Ramen Archives | Foodgressing

Newly Opened: Ramen Taka in Vancouver’s West End

April 9, 2018 by foodgressing 3 Comments

As a West End resident and foodie, I am very privileged to be able to regularly dine at some of the top ramen spots in the city. At the same time, it irks me sometimes to visit, experience and write about new ramen restaurants that open in the area where competition is stiff. Take for example two ramen restaurants in the West End, Touhobenku and Menokura, which opened up and closed within a year or two. Vancouverites know a good ramen and they will keep returning if it’s good. If a ramen restaurant can’t manage to draw customers, the downfall is swift.

Hokkaido-based

The latest entrant to the competitive ramen scene in Vancouver is Hokkaido-based, Ramen Taka, at 841 Bidwell Street (off Robson Street). They take over the space formerly occupied by The Ramenman, which has since moved to Davie. Ramen Taka has five locations in Japan and this new Vancouver restaurant is their first international venture.

Ramen Taka Menu

Ramen Taka specializes in Asahikawa-style ramen which is known for shoyu (soya sauce based) broth that consists of a blend of pork, vegetable and seafood. The broth of Asahikawa ramen has the characteristic of being quite oily, and there is often a thin layer of oil on top of the soup. And yeah, oily it was (more on that later).

On the menu, you will find 5 types of ramen: Dragon’s Dewdrop (shoyu), White Dragon (sea salt), Supreme Dragon (miso), Dynamite Pork (spicy miso) and Vegan Ramen (miso). Customers can order extra toppings like green onion, corn, seaweed, chashu and more. There are just a few side dishes including chicken karaage, gyoza and French fries.

Their Grand Opening is today (April 9) and they will start to offer a special dinnertime menu. What stood out on the dinner menu was a Deluxe Truffle Ramen with sliced roast beef and truffle salt. This is probably the most expensive ramen out there in Vancouver as it is priced at $22.

The choices for side dishes also have expanded with the dinnertime menu and include French Fries (with savoury or truffle salt), Dashimaki Tamago (seasoned Japanese omelette), chashu with horseradish, octopus balls, and so forth.

Interior

Ramen Taka seems to have retained the same vibe and layout as The Ramenman. A hipstic-chic sort of place with a few dining tables at the back, a large communal table in the middle, and counter seating by the kitchen.

What We Tried

My friend and I visited Ramen Taka last night as she was interested in trying them out after seeing David’s Instagram post from his media tasting.

Disclosure: We visited Ramen Taka as regular customers but the chef end up offering us a few more side dishes to try on the house.

Zangi (Hokkai Chicken Karaage)

We started off with a 4-piece chicken karaage starter ($5.95). Unfortunately, the karaage missed the mark with me as the batter wasn’t particularly crispy and the inside was not very juicy or tender. The karaage pieces weren’t particularly big either. I would not order this again.

Dragon’s Rice

This dish featured seasoned rice mixed with chopped chashu and mushrooms. The chef offered this as a complimentary tasting but it is regularly $5.95. The texture and flavour of the dish was reminiscent of Chinese sticky rice, No Mai Fan. It is too bad that it stand out for me in terms of flavour.

French Fries with Truffle Salt

Another complimentary dish from the chef was the French Fries with Truffle Salt ($6.50). The fries were nicely crispy but I didn’t feel like the truffle flavours came through. It tasted largely of sea salt for me.

Dragon’s Dewdrop

My friend had the Dragon’s Dewdrop (Shoyu) ($11.95) with a clear broth made from pork bones.

Supreme Dragon Miso

The Supreme Dragon Miso ramen was just an OK for me ($12.95). The clear broth wasn’t particularly rich or flavourful to me but rather oily and salty. The broth was largely not that drinkable; the saltiness resulted me needing to drink lots of water for the rest of the night.

The ramen egg had a nicely runny yolk. The chashu was lean – not super melt-in-your-mouth – but was decent portion. Noodles weren’t particularly al dente in my opinion. Portions overall seemed average for the price.

Overall Impression

I really wanted to like Ramen Taka but pehaps the Asahikawa ramen style doesn’t appeal to me. The side dishes didn’t really stand out either. The staff seem friendly and I could tell that they are still working things out in the kitchen. All the best to the owners and staff as it’s a tough ramen market especially in an area that is dense with ramen favourites. But for now, I’m afraid that I haven’t gained a new ramen restaurant that I want to revisit. Rating: 3/5

Ramen Taka
Address: 841 Bidwell St, Vancouver, BC
Website: ‎@ramentaka.ca/

Vancouver Ramen Crêpe Eatery: J Crepe

January 28, 2018 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Newly opened in the Marpole Area is a 3-in-1 establishment – a Japanese grocery store/crêpe and ramen eateries – by the Zakkushi Group. At 8265 Oak Street, you’ll find Yoshida Shoten (Japanese grocery store), J Crepe (offering Japanese crepe) and Ramen Raijin Express (offering late night ramen). I had heard about them via Daily Hive and decided to take advantage of their $5 crêpe deal (until Jan 31) to try some of their offerings.

