I moved to Canada with my family when I was 5 from China to St. John’s Newfoundland. It was a bit of a culture shock. I remember being incredibly upset the first time I was introduced to pizza, refusing to eat any of the cheese and crying for congee. Needless to say, growing up Turkey was not the centerpiece of our holiday meals. The first time my mom and I attempted to roast a whole turkey, we didn’t give the turkey enough time to defrost, so threw it into a sink of water and washed off all the butter. On her next attempt, the white meat was so dry, it shredded as it was carved. We gave up after this and it wasn’t until I tasted my mother in law’s turkey 7 years ago that I understood Stephen’s love for the protein. The dark meat could be juicy, the white meat tender, and topped with gravy and cranberry sauce, amazing.

Today, we roast a whole turkey at least twice a year and there was one year we ate 3 just for Thanksgiving (with my parents, with Stephen’s parents and a personal one just for us). While other families may clamour over who gets the turkey leftovers, Stephen and I are all about the bones because omg turkey soup. This is our second year using our carcass to make a rich turkey broth, perfect for a bowl of ramen.

As with any bowl of ramen Stephen makes, there’s 3 distinct parts, noodles, broth and toppings. In this blog post, we’ll be focusing on how to make the broth and a few toppings. A great supermarket ramen noodle brand is Sun Noodle, which can be found at T&T, any type of flour noodle would work (eggless). Making ramen is a full day, sometimes multi-day, adventure, but the rich milky broth is worth every hour of boiling it takes! Each spoonful is like drinking pure essence of turkey. Planning is required.

I’ve included ideas for some toppings, but anything goes. I also love kimchi, smoked tomatoes, pan fried enokis and chopped up wood ear mushrooms on my ramen bowls. Lastly, having a stock pot of broth going for 8 hours in a kitchen can be quite aromatic. To minimize the scent seeping into all of our furniture, Stephen and I often cook the broth outside using a plug-in induction stove, previously on our condo balcony and now in our backyard.

For other delicious recipes featuring turkey, visit www.ThinkTurkey.ca

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Turkey Farmers of Canada. All ideas and opinions expressed are wholly mine.

Shio Turkey Ramen Broth

2019-11-05 01:56:45

Serves 4

Rich, milky turkey ramen broth topped with a perfect marinated ramen egg and slices of miso butter turkey breast

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Prep Time

30 min

Cook Time

8 hr

Total Time

8 hr 30 min

Prep Time

30 min

Cook Time

8 hr

Total Time

8 hr 30 min

The Broth

1. 15 lb turkey carcass
2. 10 cloves of garlic
3. 1 medium sized onion

The Toppings

1. 2 lb turkey breast
2. 2tbsp miso paste
3. 2tbsp salted butter
4. 4 eggs
5. 2tbsp soy sauce
6. 2tbsp mirin
7. 6tbsp water
8. 2 stalks of green onion
9. 1lb bean sprouts
10. 1tsp chili oil (optional)

The Noodles

1. 150g-200g of noodle/bowl

The Broth

1. Peel garlic and chop onion in half.
2. In a large stock pot (ie. 20qt), add turkey carcass and fill with water until over 3/4 full, making sure the carcass is fully covered.
3. Bring pot to a rolling boil and skim off any scum from the top of the broth until no more appears (approx. 10 minutes). This step is important to having a white broth.
4. Add garlic and onion to the pot, cover, lower heat until the broth is just simmering and maintain for 8 hours. Check on the por every couple of hours to ensure the level of broth hasn't reduced too low. If so, top off with 1l of boiling water. Ideally, this recipe should output 5qts of pure broth.

The Toppings

1. Combine the miso and salted butter into a paste and cover the turkey breast with it, marinate overnight if possible, or for at least 4 hours.
2. Roast turkey breast at 325°F until the internal temperature of the thickest part, not touching bone, reaches 165°F. Let rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing.
3. Soft boil the 4 eggs and then out into a container with the soy sauce, mirin and water, making sure the eggs are covered. Marinate for at least 4 hours.
4. Cook bean sprouts in boiling water for 1 minute and set aside.
5. Finely chop green onion.

Assembly

1. When ready to serve, bring turkey broth pot to a low boil.
2. Cook the ramen noodles according to package instructions. While the noodles are cooking, ladle 2 cups of hot broth into a large bowl, add 1 tsp of salt. Whisk together.
3. When the noodles are cooked, strain thoroughly and add to bowl. Top with a marinated egg, a handful of cooked bean sprouts, 1 tbsp of chopped green onion, 3 slices of roasted turkey breast and a dash of red chili oil (optional).

