BEEST is a new roast beef broth-less ramen spot which has opened in the heart of Downtown Vancouver (BC Canada). They opened up recently at 770 Bute Street (at Robson).
Mazemen is a type of Japanese broth-less ramen where you mix the noodles with a sauce; flavoured oil and toppings.
What is Mazemen?
BEEST Menu
The mazemen options include the following:
- Shoyu – beef stock, seafood stock, soy, beef tallow, sesame oil, green onion
- Smokey Miso – seafood stock, soy, beef tallow, sake, Mexican chili, green onion
- Shio – vege paste, sesame oil, green onion
- Creamy – beef stock, seafood stock, dairy, parmesan, green onion
- Impossible – vege paste, sesame oil, green onion
You can to pick noodle portions: 150 g, 200 g +$1, or 300 g +$3. You can also selection of meat portions: 3 0z, 6 oz +$7.90, 12 oz $19.90.
Topping add-ons (+$2) include poached egg, kimchi, bamboo shoot and green onion.
Interior
The sleek, contemporary décor features a mix of dining tables and bar seating facing the kitchen.
You can see the roast beef sliced through the open kitchen.
Loyalty Program
You can sign up for their loyalty program where you can get free ice cream and an extra 50g of noodles every visit.
What We Tried
We went in when they had their grand opening promotion of 25% off and ordered the Shoyu; Smokey Miso; and Shio.
The bowls all looked the same from the top. You need to mix the noodles with the sauce underneath to get all the flavours.
Each bowl comes with a cup of beef soup on the side. You can drink the soup on its own or pour the soup into the bowl if you like. You can also dip the noodles into the beef soup as well.
The noodles were thick, chewy and delicious while the roast beef was tender and slightly peppery on the edges.
Portions of noodles and proteins were pretty reasonable for the price at $17.80 per bowl. They offer garlic chips and chilli oil on your table.
The free ice cream was a nice touch!
Service
Service was a bit scattered and slow but friendly during the soft opening. Hopefully it becomes smoother as they get more experience.
Overall Impression
I enjoyed their concept, quality of food, flavours, portions and prices were reasonable. The loyalty program is a nice bonus because many people frequent the same ramen spots.