[Japan Series] Day 3: Ippudo Ginza 一風堂銀座店

August 17, 2017August 17, 2017Leave a comment

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On Day 3, we trained to the Ginza district, which is home to one of Japan’s most expensive real estate. Here, you will find all your luxury retail stores, department stores, and fancy restaurants and cafes. Although I wasn’t expecting to purchase anything here, it is always fun to walk around and see the beautiful stores.

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There are your luxury stores here, but you can also find a huge Uniqlo store which has 12 floors! Uniqlo offers much more affordable prices and is perfect for every day wear.

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We didn’t spend too much time in department stores, but instead found Ginza Place, which actually opened in 2016, so was very new to us. Inside, it has a Nissan showroom, Sony showroom, and a few eateries.

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I am not a car person, but S is. However, I actually thought the Nissan showroom was really cool. They have some very futuristic cars including this one. I mean, how beautiful is this wooden interior? Other than cars, upstairs, we got to try the virtual reality headset, which was pretty cool. The Sony showroom also showcased many of their newest products. Worth stopping by if you’re interested in cars and to cool from the heat!

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For lunch, there weren’t too many options in the area since many are on the pricier end and we didn’t want to splurge too much. I suggested we try Ippudo Ramen. The restaurant is now a chain and has stores internationally (although none in Vancouver). Both of us haven’t tried it, so this was a great opportunity! The Ippudo Ginza location is located in an alleyway off the main street and can be a bit hidden. When we arrived, there was a short line up, but luckily there are a few chairs for us to wait outside.

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We waited around 15 minutes and got our seat at the bar right in front of the chefs. The interior is quite modern actually and the seating is rather comfortable. The table has some side dishes that go well with your ramen. My favourite was the spicy bean sprouts. So addicting!

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Gyoza

We ordered Gyozas to share and they came with a small dollop of spicy chili paste. The gyozas were small but packed with flavour and pan fried to a beautiful golden brown. Crispy on the outside and juicy inside.

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Shiromaru Classic – Special

I believe there are only 4 ramens to choose from. S and I ended up both having the Shiromaru Classic. This is their original tonkotsu ramen since their inception, so I had to see what it’s all about. The broth is cooked for over 18 hours and left to mature for 24 hours to extract the savoury taste of pork. It is served with homemade Hakata-style thin and straight noodles, cha-shu, black fungus and green onion. For 790 yen, you can get this basic bowl of ramen. However, we chose the Special which costs 1,020 yea and includes a soft boiled egg and a few sheets of seaweed. The ramen was good, but S and I both agreed we enjoyed Ichiran more. The broth is much lighter but still packed with a savoury pork flavour. My favourite was the egg though as it was cooked perfectly with the yolk spilling out. Not so sure if I would come back again in Japan again though since I thought it was quite comparable to some of the other ramen spots in Vancouver. Or maybe I’m just biased towards Ichiran!

After lunch, we walked around Ginza a bit more and began our long walk towards the Tsukiji Fish Market. To be continued…

Address: 4-10-3 Ginza | 1F Central Bldg., Chuo 104-0061, Tokyo Prefecture

[Japan Series] Day 2: A day in Shinjuku 新宿 – Ichiran 一蘭 and Wa Pasta

August 14, 2017August 13, 2017Leave a comment

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The next morning, we decided to take it slow and just walk around the streets of the Shinjuku neighbourhood. First things first – breakfast! There are many options and fancy bakeries in our neighbourhood, but trying to stick on a budget, we decided to go to Family Mart to just grab some quick snacks. I absolutely love the Family Marts and 7-Elevens in Asia. There are so many choices to choose from! My all time favourite are the onigiris. I ended up having these each morning. They are usually under 150 yen, so under CAD$2.

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Shinjuku station is known as the world’s busiest railway station and home to the business and entertainment district. On a weekday morning, it wasn’t too busy as most locals were at work. Of course, it is still much more busy than the streets of Vancouver though! We decided to check out many of the famous Japanese department stores (because there is always so much to see even if we can’t afford it!) and also admire the tall buildings and towers in the area.