J Crepe Menu

What is unique J Crepe is that their crêpes are made with bamboo charcoal batter. Charcoal is a rather hot wellness trend this year as it is reported to have a detoxifying effect on the body.

J Crepes offers 17 different types of crêpes between $6.50 – $11. Their signature savoury crêpes are the Ramen Raijin (ramen in crêpe) and Brûlée (crème brûlée in crêpe).

Other savoury crêpe options include Teriyaki Chicken Mayo, Bacon & Egg, and Ham & Cheese. Sweet crêpe options include Mango, Strawberry, Matcha (with Matcha batter) and Banana.

Small, Charming Space

At this new Zakkushi Group establishment, they have Japanese snacks for sale including some in a freezer (like ice cream & mochi). There are just two communal tables for eating in. The potted plants and overhanging industrial lights add to the charm.

What I Tried

Note: None of the food in this review were complimentary. This review is done anonymously.

The $5 crêpe deals are on until January 31 and apply to all their crêpe items. My husband I tried the Ramen Raijin, FURTUNE! and Brûlée.

Ramen Rajin Crêpe

Would you like ramen in a crêpe? This is certainly one of their novelty crepe options. It had corn, green onion, seaweed, naturo, soup gelée, and chashu wrapped in a charcoal crêpe. They cook and prepackage the noodles into a plastic wrap until ready for use. Then, they wrap the seaweed, chashu and noodles into the crêpe and then add the toppings. Here is a video I took of the process:

Ramen in a charcoal crêpe? Trying out this unique item from @jcrepe_raijinexpress which has noodles, corn, green onion, seaweed, naturo, soup gelée, and chashu wrapped in a charcoal crêpe. $5 deal on all crepe menu items until Jan 31 #Foodgressing . 📍8625 Oak Street, Vancouver BC . #noodles #crepe #vancouver #crepes #vancity #vancityhype #vancouverisawesome #vancitybuzz #video #videogram #videography #videooftheday #videos #instagramvideo #videostar #videodiaries #videoinstagram #igvid #foodvideo #cookingvideo #cooking #ramen #vancouverfood #yvreats #noodlelover #food52 #forkyeah #thrillist

A post shared by FOODGRESSING.COM | Areta (@foodgressing) on Jan 27, 2018 at 4:56pm PST

In general, the bamboo doesn’t really add much to the flavour of the crêpe. I thought the noodles were hot and the chashu was fairly tender. The corn and green onions seemed fresh which is a nice contrast to some hard, uncooked frozen corn I had recently in a ramen. It was a interesting, novelty type of crêpe but the overall taste still wasn’t as good as a piping hot ramen bowl due to the lack of a “soupiness.”

Brûlée Crêpe

The sweet crêpes fared better than the ramen crêpe starting with the Brûlée. It had crème brûlée, passion fruits jelly and whipped cream. The custard was torched on order and I enjoyed the beautifully caramelized top. The custard was also wonderfully smooth and creamy. I would love to have this again.

FURTUNE! Crepe

The FURTUNE! crêpe was made with matcha batter and had fresh strawberries and red bean whipped cream for the filling. The red bean whipped cream was the highlight for me. It had just the right amount of sweetness and red bean flavour; I also liked how there were red bean bits in it. I would love to have this again as well.

Service

I thought the staff were very friendly despite the busy lineup of customers. They only have one crêpe grill so there might be a bit of a wait but your order. However, staff seemed to be getting the orders out in a reasonable amount of time.

Overall Impression

I didn’t enjoy the ramen crêpe as much but the sweet ones were quite good. A good grab-a-crêpe-and-go sort of place that I wouldn’t mind revisiting for their sweet crêpes. Rating: 3.5/5

Yoshida Shoten/J Crepe/Ramen Raijin Express
Address: 8265 Oak St, Vancouver, BC
Website: http://zakkushi.com/news/#jcrape‎

Vancouver Ramen House: Menya Ramen

December 22, 2017 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

A while back, Scout Magazine had conducted a poll of best ramen houses in Vancouver. My two favourite places, Marutama and Ramen Butcher, ranked first and second place. But rounding out the top 10 was Menya Ramen, one of the older ramen houses in Vancouver which is located along the Broadway-Cambie Corridor. I hadn’t been to Menya before but have tried two other ramen houses in the same area (Hokkaido Santouka and Benkei Ramen). After seeing it being named on Scout Magazine’s list, I was eager to try Menya Ramen out. The opportunity came up when a few friends and I were still hungry after an event so we decided to wrap up the evening with warming, comforting bowls of ramen.