Tips

1. Ramen is meant to be eaten as soon as it's served, to prevent the noodles from getting soggy.
2. I also like to sprinkle some seven spice powder (shichimi) on my bowl, which can be found in any Chinese grocery store or ordered from Amazon

xiaoEats | Toronto Food Blog http://xiaoeats.com/

I have to confess, after weeks of feasting on pasta and pizza throughout Italy, both Stephen and I were craving Asian flavours. We had walked around Amsterdam’s Chinatown the night before and were drooling over the BBQ ducks hanging in shop windows and the aroma of stir fry. After a quick Google search, we headed to Ramen-ya for our first bowl of noodles in weeks (basically forever for us).

Atmosphere: Located in central Amsterdam, Ramen-ya was easy to find. While the storefront was at street level, the restaurant actually occupied the basement of the building and managed to feel spacious with high ceilings and an assortment of industrial pendant lights and chandeliers. Large round leather booths occupied much of the real estate in the dining area. While bulky, the booths spaced out tables, providing privacy and comfort, a rarity in most ramen shops.

Service: English menus were available and we had no difficulty communicating with our server. While placing our ramen order, we were asked to choose the broth richness and Stephen opted for extra rich. The server warned us that their tonkotsu broth was already super thick and many customers were not used to how rich it was. Stephen stuck to his choice and was happy with the bowl that appeared. Reading reviews online, quite a few people did rate Ramen-ya poorly because they felt the broth was too heavy. I could understand the server’s concern, but if you have an option for extra rich, and someone orders it, I feel it’s odd to deter them.

Food: Stephen ordered the Miso Hakata (tonkotsu broth with chashu, menma, ramen egg, leek, nori and sesame seeds), while I chose the Kimchi Ramen (chicken broth with kimchi, chashu, ramen egg, wood ear mushroom, green onions, nori and sesame seeds), two very different bowls.

My chicken broth was rich and well seasoned with a good amount of salt. I could really taste the layers of flavours in the broth, and it wasn’t all that light. Toppings felt a touch sparse with only half an egg and extra charges for black garlic oil and homemade layu (chili oil). Each table did have a small bottle of non homemade layu. My favourite component of my bowl was the thin noodles that had a nice bite and was great to slurp. Stephen’s broth was definitely thick, but too fatty. It clung to the noodle nicely and the topping of green onion threads helped to balance the richness.

Overall, Ramen-Ya served up solid bowl of ramen with a decadent broth and authentic flavours. It was a pricey bowl, over $20 Canadian, but I love being able to eat ramen all over the world and we will continue slurping up noodles wherever we go.

Sansotei opened their Richmond Hill location last year, while we were still renovating the house and spending our weekends building kitchen cabinets. I was very excited for the new arrival to our neighbourhood. Stephen and I stopped by within the first week we moved and I visited again with a friend in May. While Sansotei’s downtown location has consistently served up delicious bowls everytime I visit, I’m finding that not to be the case at their other locations.

Atmosphere: On both visits I arrived just after 5pm before the dinner rush and was greeted with an empty restaurant. I only saw tables for couples or groups of four. There were two corner booths at the front of the restaurant, but they would still only seat 3-4 people comfortably. Larger groups would have to be split between a few tables. Decor was modern and similar to their other locations with a decorative rope wall, lots of natural wood and shiny brass pendants. By 6pm, every table was full.

Service: Service was friendly and quick, even during my first visit when they had recently opened. We were greeted right away and offered one of the booth tables as I was 9 month pregnant at the time. The extra space was welcomed. On my first visit, our bowls arrived quickly and hot from the kitchen. On my second visit, it took some time for my bowl to come out and I found the broth lukewarm.

Food: On our first visit, Stephen and I both ordered the Tonkotsu Black while my brother chose the regular Tonkotsu. The broth was rich, milky, flavourful and had a great sheen of oil on top. A healthy amount of black garlic oil added umami to each slurp. I choose thin noodles, which were firm and had a great chew. My toppings were also as delicious as ever with two slices of rolled chashu, a soft boiled egg and black fungus. Overall, exactly as I had expected.