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Getting close to lunch time, I suggested we check out Ichiran 一蘭, one of my favourite ramen spots in Japan. It is a chain restaurant, but I don’t care, because I absolutely love their ramen! If you’ve had Danbo Ramen in Vancouver and like it, then I’m pretty sure you will enjoy Ichiran. We went to the Shinjuku location, but there are Ichiran stores in almost every district.

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Even though we went to the restaurant before the peak lunch time, there was already a line up, and it didn’t stop after. Once you get closer into the store, there is a ticket machine, where you purchase your ticket for your ramen. This is really common in Japan, and I absolutely love it, as you don’t need to worry about payment after. The hostess can help you out if you have some trouble with the Japanese menu, but usually you can sort of figure it out. Then you are taken down closer to the seating area, where you will see a light up board that shows which seats are available. It’s super high tech like that! The hostess will also give you a piece of paper so you can fill out your specifications of the ramen you ordered.

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The seating here is perfect for single diners as there are dividers separating each diner. However, you can easily close the divider so you can see your friend! This location only has 19 seats, but ramen is quick, so the turnover is usually within 30 minutes for each diner.

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Here is the ordering menu once you have purchased your ramen ticket. I like how they have an english version now, so no need to worry if you can’t read any Japanese. Here is my order! Once you are ready, you click the button on your table and hand your sheet along with your ticket you purchased to the person behind your table. I believe the ramen is 790 yen, and the soft boiled egg is at an additional cost.

Once you’ve handed in your order sheet and ticket, the person will pull the blind down. You basically won’t ever see the people behind the blinds during your whole visit. I love this intimacy so you can just enjoy your food. There are also cups on the side, green tea powder, and a tap for hot water so you can make your own green tea. I ordered the marinated soft boil egg, and this comes with the shell and a packet of salt. You will have to peel your own egg, but it’s worth it!

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As you can see, the egg yolk in Japan is almost orange! Quite different from what I’m used to. The egg yolk is not really runny here, but more of a medium creamy texture. I still find it great with the ramen! You can also dip it with some salt to eat on its own.

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Here is my order of ramen. The broth is rich and flavourful, and the noodles are thin and firm, just the way I like it. The selling point here is the spicy sauce, which is not numbing spicy, but extremely flavourful instead. Even if you don’t like spicy, like S, he still really enjoyed the broth on its own.

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S paid extra to purchase the extra chashu ticket. However, we were quite disappointed with this and the amount you get. I would skip this next time. Even the chashu that comes with the ramen already is not anything exciting. They are not known for the chashu, but rather the broth, spicy sauce, and noodles. Definitely would skip the extra meat next time.

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After lunch, we continued to wander the streets of Shinjuku. We ended up inside Mylord, a trendy department store with 7 floors of shopping and 3 floors or restaurants. As our feet were getting tired, we decided to stop by a cafe to cool down and rest our feet. We ended up at Wa Pasta, which I can’t seem to find the restaurant name anymore. So not sure if the name changed, or if it no longer exists. I got the Yuzu and Orange Pudding which was creamy smooth and perfect with the citrus.

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S got the Hazelnut Chocolate Cream Puff. Sweet and beautifully presented, perfect for those who love chocolate.

Overall, a cute cafe with both pastas and desserts to choose from. Mylord has so many options to choose from, so is a great place to stop by after shopping.

Ichiran (Shinjuku Central East Entrance location)

Address: 3-34-11 Shinjuku | Peace Bldg B1F, Shinjuku 160-0022, Tokyo Prefecture

Mylord Shinjuku

Address: Mylord, 1 Chome-1-3 Nishishinjuku, 新宿区 Tokyo 160-0023, Japan

Taishoken

June 8, 2017June 7, 2017Leave a comment

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Taishoken has been around for many years now, but for some reason or another, I never visited the restaurant. Possibly because its in Chinatown and I don’t go to that area that often. We arrived after work and were surprised to see a line up but luckily the wait was only around 15 minutes.

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They have around 6 options for ramen, but they are well known for their tsukemen, or dipping ramen.

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Pork Gyoza

You can add $3.50 to get a side with your ramen, so we got the Pork Gyoza. With a very nice char and crispy edges, these reminded me of the ones we had in Japan.