Note: None of the food in this review was complimentary. This review is done anonymously. Opinions are my own.

Minimal & Rustic Interior

Menya Ramen seemed like a humble, hole-in-the-wall sort of place. The interior was modest, minimal but with some rustic influences particularly the wooden stumps used as stools. It seemed like a stark contrast to the contemporary dining space of Hokkaido Santouka just two blocks away.

Menya Ramen Menu

Menya specializes in Tonkotsu style ramen featuring thick, milky pork-bone broth. Their house specialty ramen is the Nagahama Ramen which has pork bone soup with special soy sauce seasoning. Other ramen varieties offered include Tonkotsu Miso, Nagasaki, Shoyu, and Veggie Miso. On the menu also are Udon, Don (rice bowls), Bento Boxes and sides like gyoza, rice balls and salads. Customers can choose the noodle thickness (thin, regular, thick) and type (udon, soba, rice). The main dishes are essentially $10 or less which appears to be a lot more affordable than other ramen houses where I have spent almost $20 for a single bowl of ramen.

I also noticed that the toppings were a lot cheaper compared to other ramen houses. I like to get extra corn which cost $0.50 at Menya. At Santouka, I have actually paid $2.20 (eek!).

What I Tried

I went with a Tonkotsu Miso Ramen ($8.50) with extra corn ($0.50). It took less than 10 minutes for the bowl to arrive after putting in the order. The bowl was wonderfully hot when it came to the table. I chose thin noodles and found them to reasonably al dente. The broth was mildly flavourful, fairly creamy, but too salty. One friend concurred that her broth was too salty for her liking as well. It was the kind of salty where you know you’ll be drinking a lot of water for the rest of the night.

My other disappointment was the corn. Now I really love corn with ramen and really appreciated that Menya Ramen charges only $0.50 for an extra topping. However, the corn they gave was not sweet at all and hard! Really poor quality and perhaps too old? It made me wish I brought my own canned corn to the shop. Portions were very reasonable for the price but the quality of the ramen (and corn) just didn’t quite meet my expectations.

One friend had the Nagasaki Chanpon, which is the most expensive ramen on Menya’s menu ($10.50). It had quite a mix of ingredients including vegetables, seafood, meat and noodles – all in one bowl!

Overall Impression of Menya Ramen

I think that Menya Ramen has a very affordable menu but the quality and taste just wasn’t at the level that I would like. In the same neighbourhood, I would prefer going to Benkei Ramen. Rating: 2.5/5

Menya Ramen
Address: 401 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC
Website: ‎www.menyaramen.com/

Newly Opened: Yaguchiya Ramen in Metrotown Area

September 2, 2017 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

While most of the top local ramen eateries are in Downtown Vancouver, a new ramen house has emerged in the Metrotown area. Meet Yaguchiya Ramen which originates from Yokohama, Japan and now has opened their first overseas location in Burnaby a few months ago. Yaguchiya is conveniently located on Kingsway right across Superstore at Metrotown so it’s easy to access from the mall. A friend and I decided to try out Yaguchiya Ramen recently after attending a media preview of the new MUJI store at Metrotown.

Note: None of the food in this review was complimentary. This review was done anonymously.

Iekei Ramen Menu

Yaguchiya specializes in Iekei ramen, a unique hybrid ramen style that combines chicken and soy-based shoyu ramen with tonkatsu or pork bone-style ramen. Iekei-style ramen is fairly uncommon outside of Japan where it was invented in Yokohama during the 1970s. The resulting Iekei broth is lighter than fatty, creamy tonkotsu but heavier than shoyu which is thin.

On the menu are 6 main ramen features: Shoyu, Shio, Miso, Spicy, Vegan and Yaguchia Special. The bowls come in regular, medium or large and range between $10-$15 depending on the flavour and size. They offer ramen combos with gyoza and salad or you can order those as stand-alone side dishes. A few rice dishes and desserts round out the menu. The bowls are customizable based on noodle firmness (soft or hard), taste (mild or strong) and oil (little or a lot). You can view the menu online here.

Yaguchiya has a recommended recipe of toppings which includes a dash of pepper, garlic, spicy miso, grated ginger and a dash of vinegar.

Interior

The interior of Yaguchiya ramen was small, bare minimal but very brightly lit and quite unlike most of the ramen eateries I have been to in Vancouver. There were a few four-person tables and seating at the counter along the window. The kitchen is closed and is located at the back of the restaurant which is a contrast to a place like Kintaro where you can watch the chefs at work.

What We Tried

I went with a medium shoyu ramen ($11.75) which had chicken and pork broth, 2 pieces of pork chashu, roasted seaweed, spinach and an extra topping of sweet corn ($1.25). I forgot to customize my bowl for the noodles, taste and oil nor did the server ask. As a result, I’m not quite sure what the standard options are.

