It’s November, and although it hardly came in with a bang (did you see that sunshine?!), it’s here now. I love November. It means rain and boots and sweaters and for foodies it also means ramen. What could be better on a cold day than a huge bowl of delicious, hot noodle soup? We’re lucky in Vancouver to have so many more options than the backpackers’ DIY Ichiban, so this week I’m going to do a ramen roundup.
First up is Menya – my go to only because it’s quick and close to my work – but also good quality ramen. The mainstay here is tonkatsu ramen; this type is made from pork bone and usually has a thick, cloudy broth with a variety of other ingredients thrown in. As I came to learn, on my ramen quest, there are several types of ramen and the tonkatsu type comes from the Kyushu region of Japan.
At Menya, the Tonkatsu Miso ramen comes with two chah su (BBQ) pork slices, with cold corn nibblets that contrast against the steaming broth. Bamboo slices, bean sprouts and green onions also share space with slightly firm, long, straight noodles.
The broth is thick and creamy, with a little bit of pork fat that was not reflected in the dry slices of meat the last time I was there. But the noodles were near-perfect and I had no trouble slurping it all up:
My partner Matt had the Jae Jae noodle dish; ground pork in thick peanuty broth with bok choy on top. This one was very flavourful and comes with both a wooden spoon and a slotted spoon for scooping up the pork.
Occasionally, I order the cha su don; pork slices with pickled daikon, caramelized onions, scallions, a boiled egg , bean sprouts, and rice. You don’t get the comfort that you do from the steaming soup, but it’s rich and flavorful (and colourful!) and the flavour balance between salt (in the egg) and tang (from the daikon) is pleasant. The rice mediates nicely between them.
For folks with a bigger appetite, you can get the combo – it comes with a nori-wrapped rice ball (triangle) and 5 tiny gyoza – or order either of these separately.
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Menya Japanese Noodle
401 W Broadway, Vancouver
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Menya is one of our favourites. It’s not the best in town, but it is friendly and reliable, not to mention conveniently close. Add kid-friendly, and we have a winner. And they’ve got some of my origami on display, too.
they do?! I missed your origami. going to have to get back there and check it out.
Taped to the wall next to the cash window.
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Your post says “Tonkatsu” when it should read “Tonkotsu”.
Tonkatsu = Breaded fried pork chop
Tonkotsu = Wonderfully rich pork broth used in ramen
I made the same embarrassing mistake when first learning about Japanese Cuisine.
As long as we are discussing embarrassing mistakes, the first time I went to Menya I ordered tonkotsu miso ramen which was average at best. However, the next time I ordered the ‘nagahama ramen’, which uses the thinner, straight ramen noodles that I find much tastier and quite common in the Kyushu region.
Thank you.
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