Tag Archives: gyoza

The Ramenman

The Ramenman Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - ZomatoDisclaimer: *This was a complimentary meal. This post was not edited or written for monetary compensation, and are solely my opinions and observations.

I was kindly invited by Loopp Media to their food tasting event at The Ramenman in the West End. I was super excited because I LOVE ramen!

idearabbit_theramenman14 idearabbit_theramenman13The restaurant is a small, modern hipsterish decor with one long wooden table and two small tables at the back for two seats each. We sat at the long table on metal stools. With space being limited,  hooks are available under the table for your bags and coats. As soon as we walked in, we noticed the heat and humidity. And although the Edison incandescent lightbulbs looked great, it likely added to the heat. They seem to have an AC mounted to the back wall, but it didn’t seem to be on.idearabbit_theramenman20

idearabbit_theramenman12The menu is simple, with 4 selection of ramen to choose from. idearabbit_theramenman10 idearabbit_theramenman3Their broth are based on chicken, rather than the usual pork. This was great, because I love chicken out of all meats, and I often end up ordering chicken ramen at other places anyways. The use of chicken as broth comes from Kansai (the western side of Japan like Osaka, Kyoto, etc), but they also have 100% vegetarian broth as well.

idearabbit_theramenman7idearabbit_theramenman5I ordered the Chicken x Clams $11.75 where you have the choice of pork, chicken or both for the meat (not soup). I of course, chose chicken.

idearabbit_theramenman8I also had a side order of Pork Scallop Gyoza $4.75 (4 pieces). They were authentic Japanese style, crispy flat on one side while the pleats side is softer. I have never had scallops in my gyoza, so that was a pleasant surprise of the mixture. It went really well with the pork and the sauce mix was really good. I had read several older reviews where people were wishing the place served gyoza, but now they’ve added to the menu! And it’s a good thing they did!

idearabbit_theramenman4The ramen arrived in a bowl that’s traditionally known in Japan with the Chinese design/pattern on them. Ah, slightly nostalgic…The spoons was humongous! Sorry, I must say this 「デカッ!」(huge!)

I haven’t had clams in my ramen before, so that was new. However, my friend told me of Chinese noodle soups that were similar to these, and he said it even tasted similar to them. The noodles were al dente, which unfortunately, I’m not a fan of. However the firmness wasn’t as hard as the other ramen places in town, so I didn’t notice it as much. The lightness of the soup was enjoyable. The thick but soft chunks of chicken were cold so I dipped them under the noodles to warm them up, and took off some of the fatty parts. However, it was super soft and wasn’t like chicken that I’ve ever had before. It also had some finely diced red onions for extra flavour.

idearabbit_theramenman6My friend also ordered the Chicken x Clams but with pork pieces. The first thing you noticed was how pink the meat was. Unlike other chasu in ramen that are usually beige to brown, this was more like ham. This doesn’t mean that it’s not cooked! It’s a method called sous vide (from French meaning “under vacuum” where the food is sealed in airtight bags and then placed in a water bath or in a temperature-controlled steam environment. The result of cooking longer and at lower temperatures than usual cooking, is the meat being cooked evenly, while retaining moisture and flavour. With many people inquiring about the ‘raw’ meat, I suggest explaining it on the menu, and actually featuring it as one of their USP (Unique Selling Points). Sorry, my marketing brain is intruding here, lol,

idearabbit_theramenman9idearabbit_theramenman21For his side order, he had Karrage $4. I had a piece, and it was super hot and juicy inside, with a crispy, crunchy outer layer. The spicy sauce gave it a nice punch. The meat was marinated to perfection. Thumbs up!

Service was prompt and satisfactory. Would return!

idearabbit_theramenman2Owner Jun giving us the superhero pose :)

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Taishoken

Taishoken Ramen Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - ZomatoThe place was packed. We had to line up for about 20 minutes in the cold outside. There were 5 of us, so a little tricky seating us in a small-midsize restaurant with limited space. They were playing hip-hop music.

I ordered their signature bowl, Tsukemen $11.95 You have the choice of shoulder, belly or both. I chose the lean one – shoulder, and to be served warm. I was surprised to see the contents in Japanese (romaji)…who will know what it is if they don’t understand Japanese? It has 2 slices of pork chashu, negi (green onions), memma (flavoured bamboo shoots), aji-tama (flavoured egg), and nori (seaweed). For the broth, you have the option to get the original (which I got), spicy and karamiso (spicy miso). idearabbit_taishoken1 idearabbit_taishoken4 idearabbit_taishoken3 idearabbit_taishoken2

idearabbit_taishoken71 friend ordered the Tonkotsu $9.95. He liked the noodles, but wasn’t all that impressed by the broth. He liked Danbo’s broth more which we had tried a week earlier.

idearabbit_taishoken6Another was brave to try out the Tomato Cheese $12.75, and the other 2 had the Tsukemen as well. My friend with the Tomato Cheese was not happy. We all had a bite and it tasted like tomato pasta or pizza. It wasn’t at all Japanese like, and it didn’t really go well with the pasta-tomato like sauce. And tofu in a bowl of ramen? Friend’s rating: 2/5

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My broth was rather lukewarm. I told the others which was their first time trying a tsukemen ramen that the broth was usually quite concentrated and salty since you were suppose to dip a bit and not ‘dump’ all the noodles in it for a long period of time.

idearabbit_taishoken9 idearabbit_taishoken10It was a bit embarrassing to find that, that was not the case. I ended up putting all the noodles into the soup bowl. It lacked a richness to it. It was ok, but would not order it again. My rating: 3/5 idearabbit_taishoken5

I also ordered a Okonomi Gyoza $4.50 to try out with everyone. Luckily, it had 5 pieces. It was interesting…just bonito and okonomi sauce on gyoza. (If you order the side sides with a ramen bowl – which I suppose most would be having a ramen, the side orders are only $3.50)

Service was satisfactory. I would like to try something simple, like the Torigara next time to try out a ramen in a soup base before I conclude my final decision on the place. That means I’ll be back!

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Motomachi Shokudou

Click to add a blog post for Motomachi Shokudo on ZomatoIt had been several years since I had gone to Motomachi Shokudou. With so many ramenya opening up in Vancouver, you can never run out of choices. I was craving some good authentic Japanese ramen, so I decided to come here again.
The tiny restaurant was packed, but luckily, we only had to wait a few minutes before a tiny table opened up for Sheepie and I.

idearabbit-motomachishokudo1 idearabbit-motomachishokudo2idearabbit-motomachishokudo4 idearabbit-motomachishokudo5I ordered the Bamboo Charcoal Dark Miso Ramen $10.55. The colour may not look too appetizing, but the flavour was unique – in a good way. There were lots of noodles, more than most other places which would be floating in a lot of soup. For the first time in a long time, the chashu (sliced pork belly) had no fat at all. It was on the chewy-hard side, but I prefer that than the fatty, greasy slimy ones. The broth, being it based on miso was quite salty for my liking. Bonus – comes with a pretty flower on the ramen tray.

idearabbit-motomachishokudo7idearabbit-motomachishokudo6Sheepie ordered Shio Ramen with Natural Salt and Seasonal vegetables $10.50. I tried a bit of it and it was refreshing. Mmmmm….again, lots of noodles and goodies. Broth was light but flavourful. Quite delicious.

idearabbit-motomachishokudo3And one order of Gyoza to share. It was hot, juicy and authentic. Very good.
Ever since going, I’ve been craving to go back to Motomachi Shokudo again!

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