I found Yaguchiya’s pork and chicken broth fairly light, golden in colour and definitely more opaque and less flavourful than a milky, creamy tonkotsu broth. The portion of corn given (as the additional topping) was reasonable for $1.25. I’ve paid double for the same amount at Santouka.

The noodles weren’t particularly al dente – perhaps they were soft noodles. The portion of noodles given were more than reasonable. You will get filled because of that.

The pork chashu was disappointing. The two pieces I received were very thinly sliced, tough and definitely not melt-in-your-mouth.

We also ordered a side of gyoza to share. Unfortunately, the gyoza weren’t particularly good either with the filling being just average and the outside wrap not so crispy. The gyoza weren’t piping hot either but rather just adequately warm.

My friend had the regular Yaguchiya Special ($12.75) which comes with 3 pieces of chashu, seasoned egg, leek, roasted seaweed, spinach in a pork and chicken broth.

Overall Impression of Yaguchiya Ramen

I thought the portions of noodles given were very reasonable but the broth was largely unmemorable and the chashu was less than stellar. Their broth is lighter and perhaps healthier than a tonkotsu broth. The gyoza needed to be more crispy. Based on my experience, I didn’t find Yaguchiya to be competitive enough with the popular ramen eateries in Vancouver. Rating: 3/5

Yaguchiya Ramen
Address: 4679 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC
Website: www.yaguchiya-ramen.com/

I Revisit the Ramen Butcher in Chinatown

July 29, 2017 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

It had been over two years since my first and only visit to the Ramen Butcher in Chinatown (see review here). At that time, they had just opened and I went to take advantage of their grand opening special of $5 ramen. Since then, I have eaten at various new and old ramen establishments around Metro Vancouver (see tag ramen) and most recently at the newly opened second location of Santouka on West Broadway (see review here). At Santouka, I had spent about $17 for a single bowl of ramen which unfortunately wasn’t very filling. This sort of begs the question: where can I get a bowl of ramen at a reasonable price with satisfying taste and portions in Vancouver? Scout Magazine conducted a reader poll of favourite ramen houses in Vancouver in which the Ramen Butcher was tied for top place with Marutama. I had in my mind some favourites but this prompted me to revisit to the Ramen Butcher.

Note: None of the food in this review was complimentary. The restaurant did not know that I was a blogger. I was not sponsored for this review.

Ramen Butcher Menu

On the menu at the Ramen Butcher are classic tonkotsu ramen and variations with different sauces (red, black, green and orange). Bowls are priced around $10 – $12. Also available are mini donburi (rice) bowls including curry, chashu (pork), and karaage (deep fried chicken). For sides, there are different flavours of gyoza (original, cheese, spicy and okonomi) as well as karaage. Customers can enjoy a free refill of noodles as long as you have enough soup left. The menu is fully available online.

What I Tried

On my first revisit to the Ramen Butcher, I enjoyed a classic tonkotsuu (pork) broth ramen ($9.95) with an extra ramen egg (+$1.50) and corn (+$1.00). The pork broth was nicely flavourful and creamy while the noodles were al dente. The two slices of chashu was reasonably tender but not the most melt-in-your-mouth I have had. The extra corn was just $1.00 compared to the $2.20 charge at Santouka and the ramen egg had a reasonably runny yolk.

Meanwhile, my friend had a Black ramen ($11.25) which has roasted garlic oil in tonkotsu broth and comes with a ramen egg. She seemed to enjoy her bowl as well.

I went again to the Ramen Butcher on a separate occasion aftewards to have their Black ramen ($11.25). I was feeling extra hungry that day so I went for an extra egg (+$1.50) and 2 extra chashu pieces (+$2.00).

While the ramen was solid, I do not know why I ordered so many extras because I was struggling to finish it all. Their chashu slices are fairly generous in size compared to Santouka.

Overall Impression

In terms of overall value, I think that Ramen Butcher is fantastic. Flavours and portions are both very good. Kintaro and Marutama are still my favourites, but I would recommend the Ramen Butcher and would be happy to revisit again myself. Rating: 4/5

Ramen Butcher
Address: 223 E Georgia Street
Website: theramenbutcher.com

First Look: New Jinya Ramen in Vancouver

April 14, 2017 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Jinya Ramen‘s Robson location has now relocated into a more stylish and modern space. Opening April 31, Jinya Ramen takes up a 3,000 square-feet location inside the Telus Building at 541 Robson Street. Jinya Ramen was founded by Tomonori Takahashi’s and it was inspired by his first visit to North America when he struggled to find a satisfying bowl of ramen. The first Jinya location was established in Tokyo in 2000 and then expanded to California. The franchise now operates locations in the Los Angeles area, Las Vegas, Houston, Vancouver, and Seattle. I attended a media preview of Jinya’s new digs on Robson Street. Here is a first look at what is in store:

Disclosure: I was invited to a media event. All drinks and food in this review were complimentary. Opinions are my own.