On my second visit, I ordered the Miso Black that ended up being quite lacklustre. The noodles and toppings were great, but the broth wasn’t piping hot, and there was barely enough to cover the noodles. Overall an ok bowl, but not the amazing one I expected, especially being their most expensive menu item.

Based on one good and one meh dinner, I guess I need one more visit to break the tie.

I’ve been eagerly awaiting Konjiki Ramen’s opening day since signs of their arrival first appeared this summer. Konjiki has been Bib Gourmand recommended for the past 4 years and the newest North York location is their first outside of Japan. Chef Yamamoto opened his Shibuya ramen shop in 2006 and has gained worldwide popularity and acclaim with his signature clam, pork and chicken broth. As soon as I heard their doors were open, Stephen and I were in line ready to get our hands on a bowl.

Atmosphere: The retail space of Konjiki Ramen shop was actually split into two areas.Saryo Cafe, a dessert shop occupied the front while seating for Konjiki Ramen took up rest. Decor was modern and industrial in the ramen area and more traditional and natural in the cafe. A long communal table with bar stools ran down the centre of the seating area while table seating was set up along the walls. On top of the communal table and chef’s bar at the back were floating shelves decorated with stock pots and ramen bowls.

Service: Our group arrived at 11:30am on a Sunday, just before doors opened. There was a already a line outside with 30 people ahead of us, enough for one full seating. Luckily the restaurant was designed with room for diners to queue inside out of the cold. It took about 45 minutes for us to get a table. Service was friendly and eager. Since the restaurant was still in their soft opening stage, many of the servers were in training and learning the menu. Our bowls arrived piping hot from the kitchen but took a bit of time. In a few more months, the wrinkles will be ironed out and maybe there even won’t be a wait.

Food: Between the four of us, we each ordered a different bowl of ramen to try out. I had the Signature Clam broth with Shoyu and Stephen chose the Smoky Black Tonkotsu. Our friends tried the Signature Clam broth with Shio and Spicy Red Tonkotsu. I have to say, between their signature broth and tonkotsu, I much preferred the flavour of the clam. The broth was flavourful but light and had a great depth of flavour. You could taste each of the elements from the clam to the procini to the hint of truffle. The shio version had a much stronger clam flavour than the shoyu.

The tonkotsu broth was rich, but wasn’t especially stand out. Both tonkotsu’s were topped with ground meat, which was sparse. Stephen’s bowl had a more intense flavour with the roasted garlic sauce and two smoked cherry tomatoes for extra umami. He found them interesting. I thought the Spicy Red Tonkotsu tasted more sweet than spicy, and was interesting but not quite what I was expecting. Either way, I felt like the bowl was lacking toppings. It was almost a necessity to add the $3 Braised Pork Belly (for 3 pieces).

My noodles were excellent, firm and chewy. Overall, I loved my bowl and would highly recommend it, especially to those who have only ever had tonkotsu broth. I would skip the karaage, which was over done, although the garlic mayo was very good. With added toppings, the bill for a single bowl of ramen gets close to $20, which is on the pricier side. For the uniqueness and deliciousness of the signature broth through, I think the bowl was worth it.

I’m very happy to see more varieties of ramen coming to Toronto and hope it’s a continuing trend! Jiro style next please.

Stephen is a not an art gallery person. He likes museums but paintings have never really been his thing. While I like visiting both, my knowledge about art and history are fairly limited. For me the enjoyment comes from the experience of learning about each piece in the museum or gallery, its history, its impact, its story. Which is why I love audio guides, they are an absolute must for me when visiting any site.

My favourite museum in Paris is the Musee D’orsay, a converted train station filled with French impressionist art. I could stare at Monet’s waterlilies for hours. However, since this was Stephen’s first time in Paris, I felt a few hours wandering the Louvre was essential. Even at a quick pace, I would schedule at minimum 2-3 hours for a visit to the massive gallery. There’s just so much to see, simply walking through each section would take several hours. The Louvre’s complimentary audio guide is one of my favourites. All of the content, along with maps and added visuals were programmed into a DS, which was easy to navigate and provided a ton of information.

Tip: Instead of using headphones provided with audio guides, I like to bring my own set for comfort any typically better audio quality. For places where there’s a fee for the audio guide, you could bring a headphone splitter to save costs.

Highlights at The Louvre include a stroll through the statue garden, a close up (as close as possible) of the Mona Lisa, a stop at the magnificent Winged Victory of Samothrace, visiting the Venus de Milo, and a moment in front of the painting of Liberty Leading the People.

