This is my favorite beef noodle restaurant, recommended by my sister. A small bowl of beef noodles is $8-$10, and the smelly tofu is ~$8. The noodles are homemade, the beef and beef tendon soft, and my most favorite part is the broth - just so flavorful without being overly salty or oily.
Just a word of caution - this place smells when you first walk in, just gotta get used to it; the food is worth it.
Hakata Tonkotsu
~ First time trying thin noodles, pretty good and firm
~ Relatively light yet aromatic pork broth
~ Flavorful cha siu
~ Doesn't come with egg!
~ Overall quite different taste from usual ramen & I liked it
Gyoza
~ Juicy and flavorful with thin wrapping
~ Good with soy sauce or hot sauce
Red Hot Tonkotsu
~ Tasty broth, was pretty hot for me after B added half the spoon of hot sauce
By far the most plainly decorated ramen restaurant I've been to, but the food was good. Easy to miss the storefront - on College just before Bathurst if you are coming from the east.
Karaage - 3 large pieces of crispy, juicy chicken. I really liked this even without the mayo!
Hint of spice & black sesame in the breading
White Sesame Shio
- grind your own sesame provides a bit of fun, a bit of flavor in the first bite but otherwise not much sesame flavor
- thin, firm noodles - good. to me, they taste the same as the thick ones in the Black Sesame Tan Tan
- half a soft-boiled egg was okay, could be softer with more flavor
- cha siu - thin and tender, good mix of fat
- broth was relatively light, creamy, smooth, like a lighter version of tonkotsu. Despite it being sea salt, I didn't find it salty
8333 Kennedy Rd (at T&T Plaza), Markham
Discovered this Taiwanese cafe about a month ago and it's my current favorite for popcorn chicken lunch/dinner combo and a nice place for conversation. Space is large and spacious; a lot of staff compared to the low traffic. Very extensive drink menu, as well as lunch/dinner, snacks, and dessert (shaved ice, toast..)
Ordered from the $9.99 lunch/dinner menu which comes with a large drink and dessert (some jello/pudding). The complimentary garlic black pepper edamame is quite tasty as well.
Popcorn Chicken + Noodle; Grapefruit Green Tea
- large portions!! Couldn't finish at all
- popcorn chicken was crispy, light batter, and juicy
- noodle is plain white, soft, thin noodle, to balance out the saltiness of the deep fried meat, with some green veg. and egg
After badminton, we were in the area to try this lanzhou noodle place (兰州拉麵 ) for dinner on Saturday. There was a wait but luckily seated quickly. I was already disappointed by the rude service but the food made up for it.
Wow, the pork is super flavorful. Not sure what spices, it's good but at the same time sort of tastes like the pork is spoiled (?) Broth is also flavorful albeit oily. Noodles are short, thick, chewy and doughy. To my surprise, I liked this more than my own order of hand pulled noodles!
Noodles are cooked just right, flavorful broth with hint of parsley, but there weren't many pieces of beef brisket.
Not served hot enough, but I like the sauce and spices.
Served on a metal skewer, this lamb was good and again, I like the spices. Very traditional China/night market feel.
*Cash Only*
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| Sliced Noodle ~ Braised Pork |
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| Hand Pulled Noodle ~ Beef Broth, Beef Brisket |
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| Sizzling ~ Squid Tentacles |
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| Lamb Skewer |
Verdict: Good food but poor service! Small and crowded restaurant. (The tables were so close together - I'm sorry to the people beside us for moving their table as I was trying to get out!) Total for 2 people: $21
love the menu design~
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| Kakuni Ramen |
Tried Raijin a while back in the summer.. overall it was not bad. Tonkotsu broth was buttery. The pork was overcooked and tough and had an interesting sour/Chinese vinegar flavor.. not bad in itself but didn't quite fit the tonkotsu ramen. The standout item was the Gyoza! - thin skin, perfectly fried, juicy inside.
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| Spicy Ramen |
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| Tonkotsu Ramen |
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| Thick noodles |
~ They recommend thin noodles with the tonkotsu, but I opted for thick. It was firm with a springy bite, cooked just the way I like it (texture in between Kinton and Santouka)
~ Soup was slightly creamy and salty, but I still enjoyed it despite my low salt tolerance. Good hot temperature.
~ Pork - finally this is good pork! Perfect size and thickness, good balance of fat and tender meat, flavorful with slightly charred edges.
~ Softboiled egg - almost-runny sweet yolk, soft egg white with slight soy sauce flavor - so delicate! ~ Green onion added fresh taste and the black fungus was nicely cooked.
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| Shio |
Shio broth is more clear and salty. I think the pork was a bit different (less burnt?)
I was skeptical about Sansotei after reading mixed reviews on their thin noodles, but my experience was better than expected. I liked it more than Santouka.
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A lot of hype surrounding this new ramen joint from Japan. Arrived at 5:30pm Monday with no line up, but by 6, the line was already out the door!