Jinya Ramen Menu

Jinya Ramen’s new menu features a wider selection of appetizers and sides. You’ll find salads (like spicy tofu and quinoa salads) and mini tacos (salmon poke and pork chasu & kimchee). For small plates, some interesting offerings include spicy creamy shrimp tempura, steamed buns, brussels sprouts tempura, caramelized cauliflower and takoyaki.

Ramen bowls items come in three types: Tonkotsu, Chicken and Vegetable. Jinya’s ramen broths simmer for more than ten hours for optimal flavour. Tonkotsu options include Sprouting Up Ramen, Spicy, Black, White, Cha Cha Cha (garlic) and Spicy Umami Miso. For Chicken, there is regular, spicy, and wonton. Vegetarian and Vegan ramen flavours are available. They also offer spinach noodles for an additional $2.00. Customize your bowl with additional toppings like wonton, mushroom, bok choy and more. The ramen bowls are priced $13 – $18 a bit on the higher end compared to other ramen houses in the city.

Happy Hour is between 3pm – 5pm and includes a menu of salad, small plates, mini tacos and desserts. To finish off a ramen meal, there is also mochi ice cream and panna cotta for dessert.

Jinya Ramen takes pride in that that their noodles are house-made.

A main focal point in Jinya’s new space is the bar which is stocked with Japanese liquors as well as local beers.

What I Tried

Small Plates

I very much enjoyed the Brussels Sprouts Tempura which were very addictive. They were crispy on the outside, tender on the inside and had white truffle oil.

The Takoyaki (Octopus Balls) did not disappoint. They were made by battering octopus with egg tartar, mayo, okonomiyaki, green onion and smoked bonito flakes. A little bit sweet and savoury, these deep-fried balls were melt-in-your-mouth scrumptious.

Also very good were the Salmon Poke Mini Tacos in a crispy wonton taco shell.

Tonkotsu Black

The Tonkotsu Black is made with pork broth, pork chashu, spicy bean sprouts, kikurage, green onion, spicy sauce with thick noodles. I enjoyed the rich, creamy flavourful pork broth with the melt-in-your-mouth delicious chashu. A classic ramen flavour that does not disappoint.

Vegetable Soup Ramen

The vegetarian ramen option comes with thin noodles and is made with vegetable broth and an array of veggies: mushroom, baby leaf, spinach, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, black pepper. This ramen flavour didn’t particularly appeal to me. The broth tasted too lean. Just because it doesn’t have meat doesn’t mean it can’t be good..read on more.

Spicy Creamy Vegan

The big surprise hit of the evening was how delicious the spicy creamy vegan ramen was. It is made with vegetable broth, tofu, onion, green onion, spinach, crispy onion, garlic chips, garlic oil, chili oil, sesame seeds with thick noodles. Packed with great flavour, oozing of creaminess and overall a ramen that is worth getting. Bonus points for the chili oil and seasame seeds. Totally recommend this for meat lovers.

Spicy Chicken Ramen

The spicy chicken ramen had just enough heat to tickle the tongue. A solid chicken option made with chicken broth, chicken chashu, spinach, spicy bean sprouts, green onion with thin noodles.

Cha Cha Cha

For garlic lovers, the Cha Cha Cha is the recommended option. Made with pork and fish broth with pork chashu, seasoned egg, bean sprouts, chopped onion, green onion, garlic, chili powder and thick noodles. Maybe I’m a purist but the mix of pork and fish broth didn’t appeal to me as much.

Overall Impression

My favourite items of the evening were the Brussels Sprouts Tempura, Takoyaki, Tonkotsu Black Ramen and Spicy Creamy Vegan Ramen. Congrats to Jinya Ramen on their new location and expanded menu. Looks like it’s going to be a good one.

Website: jinya-ramenbar.com

Santouka West Broadway Now Open

February 24, 2017 by foodgressing 2 Comments

Fans of Japan-based chain, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, have a reason to rejoice. Santouka West Broadway had their grand opening on January 31 and is located at 558 West Broadway near Cambie Street. Santouka’s first Vancouver location is at 1690 Robson Street and is known for long line-ups. I decided to pop in for a solo lunch this past week.

Larger & Modern

Santouka’s newest location is larger than the Robson one with 44 seats (versus 36 at Robson). I was quite impressed with how much more comfortable this restaurant with the added space. The interior is also more modern and chic with dining tables and cozy banquettes as well as a bar near the kitchen at the back. According to the Georgia Straight, they have incorporated some decor pieces from the Ainu. The Ainu are the indigenous people of northeastern Japan (including Hokkaido) and easternmost Russia.

If you sit along the bar, you can watch all the action in the open kitchen.

