my breakfast with some soy milk so I could grab it and run to school. Sometimes she would try different combinations, like adding peanut butter and once a fried egg!
Eddy: Braised beef noodle soup. It’s a very famous dish in Taiwan, and my mum loved to make it. Louis Couttoupes from Onzieme loves it too, so he keeps asking me to put it on the menu.
When you can’t be bothered to cook for yourself, where do you go and what do you eat?
Eddy: We like to go to Tak Kee Roast Inn in Dickson and get their duck laksa with extra duck.
Where are you travelling next?
Eddy: We try to go to Tokyo every year to try some food and get some inspiration. And we can also find good ramen equipment, like small ladles for the sauce and noodle baskets in all sizes.
Ann: There’s a street that has lots of hospitality shops. Every couple of years, we go there to buy all the things we need.
Not just ramen: the rice bowls, snacks and other dishes at Canteen are definitely worth ordering. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Tell me something you love about living in Canberra?
Ann: I love that Canberra has four seasons in a year. Taiwan is a semi-tropical island, so you can only ever have cold or hot, and that’s it. Moving to Canberra was the first time I’d seen trees changing colour and falling leaves; I’d only ever seen that in cartoons!
What book have you been reading?
Ann: Unreasonable Hospitality, written by Will Guidara, the general manager of Eleven Madison Park in New York. I got a lot of inspiration, and I even bought a copy for my colleagues. Even though we’re not running a fine dining restaurant, there are lots of concepts we can learn from it.
An easy one to finish – what’s your go-to coffee order?
Ann: I have a small long black, with just one shot. Sometimes I’ll put a dash of oat milk in there, too.
Eddy: A piccolo. It has the perfect ratio of coffee to milk.
Canteen by Ramen Daddy is located at 3.3/1 Dairy Road, Fyshwick. Follow Canteen on Instagram.