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| Shio Ramen (Salt) $10.95 |
Shio is their signature ramen that's described as mild and creamy. You can choose the hardness of noodle, amount of lard and amount of salt. I chose less lard, but it was still quite rich and very creamy. It tastes like 豬骨湯出前一丁 Tonkotsu flavor instant noodle. Noodles were thin and relatively soft; I actually prefer more bite and springiness, so if I come back I will order harder noodles. Nothing special with the pork; two pieces seemed too little. The bowls are pretty small, but for me it was a good portion.
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| Kara Miso, $11.95 |
This broth was pretty good - creamy and spicy (but not too spicy).
Verdict: Good ramen, but I can't say it's the best.
Friendly service. They take orders on iPhone or similar device.
Side note: Mom thinks 豚王 in Hong Kong is much better.. must try that when I go back.
Finally got a chance to try Kinton Ramen last Friday. It's a really small and narrow restaurant at the end of the row of restaurants on Baldwin St. By the same owners of Guu Toronto, the atmosphere is bright and crowded with occasional shouting of greetings. Arrived at 5:30pm with a 45 minute wait, plus another 20 minute wait for food. We were seated in front of the kitchen area so I watched the chefs prepare the noodles and fried foods while waiting.
I ordered the Miso Ramen with regular broth (salt/fat level) and pork belly (choice of belly or shoulder). The noodles were hard and springy. The broth was just the right amount of saltiness with a hint of peppery spice. I didn't know the pork belly was in one big piece. It was nicely seasoned but a bit hard and dry. Overall it was a pretty good bowl of ramen but soup could be hotter in temperature and pork more tender and juicy.
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| Miso Ramen ($9.50) - soybean paste, pork belly, beansprout, scallion, corn, garlic oil |
I'm not sure what authentic ramen should taste like, but I enjoyed Kinton and am now interested in trying all the different types of broths/topping combinations to learn the differences!
Next stop: Santouka or Sansotei?
Next stop: Santouka or Sansotei?
190 University Ave.
I've wanted to try Momofuku ever since I read about the famous NYC restaurant a few years ago, so like many others, I was anticipating the opening of the Toronto location. Luckily there was no wait when I went over the long weekend. Simple glass building beside the Shangri-La.
The space feels like a cabin to me with the light wood and Canadian country-type music, and the servers wear regular clothes (no uniforms). A few communal tables and seating by the window, the back wall and the kitchen/bar area. Upstairs are the other three Momofuku restaurants - Nikai (bar/lounge), Daisho (family style sharing dishes) and Shoto (tasting menu).
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| Pork Buns ($10 for 2) |
Of course I had to try the famous Pork Buns. It was very warm and felt very 'homey' when I bit into it. The pork belly is soft and does fall apart/melt in your mouth to an extent, the bun is soft and everything tied together with the hoisin sauce (kind of like Peking duck). I think it could use more scallions and cucumbers - could not taste/see it in mine.
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| Momofuku Ramen ($15) |
The noodles were unlike anything I've eaten before - firm and slightly salty. The broth was quite oily and salty after the first few spoons. The pork shoulder and pork belly (2 pieces) were both soft, and the pickled cabbage and scallions add a good kick to cut into the fattiness/saltiness of the noodles and soup. It didn't look like it at first, but it's a pretty large and filling portion and overall it was too salty and oily.
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| Kimchi Stew ($16) |
Tried a bit of this and it doesn't taste like traditional kimchi. Looks thick and oily and the daikon was hard but I like the rice cakes!
Overall, I have to say that taste-wise it's not that great, but the whole concept is very refreshing and new. It's definitely a unique dining experience with a modern take on Korean, Chinese and Japanese dishes. The dishes may look Korean/Chinese/Japanese, but when you taste it, it's a different story - different in a good way, though some areas of execution can be improved. From the lucky peach name and logo to the creative twist on simple noodles and buns, it all comes down to branding and I think Momofuku is successful because it has created a niche, especially in Toronto where we need more variety and crave for something different.
After many years, revisited Pixel 8 for a quick and cheap ramen lunch ($4.99 + $0.75 cold drink)
HK milk tea - not bad. I like the cup - so cute and quite large portion too.
Deep Fried Pork Cutlet - crispy
Deep fried pork cutlet ramen - The ramen had raw mushrooms and corn on top with a salty clear soup base (rather than butter). As a meal, it was decent but it just didn't look or taste like ramen to me (maybe a different type?) It was thicker, starchier and not 'egg-y'.
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| in-house made lemon tea |
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| +1 for the grilled chicken - tender with a slightly sweet sauce and fragrant sesame seeds. |
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| Hokkaido Butter Ramen |
麵, 米粉
Fried Shrimp Paste - so good!
Man preparing noodles at the front of the store
A small restaurant packed with customers. They specialize in two types of noodles - the thicker yellow type and thin vermicelli type. Both are delicious and came in relatively small portions. They also serve side dishes and rice bowls.