Danbo on 4th

Click to add a blog post for Ramen Danbo on ZomatoI was excited to hear about a new ramenya that has just opened up. A Japanese had recommended, so we had high expectations. Our company went for lunch. There were 5 of us.
The tiny restaurant was jam packed with a lineup. However, it was about a 10 minute wait. It would have been much longer if we all wanted to sit together, but 3 seats at a counter and a table of 2 opened up, so we agreed to split. I got the table. It was crammed and hard to get through the tiny crack between the tables.

idearabbit-danbo1 idearabbit-danbo2 idearabbit-danbo3They only serve 4 different ramen; Classic Tonkotsu Ramen $9.45, Negi-goma Tonkotsu Ramen $11.95, Blazing Hot Rekka Ramen $10.45 and Yakibuta Chashu Pork Ramen $11.95

idearabbit-danbo4I ordered the Negi-goma, topped with lots of green onions, pork slices, toasted sesame seeds and white sesame oil. Supposedly, this is the healthiest bowl. When the bowl arrived, we were shocked at how small the bowl was – especially for being more pricey than other ramenya. I could have easily had 2 servings. It has been the smallest ramen bowl I’d ever seen in my life.

idearabbit-danbo5My coworker ordered the Yakibuta Chashu Pork Ramen $11.95.

You can ‘customize’ your ramen by choosing the firmness of the noodles (5 levels; very firm, firm, standard, soft, very soft), the thickness of the noodle broth (light, standard, strong), and the amount of lard (none, standard, a lot) and spicy tare sauce (none, standard, a lot). And with additional fee, add toppings. I choose standard for all with no additional topping.

The men (noodle) was the thin type, and al dante. The coworker I was sitting with at the table and I both agreed that we were happy we ordered the standard because it was already so uncooked, we wondered what ‘very firm’ would have been like. The pork slices were too fatty – I left them…

idearabbit-danbo6We had one order of pan fried Gyoza $4.75 to share between the two of us. It was a bit burnt, but otherwise good flavour.

We all had different bowls, but all 4 of us agreed it was not good (or just not to our liking). Nothing special about the broth either. The price didn’t justify the quantity or deliciousness – though perhaps if I grew up in Fukuoka, I might have loved it because I would be used to it. Still, if there are no thumbs up from the team, it’s not just good.

Service was satisfactory, despite the lineups and busy atmosphere.
Men (noodles) = not good
Broth = ok
Setting = too crammed, loud, lineups
Price = too high in consideration for everything, even if it’s on 4th Ave by Burrard

Taste: carrotcarrot    Price for Value: carrotcarrot

Atmosphere:  carrotcarrot   Service:  carrotcarrotcarrot
Location: carrotcarrotcarrotcarrot

Would not return.