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Tonkotsu

S got the Tonkotsu which comes with 2 slices of pork chashu, bamboo shoots, seaweed, green onion and a soft boiled egg. The broth is a mix of pork and chicken. The broth is much thicker than what we are normally used to, so I thought it was bit oily although it was very flavourful.

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Tsukemen

For myself, I had to get what they are famous for, which is the Tsukemen. You can choose between, original, spicy or garlic miso. You also have the option to choose cold or warm noodles. I went for the original broth with cold noodles. The noodles come separately from the broth, so that you can dip the noodles into the broth each time you eat. The rich shoyu pork and chicken broth is topped with 2 slices of chashu, green onion, seaweed, bamboo shoots and a soft boiled egg. The noodles are much firmer and thicker, but they are meant to be this way so that the thick broth sticks to the noodles. I really enjoyed the broth, but the problem I had was that the broth got cold very quickly. However, I saw some other guests ask for a hot stone to put under the bowl, so perhaps that could solve the problem. You can choose between lean or fatty pork as well, and of course I got the latter. I liked how the pork is a bit charred so it gives a smoky flavour. The fatty pork melts in your mouth, so I would definitely get that again. The egg was a bit of a disappointment though as it was not runny.

Overall, I can see why people line up for Taishoken. I would recommend getting the Tsukemen, but I think the Tonkotsu was nothing too special compared to the other ramen shops in Vancouver. Prices are pretty reasonable and service was typical to other ramen shops.

Pros:
– Good for tsukemen
– Cha-shu is nicely charred and melts in your mouth

Cons:
– Seating is a bit cramped and not very comfortable
– Broths can be a bit greasy

Price Range: $10-15

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 3 Service: 3 Ambiance: 2 Parking: 2 Overall: 3

The Ramenman

July 20, 2016July 19, 2016Leave a comment

The Ramenman opened last year but recently I’ve been seeing tons of posts on this restaurant. Since I’m always on the lookout for good ramen, I suggested to S we give it a try. It’s literally on the other side of Robson from Marutama.

You can watch the chefs in action by sitting right at the bar table. The other tables are communal tables with a few tables for four. It wasn’t very busy on a Friday night.

Water is self serve and comes in these glass bottles.

Chicken Ramen

Ramenman focusses mainly on chicken ramen with variations to it such as the clam, stew, and of course the original. S decided to go with the regular Chicken Broth which comes with your choice of pork or chicken or a mix, bamboo shoots, green onion oil, green onions, corn, garlic , ramen egg and black pepper. S chose pork and their pork char shiu is quite different as it is cooked with a sous-vide method. That’s why you’ll notice it is pink in colour, but it’s actually cooked thoroughly. I loved their meat as it is so soft! The chicken broth also had a lot of depth and was velvety smooth.

Vegetarian Ramen

For myself, I heard that the Vegetarian Ramen was really good so gave it a try and made it non-vegetarian by adding pork char-siu. I usually choose meat options if available, but this vegetarian broth blew my mind. Yes, it lacked the richness of what a pork broth would have, but the vegetarian broth was still very flavourful of shiitake mushrooms and kombu and was not too salty. It came with spinach, corn, bamboo shoots, green onion, cabbage, chili pepper, black pepper and some crispy lotus chips.

As for the noodles, they are the straight kind and were cooked to an al dente.

The vegetarian broth also comes with a 63 degree egg and upon cutting into the egg, the yolk just spilled out. So good!

Overall, I was very impressed with The Ramenman even though they don’t offer my favourite pork based broth. I highly suggest trying the vegetarian broth and adding the pork char-siu. It may not be your traditional ramen with the sous-vide technique, but is definitely worth trying.

Pros:
– Flavourful broths without being too salty
– Sous-vide pork is tender and moist

Cons:
– Not for you if you’re looking for traditional ramen

Price Range: $10-15/person

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food:4 Service: 3 Ambiance: 3 Parking: 3 Overall: 4

Ramen Gojiro

May 8, 2016May 9, 2016Leave a comment

Seeing all the pictures of fried chicken on ramen on social media, I told S that this was a must try. Ramen Gojiro is part of the Menya Kouji group which also owns Ramen Butcher and Taishoken. Their newest ramen shop is located in the core of downtown featuring jiro-style ramen which means thick noodles and lots of toppings.

