bmoddo's Profile
Eye Weekly on Ramen in Toronto
The tonkotsu ramen at Kenzo. Let's start with the basics. The soup. It was hot and a creamy white (see photo). The toppings, baby bokchoi, negi, beansprouts, egg, tamago, menma (shinachiku) and chashu were all present (again, see photo).
Noodles. A little thick, perhaps, but a lovely texture; well, I like them. Trouble is, noodles ignite such passionate debates amongst people. Could they be thinner, maybe.
Chashu. Isn't as tender as it used to be and not as tender as I've had elsewhere and at other times, like I said, decent flavor and all, but not succulent.
Soup's flavour? Was very nice. The soup was not fatty, nor bitter (from over cooking pork stock, a terrible waste of soup that). It was very enjoyable.
Had a long chat with the owner about soup. He's been working on the tonkotsu ramen for a while now. Have to give him credit for really working at it.
Is it "the perfect bowl of ramen"? Subjective that one. How's this, when I get back from Japan I'll have more experiences to compare with. But for now, I enjoy the ramen at Kenzo's. Yep, I've had a few not so great bowls of ramen there. I've had some "memorable" ramen at other places too, some good, some not. (Hey, we've all been there... scarfing down cup ramen with a few toppings on it out of desperation, right? [or maybe that's just me...])
How do 'we' (in Toronto) get better noodles? Eat more. The more you eat, the more it looks like a market and the more people will open up shop...
Simple no?
ご馳走様でした!
b.moddo
PS: Naruto... I'm not quite sure why there was naruto on tonkotsu ramen... seemed a little out of place... I ate it anyhow.
Kenzo is now downtown. (Ramen.)
The owner used to make the noodles at the old location. I'd presume that this is the case at the new location. Easiest thing is to ask him, which I'll do next time I go.
There are obviously great passions over noodles! Who knew!
Kenzo is now downtown. (Ramen.)
So, yes. Those of us that care for Japanese noodles have no doubt heard that Kenzo is now open on Dundas St. near Elizabeth. And I know that some people have been unhappy with either the service or the wait, in some cases and to the impatient and the uptight these things matter. Myself, I care about the noodles and the soup and the new Kenzo's is doing just fine. Yes, there are up days and down days and I honestly suggest going back a few times before you write it off.
Frankly, the Ramen at Kenzo's made my Japanese friends very happy, which is good enough for me. I've sent co-workers there and they've been happy. I've been twice now and the shoyu ramen is most excellent. Piping hot soup, the noodles are perfect. If there was one missing thing it would be menma (shinachiku) [fermented bamboo] as a topping... but feat not! This too is coming!! The owner is importing it from the west coast. You kind of need it to round out the taste of ramen, well, I think so anyhow as to any of my Japanese friends who like ramen...
The staff will get into a routine, the menu will grow and stabilize and the returning customers will just keep coming back. In short, it's already good... it's just going to get better.
I've been to Aji-sen, and in all honesty I found the noodles and what passes for ramen to be completely lacking. Kenzo on the other hand brings it to the table better than any other place in the city. Okay, it might be a 'far cry' from ramen in Japan...but, like I said, none of my friends from Japan had any complaints about Kenzo's ramen, so it must be pretty good. What am I saying!? It IS pretty good!
So, don't be put off by the odd raging hippo.... go, don't be in a hurry, take in the smells and flavours. Slurp your noodles when you eat! Drink from the bowl! Lose your sanitized North American soul in a bowl of nice, hot noodles! Come on! You know you want it!
Eye Weekly on Ramen in Toronto
I don't disagree about the subjectivity where it comes to Ramen. I won't be beating a path back to Konnichiwa for ramen any time soon.
It wasn't "retch inducing" and it wasn't "ramen-nirvana"... it just was.
Now, on the subject of really bad ramen... Ladies and gentlemen I give you Ajisen... one of the worst bowls of ramen I've ever had and won't have again.
It was ugly (as in not a nice presentation)... the broth was... (okay, here's a subjective quip) the broth was nasty; as in not what I like in a broth. The pork was waaaay over done; again, not how I like it. The egg, if it has been whole could've been used as a squash ball; Wotan only knows how they even cut it. The noodles...well, the noodles were more like spaghetti than ramen noodles; even allowing for regional and individual differences these noodles were on the "chunky" side for ramen.
Would I go back? No. No I wouldn't...
このラーメンはおいしいではありませんでした!
b.moddo
good places to go in the suburbs?
I'm not Korean, heck, I'm not even Asian but as a Korean friend of mine said one day "wait a minute! You're only white on the outside aren't you!?" And I do know good food when I find it and you can find it at Miga.
The place is jumping all the time, the tables great. The staff is super attentive; or maybe that's because they were worried about me having an "occident".
We ordered "family bbq #1" or food for 4. It was more than enough and the flavours were out of this world.
They also so a shabu-shabu for about 49.00; which we're going back for.
Do I recommend it? Well, for what it's worth, yes. If you don't live in the 'asuga or there abouts the drive is worth it. And it's a great way to spend time with the family doing something we all love to do... eat great food.
b.moddo
Buk Chang Dong Soon Tofu - Uptown
Sounds like this one is next on my list; MSG notwithstanding. I can almost taste it now...
The omnivore's creed.
"Live to eat. Don't eat to live."
b.moddo
Eye Weekly on Ramen in Toronto
Okay, so further to my previous comment on the zen of ramen. I just had lunch at Konichiwa on Baldwin. Recalling that each and every ramen place will have it's own take on ramen from noodles to soup, I have to say I was mostly satisfied with the shoyu ramen with pork that was lunch.
The soup was piping hot, the toppings were fresh; not steamed/boiled to near death. The presentation; which is important, was lovely (see attached photo).
The downside? It was a little heavy on the garlic, but then it said quite clearly on the menu that this was a garlic shoyu, so I'm okay with the garlic; it did overpower the soup base a little but it was still quite enjoyable. The pork wasn't quite fatty enough for my taste and while cut nicely was a little and I mean a very little less tender that it might've been.
Would I recommend Konichiwa? Yes I would. Is it THE best ramen place in Toronto? I'd have to cite my previous post and say again that if you enjoy it for what it is it's all good.
Did I enjoy my meal? Absolutely. Check it out, give it a go and post your thoughts.
b.moddo
Eye Weekly on Ramen in Toronto
I've only recently started to work my way through the few Ramen places in Toronto. It's sad that there are so few in a city as large as TO, but there we are.
So far Kenzo is my favourite. I've been back a number of times and while it did change owners recently and there was a problem with getting ingredients for some (shio) soup bases, the rest of the menu changed hands very, very well.
Why do I like it? Well, for starters it's not a chain. Next up, the owner is there most if not all of the time. The noodles are simply fabulous. The variety is great; many ramen places will only have 1 or 2 types to choose from; shoyu and miso for example, not that this is a bad thing...
In the end its just really hard to compare one ramen place to another since each place puts it's own spin on the ramen. Same goes for Udon really. In my experience so far, each bowl should be enjoyed for itself and if you happen to find a place that makes it to your satisfaction; be it a chain or not, then bully for you and keep going back.
Now, If I could find a ramen place a little closer to home, that'd be a bonus. Wonder if I can get a transfer to Yokohama? Hmmm...
b.moddo.