HOKKAIDO RAMEN SANTOUKA MENU

Exclusive at this West Broadway location is the jalapeno ramen and the zangi (the Hokkaido recipe for chicken kaarage). Regular menu items include their signature ramen, tsukemen, cold salad ramen, rice bowls, toroniku ramen and more. They also have combos with ramen and a rice bowl. Appetizers include toroniku (simmered pork jowl), goro-niku gyoza (fried pork dumplings) , tofu and shrimp salad and more. Below are photos of the menu.

What I Tried

For my lunch, I simply went with my favourite at Santouka, a shio ramen ($13). The kitchen is fast and the ramen was presented to me within 5 minutes of ordering.

Santouka’s mild and creamy signature soup is made by simmering pork bones and rib broth for 48 hours. You cannot go wrong with the shio ramen, where the pork broth is seasoned with salt. The soup is creamy, flavourful and very drinkable while the pork cha-shu is tender and is not overly fatty. Their noodles are al-dente but one note is that they are pre-packaged and machine made noodles. For house-made noodles, there is Ramenman.

I love some sweet corn in my ramen and this extra topping costs $2.20 at Santouka. Definitely pricey considering how much you get. At Yah Yah Ramen, I paid $1.60 for corn and portions are about the same as Santouka. It made me want to bring my own grocery-store bought canned corn.

Flavourwise, I have no complaints. But portion-wise, there could definitely be some improvement. My bowl of shio ramen with corn cost $17 including tax and tip. Unfortunately, I wasn’t all that full! I had a look at Santouka West Broadway’s Yelp page and a few other reviews also complained that the portions were small for the price. Seems like I’m not the only one.

Overall Impression of Santouka West Broadway

My experience at the new Santouka West Broadway was satisfying in flavours, service and atmosphere but not so much in terms of portions. Even some extra noodles would help! Rating: 3.5/5

Website: www.santouka.co.jp/en/shop-foreigin/canada/foreign02-003

Iconic Vancouver Ramen House: Kintaro Ramen

January 7, 2017 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Kintaro is one of the most iconic ramen houses in Vancouver serving ramen lovers since 1999. Line-ups are common as loyal customers return for comforting bowls of ramen. Over the past year, I have eaten at Kintaro many times. I love going there for a piping hot bowl of ramen on a rainy or cold day. Here is an overall review of my experiences at Kintaro in the last year.

Kintaro Ramen Menu

Kintaro offers 14 types of ramen ranging from basic (like shoyu, shio, miso) to specialty (like cheese and cold). Their broth has been reported to be simmered for 22 hours in order to maximize the flavour from the bones. You can also customize your order by choosing the richness of your soup (rich, medium, light) and how fatty you want your cha-shu (fat or lean). Ramen bowls are known to be budget-friendly and priced around $10 – $13. If you are feeling extra hungry, you can order additional toppings, meat, noodle and soup.

Basic Interior

The interior of Kintaro is functional. It’s an unpretentious eatery where you sit down, have your bowl of ramen, and be on your way afterwards to make room for a new customer. Not your kind of place to sit down for a long romantic dinner or to bring a large group of friends. Seating is mostly along the bar overlooking the open kitchen. There are a few two-person tables and one round table which is good for a small group or for communal seating.

Photos of the kitchen are not permitted as indicated by a sign. While I enjoy the food at Kintaro, I would like to raise issue of some cleanliness issues. On my last visit, I sat at the corner next to the while and noticed some highly disturbing yellow substance mixed in with dirt (I think?) on the wall. Kintaro really needs to work on maintaining their restaurant interior to an acceptable level.

What I Tried

I have tried the following at Kintario:

Miso ramen twice ($10.45) with additional wakame seaweed ($1.25)
BBQ shoyu ramen ($11.95)
Shio ramen ($9.95)
Spicy garlic ramen ($10.95)

I have only gone with “standard” options for the In general, I have found that the noodles are cooked al-dente, the cha-shu nicely gelatinouos, and the broth to be rich and flavourful. The portions of noodles and other ingredients are reasonable too.

My favourite is the miso ramen, which is Kintaro’s best ramen. The soup is blended with soy bean paste and Japanese spices so it is very flavourful. I love to add in seaweed for some extra oomph.

Kintaro miso ramen

If I were extra hungry, the BBQ ramen is the best choice. It comes with 6 pieces of cha-shu which is bound to make you full.

Kintario BBQ ramen

The shio ramen is simpler in flavours as the soup is much milder.

Kintaro shio ramen

If you’re not planning on getting to close to other people after your meal, you might want to go for the spicy garlic ramen. It comes with a ball of freshly ground garlic and has enough heat to tickle the taste buds but not set them on fire.