The interior is actually quite spacious and can fit quite a lot of diners. The kitchen is pretty much open so you can watch the action of the ramen chefs. Even though the space can fit around 20-30 people, there is always a line up! We arrived at around 5:30 and luckily were in the front of the line. By the time it was around 6pm, the line up was already very long.

The menu is quite simple. You can choose between fried chicken or chashu on your ramen. You can then choose to have their classic chicken and pork broth or the same broth with a spicy sauce. In addition, you can get the bakamori, which means you get more of everything. They also now offer tsukemen which are cold noodles in a separate hot broth you dip in.

Original Karaage

We were worried that having fried chicken on a hot broth would ruin the crispiness of the chicken, so we decided to order the Karaage on the side instead. You can choose to have this with a dipping sauce for $0.40 more, but we just got the original. These are big chunks of meat and are lightly battered so very crispy! They sure know how to make good fried chicken here.

Basic Chashu

S got the Basic Chashu and added an ajitama (soft boiled marinated egg). They will ask you if you want a fatty or lean broth, of which S chose the former. They will also ask you if you want garlic on top, which S got. The ramen noodles are quite thick (the size of spaghetti) and come loaded with bean sprouts. We were disappointed with the broth as we found it lacked flavour and depth. The chashu was also a miss for us as I found the meat very dry and the fatty parts did not have the melt in your mouth texture.

Spicy Chashu

For myself, I got the Spicy Chashu of which I found the broth to be slightly more rich and flavourful. I asked for mild spicy so this was the perfect amount of spice for me personally. The egg was decent, although I still prefer Marutama’s.

Overall, S and I were both not a fan of the thick noodles and all the bean sprouts but I know many enjoy this style of ramen. I don’t think we will be returning any time soon although we did enjoy their chicken karaage. Worth a try if you are interested in trying a new style of ramen or if you prefer thicker styles of ramen. Oh, and they offer you bibs to wear to avoid any splashing on your clothes!

Pros:
– Chicken karaage is moist inside and crispy on the outside
– Portions are pretty big, especially if you get the bakamori

Cons:
– Personally did not enjoy all the bean sprouts and thicker noodles
– Chashu was too dry and had too much fat

Price Range: $10-15/person

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 3 Service: 3.5 Ambiance: 3 Parking: 2.5 Overall: 3

Ramen Koika

December 28, 2015December 28, 2015Leave a comment

Lately I’ve been on a bit of a ramen craze so I’ve been trying out different ramen shops around Vancouver. One shop on my list was Ramen Koika on Davie Street.

Ramen Koika is known for their ramen burgers which consists of two dried ramens in substitute of the burger bun. The interior is a decent size and when we arrived on a Wednesday evening around 5:30pm, it was almost empty.

Black Garlic Ramen

I heard that the ramen burger isn’t that great and would be messy to eat, so I decided to try one of their ramens instead. The Black Garlic Ramen consisted of bamboo shoots, roasted seaweed, a soft boiled egg, cha-shu, black fungus, green onion, garlic chips, and black garlic oil. You can choose between soft or hard noodles of which I chose the latter. You can also choose lean or fatty for cha-shu and of course I went for the fatty. The cha-shu is interesting since it is lightly grilled on the stove so it has a smoky flavour. However, I found that the noodles didn’t soak up the broth. Therefore, I found the noodles to be rather bland. Quite average.

Sizzling Yaki Soba

S got the Sizzling Yaki Soba which only comes with a soft noodle. It consisted of cabbage, spring onion, onions, bean sprouts, beef, red pepper, mushrooms, black fungus, and carrots. This was quite a big portion and S said it was quite good.

Overall, I found Ramen Koika to be just average and would much prefer the ramen shops along Robson or Denman. They aren’t exactly your traditional Japanese ramen shops, so if you’re looking for fusion ramen, then this is a good choice. Service was quite friendly and we even got 10% off on our bill. Not sure if it was because we were dining early evening.