Kintaro spicy garlic ramen

Overall Impression of Kintaro

I continue to be a fan of Kintaro’s food but I hope that they work on having a cleaner restaurant. There are still many types of ramen to try but I’m happy with my go-to choices as well. Rating: 4/5

Yah Yah Ya Ramen Now Open on Robson

December 26, 2016 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Japan’s Yah Yah Ya Ramen opened a Downtown Vancouver location last month at 560 Robson Street beneath Korean supermarket H-Mart. With 4 ramen restaurants in Japan (Tokyo and Sapporo), this ramen chain entered the North American market in 2014 with a location in Richmond. Yah Yah Ya specializes in Yokohama iekei ramen in which the soup base is created by boiling together pork bone, chicken bone, konbu (kelp), and vegetables for a minimum of 12 hours. This is then flavoured with soy sauce, green onion, garlic and chicken oil. Not having visited Yah Yah Ya Ramen in Richmond before, I was interested in trying out their Yokohama-style ramen. This past month, I visited them twice on cold wintry days for some comforting eats.

Spacious Ramen Eatery

Compared to popular ramen eateries in the West End, Yah Yah Ya’s Robson location is so spacious it almost feels a little awkward. Having been used to slurping up my noodles in a small, crammed up space, I quite like the extra elbow room that Yah Yah Yah Robson offers.

One interesting part of their design is their very spacious waiting area in the front of the restaurant. If you’re used to lining up outside at ramen joints elsewhere, you might find comfort in Yah Yah Ya’s inside waiting area. Perhaps something to consider on those chilly days when you want ramen and prefer not to line up outside for it.

There are a few communal tables and two-person dining tables as well. The overall atmosphere of the restaurant is clean, modern and welcoming.

Yah Yah Ya Menu

The menu features seven noodle choices: shoyu (soy), shio (salt), miso, spicy miso, black garlic tonkotsu, abura soba (soupless), and mazesoba (soupless). These range from $9.95 to $13.25 and come in either regular or large size. Additional topping such as spinach, toasted seaweed, butter corn and more are available. Orders can be customized for noodle type (hard, normal, soft), taste (heavy, normal, light) and oil amount (more, normal, less). I confirmed with one of their staff members that their noodles are pre-bought, machine made. In the West End, The Ramenman makes their own noodles.

They also offer ramen with choice of small rice sets. That is, you can enjoy ramen with onigiri, chashu don, spicy chashu don, mentaiko don, or salmon don. Cold ramen options and Japanese appetizers are also available.

What I Tried

On my first visit, I went with the conservative choice of a large shoyu ramen ($11.95) which is their No. 1 ramen. This option comes with three pieces of toasted seaweed, 2 pieces of cha-shu, and a ramen egg. For my bowl, I went with all standard choices for noodle, broth and oil amount.

One thing I found was that their noodles were very springy and chewy, perhaps a little too springy. The broth was rather light for a “standard” option and seemed not so rich and flavourful. The chashu was standard – neither too lean nor fat.

The soft boiled egg may be perhaps cooked too much as the yolk wasn’t quite runny. Overall, the ramen was just okay and filling but flavourwise not too exciting.

On my second visit, I went with the black tonkotsu ramen and went with thinner noodles and additional butter corn this time around. I think the butter corn added a lovely sweetness and creaminess to the bowl which made it overall richer and more flavourful. I quite enjoyed the softer, thin noodles with this bowl and would go with thin noodles at Yah Yah Ya in the future.

I definitely felt more satisified with this bowl than then shoyu ramen.

Overall Impression of Yah Yah Ya Ramen

While the shoyu didn’t impress me much, the black tonkotsu ramen with butter corn and thin noodles wins my heart (and stomach). The spaciousness of Yah Yah Ya Robson makes it a comfortable and enjoyable environment to enjoy a meal. If I were to revisit them in the future, I’d have the black tonkotsu again. Rating: 3.5/5

Facebook: @richmondyahyahya

Newly Opened: Touhenboku Ramen on Denman

August 16, 2016 by foodgressing 1 Comment

Another day another ramen house opens up in Vancouver. This past weekend, Touhenboku Ramen at 854 Denman Street (Denman and Haro) starting serving ramen lovers. This location marks Touhenboku’s first location in Vancouver and fourth in Canada (the other three are in the Greater Toronto area)

Touhenboku currently has a Grand Opening discount on their ramen: 30% off (August 15th – 21) and 20% off (August 22 – 29). Over the weekend, they had 50% off ramen which drew in long line ups of customers.

“Blockhead”

Touhenboku is founded by Zuimei Okuyama, who had undergone training at a famous ramen school in Chiba. He had previously opened his first ramen shop in Ueno, just outside of Tokyo. As for the origin of the restaurant’s name, Touhenboku is Japanese for “blockhead”. The name pays tribute to a cafe of the same name that Zuimei used to visit when he was young. The mascot of Touhenboku is named Tomo, a half-Japanese and half-Canadian tree bark. Tomo’s profile is on the the Touhenboku website which notes that he is 5 ft, 180 lbs and loves ramen, friends and laughing.