Pros:
– Smoky cha-shu
– Large variety of ramen choices

Cons:
– Not your authentic Japanese ramen

Price Range: $10-15

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 3 Service: 3 Ambiance: 3 Parking: 3 Overall: 3

G-Men @ NanChuu (Revisit)

July 24, 2015July 23, 2015Leave a comment

It’s been many years since I’ve posted about G-Men @ NanChuu. Not because I haven’t revisited in all these years, but sometimes when I revisit a restaurant, I just simply want to eat and enjoy my food. Well after go-karting with SS, SF, and J, we decided to grab some ramen in Richmond and G-Men was what was suggested. There is literally always a line up here – and I’m not really sure why because I don’t think it’s as good as the ones in downtown. I guess there’s few ramen joints in Richmond, so this will do. We ended up waiting over 30 minutes for a table.

RCMP Ramen

SF was craving spicy so she got the RCMP Ramen which comes with thick noodles in a red chili miso pepper flavour soup. The soup looked pretty red, but SF said it actually wasn’t that spicy.

Tonkotsu Miso Ramen with Ajitama

SS and J both got the Tonkotsu Miso Ramen and paid an additional $1.50 for an ajitama (marinated egg). The thick noodles are in a miso flavour pork bone broth. SS thought this was pretty good.

I didn’t like how the eggs were overcooked. I like it when the yolk is still runny.

Miso Cheese Kimchi Ae Soba

For myself, I decided to be adventurous and try something new. The Miso Cheese Kimchi Ae Soba is soupless according to the menu. The special thick noodle tossed in a small amount of miso flavour pork bone broth. I found that the broth was really thick so it got really salty. It’s topped with a marinated egg, cha-shu, corn, kimchi, seaweed, a slice of cheese, and green onions. I mixed everything together and the cheese and ramen were odd at first, but it actually works out. Not bad, but probably a one time try. I think I’d like to stick with the originals.

Pros:
– Good variety of choices
– Decent and consistent eats

Cons:
– Long waits
– I find the soup base to usually be too salty

Price Range: $10-15

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 3 Service: 3 Ambiance: 3 Parking: 1 Overall: 3

Ramen Jinya

June 26, 2015June 26, 2015Leave a comment

Ramen Jinya, located on Robson, closer towards Cambie, has been around Vancouver for many years. Finally, on a sunny weekend, S and I decided to try it out with K. We went at a pretty odd time in the afternoon, so we only had a short wait. Still, the place is packed any time of the day!

The interior is nice and modern, and seating feels much more spacious than many other ramen shops in Downtown. Service was also extremely friendly and attentive.

Crispy Chicken with Salad

S went for a combo for his noodles, so by adding an extra $4.50, he got the Crispy Chicken with Salad. I didn’t try this but it had a very nice crispy golden batter.

Tonkotsu Miso Ramen

K got the Tonkotsu Mison Ramen, which features pork belly char-siu, kikurage, green onion, spicy been sprouts, and corn. He said it was pretty good.

Tonkotsu Classic Ramen – Shio

S got the Tonkotsu Classic Ramen, which features a shio soup base. It featured pork belly char-siu, Kikurage, green onion, and fried onion.

JINYA Tonkotsu Black

For myself, I went with the JINYA Tonkotsu Black, which is their number one seller. It offers original pork broth with pork belly char-siu, kikurage, green onions, flavoured boiled egg, seaweed, black garlic oil, and garlic chips. I liked how the garlic oil wasn’t overbearing here, but you still got that hint of garlic flavour. The noodles they use in this broth are thin noodles, which I like since I find them more chewy.

Overall, Jinya didn’t disappoint and is a great option for ramen in Vancouver. Service is also extremely friendly. Jinya recently also opened a new store in Kerrisdale, so hopefully that disperses the crowds at the downtown location.

Pros:
– Great broth and noodles
– Friendly service

Cons:
– Expect waits during prime hours

Price Range: $10-20

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 3.5 Service: 4 Ambiance: 3 Parking: 3 Overall: 3.5

Every Day is a Food Day

Tag: Ramen

[Japan Series] Day 3: Ippudo Ginza 一風堂銀座店

[Japan Series] Day 2: A day in Shinjuku 新宿 – Ichiran 一蘭 and Wa Pasta

Taishoken

The Ramenman

Ramen Gojiro

Ramen Koika

G-Men @ NanChuu (Revisit)

Ramen Jinya