Credit: Touhenboku

Bright & Clean Space

Unlike most of the ramen eateries in the area which are dark and crammed, I really like Touhenboku’s bright, clean and somewhat spacious interior. The design, I would say, is a mix of contemporary and traditional Japanese. There are two large communal tables which can accommodate 6 people, small dining tables for 2 and a few counters. They also have some wooden high-chairs for the little ones. While their front windows do open up to the street, it still can get quite hot in the summer (I was sweating!).

Touhenboku Menu

Touhenboku specializes in a style of ramen from Kyushi, Japan and uses mizutaki – a slow-cooked thick, creamy chicken-based stock. In this sense, they are a competitor of nearby ramen eatery, The Ramenman which also uses a chicken broth. Pork broth is available at an extra $1.00.

The regular ramen bowls are $10.50 and include White Original, Red Spicy Ramen, Black Garlic, and Light. Specialty ones like Meatlover Chashu and Vegetarian are $13.00. You customize your soup (chicken or pork), seasoning (soya sauce, sea salt, miso), noodles (thin or thick) and meat (pork belly, pork shoulder, chicken). Each ramen bowl has some seaweed, a boiled egg, wood ear mushrooms, and green onions.

Appetizers range from karaage (fried chicken) to gyoza, takoyaki, korokke (panko croquettes), ebifry (panko-crusted prawns) and ebi mayo (tempura prawns). There are five donburi options (pork belly chashu, chicken chashu, grilled ginger pork, fried chicken and BBQ chicken). Touhenboku will have an in-house pastry chef to create desserts including tiramisu, mille crepes, Japanese cheesecake and chocolate cake. When I went, the desserts were unavailable and a few appetizer options were either unavailable or sold out. The full menu photo can be downloaded here.

What We Tried

My husband and I went for lunch and we ordered a White ramen, a Red ramen, and a karaage. To start, the karaage was lightly battered and the pieces were fairly large compared to a lot of places I have been to. The outside wasn’t as crispy as I would like but the the meat was very juicy and tender. Overall, I liked that the karaage wasn’t very oily.

For the White Ramen, we had pork broth, sea salt seasoning, thin noodles, and pork belly chashu. I quite enjoyed the rich and creamy pork broth. One thing I did noticed was that the soft boiled egg was a bit overcooked; I like a ramen egg to have a bit of a runny yolk.

There is just one piece of chashu in the ramen bowl, so I would advise ordering some more slices if you are hungry.

For the Red Ramen, we went with a chicken broth, soya sauce seasoning, thick noodles, and chicken meat. There was a nice amount of spicy kick to it. The chicken was very flavourful and tender, but there was only one piece. As mentioned earlier, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to order more meat.

The thick noodles are definitely bouncier than the thin noodles we had in the White ramen.

Service

I thought that the service at Touhenboku was better than a lot of ramen eateries in the same area. The servers checked on us more often than what I experienced elsewhere. Furthermore, I found the servers to be very friendly, energetic and more fluent in English than at other ramen houses.

Overall Impression

I thought that the ramen at Touhenboku was good though I think the ramen eggs could be improved by having a soft-set yolk. I can’t say that their ramen is that much better than other places in the area, but I did like the more relaxed atmosphere and service. Rating: 3.5/5

Facebook: @TouhenbokuVancouver

Website: www.touhenboku.ca

Hokkaido-based

Ramen Taka Menu

Interior

What We Tried

Zangi (Hokkai Chicken Karaage)

Dragon’s Rice

French Fries with Truffle Salt

Dragon’s Dewdrop

Supreme Dragon Miso

Overall Impression

J Crepe Menu

Small, Charming Space

What I Tried

Ramen Rajin Crêpe

Brûlée Crêpe

FURTUNE! Crepe

Service

Overall Impression

Minimal & Rustic Interior

Menya Ramen Menu

What I Tried

Overall Impression of Menya Ramen

Iekei Ramen Menu

Interior

What We Tried

Overall Impression of Yaguchiya Ramen

Ramen Butcher Menu

What I Tried

Overall Impression

Jinya Ramen Menu

What I Tried

Small Plates

Tonkotsu Black

Vegetable Soup Ramen

Spicy Creamy Vegan

Spicy Chicken Ramen

Cha Cha Cha

Overall Impression

Larger & Modern

HOKKAIDO RAMEN SANTOUKA MENU

What I Tried

Overall Impression of Santouka West Broadway

Kintaro Ramen Menu

Basic Interior

What I Tried

Overall Impression of Kintaro

Spacious Ramen Eatery

Yah Yah Ya Menu

What I Tried

Overall Impression of Yah Yah Ya Ramen

“Blockhead”

Bright & Clean Space

Touhenboku Menu

What We Tried

Service

Overall Impression

About Me

Recent Posts