Tip: There’s always a long line at the pyramid entrance and it can get hot in the sun. Try going in though the underground Galerie du Carrousel or Passage Richelieu entrances, which are usually less busy.

After spending our afternoon inside, Stephen and I settled in the courtyard of The Louvre in front of the glass pyramid just in time for sunset. We ended up hanging around for over two hours while Stephen took photos and I people watched. The spot was very popular for engagement and wedding shoots. I counted at least 5 different couples while we were there, some with an entourage of photographers and assistants.

By this point, I was cold and hungry. Up to that point, we had eaten exclusively French cuisine and I was starting to crave Asian flavours. Ippudo was the perfect option for dinner. I’ve had Ippudo ramen previously in New York and Hong Kong. There are two Ippudo locations in Paris and one was only a 10 minute walk away from The Louvre and a 10 minute subway ride from our hotel. We arrived at around 10pm (they close at midnight) and there was still a small queue. It was only a 5 minute wait before we were seated.

To start we ordered two Ippudo Pork Buns. With all the buns I’ve tried all over, Ippudo’s still rank near the top. The baos were pillowy soft and the thick slices of chashu excellent seasoned. This was one of the rare occasions where Stephen and I ordered the same bowl of ramen, the Akamaru Modern. The bowl was made up of a milky miso tonkotsu broth topped with garlic oil and served with thin noodles. I love Ippudo’s thin noodles and this bowl lived up to all my memories. They were the perfect chew. Default toppings included two slices of chashu pork belly, wood ear mushrooms, nori and green onions. I opted to add a marinated egg to my bowl for an extra Euro.

The meal was very satisfying and exactly what I was craving at the time. Service was efficient and friendly and even with the short wait, I found the servers did their best to make sure we were seated quickly. The price though is hard for to get over. We’re pretty spoiled in Toronto in terms of delicious ramen at affordable prices. So paying 14€ (over $20) for one bowl of ramen was a bit hard to swallow. Even then, this wasn’t our last bowl of ramen in Europe.

And with this post we’re all wrapped up on Paris! Next stop, Italy!

While in Vancouver last year, I dragged my friends on a mini ramen tour of the city. I had grand plans for an afternoon filled with noodles, but my eyes were far bigger than my stomach and we only managed to hit two noodle shops. One of them was Jinya, where I had a pretty good bowl of ramen. When I saw signs for Jinya pop up in Toronto, I was excited to see if the West Coast import would relocate well. Back in August, after a night of Pokemon hunting, The Hubby and I stopped by Jinya for a late second dinner.

Atmosphere: Maybe because it was a Friday night or maybe because we’re getting old, but I found Jinya very loud. Music was blasting and we struggled to hold a conversation, to the point where we gave up. Inside the restaurant, there were high communal tables with bar stools, bar seats along the windows, bar seats looking into the kitchen and a handful of small square tables. Decor was industrial with wood grain, metal and geometric accents.Stacks of ramen bowls decorated the bar.

Service: I was worried there would be a line but we had no trouble getting a table. Our server was efficient and took our orders over the blaring music. After a few minutes, she came by to apologize for the wait, which we hadn’t even noticed. The two bowls of ramen arrived piping hot.

Food: Being late, we skipped the side dishes and only ordered ramen. The Hubby chose the Cha Cha Cha with pork broth, while I tried the Spicy Chicken Ramen with chicken broth. Although the menu said the Cha Cha Cha was for garlic lovers, we weren’t sure where the garlic came in. The bowl of ramen came by default with pork chashu, a seasoned egg, bean sprouts and thick noodles. I liked the texture of the noodles and the chewiness. When it came to toppings, the Chashu was fatty and flavourful. However, without adding additional toppings, the default ones were pretty basic. As for the broth, each spoonful was rich and fatty without being oily. I did prefer my chicken broth more though.

The Spicy Chicken Ramen came with chicken chashu, spinach, bean sprouts, green onion and thin noodles. I added an Onsen Tamago, poached egg, for $1, which was a great decision. I really liked the thin noodles with my lighter broth. The texture of the noodles were chewy without being soft and bouncy. I’m always surprised by how rich and savoury a chicken based broth can be. At Jinya, the chicken broth was all of those things, flavourful and had a touch of heat (I chose the mild level of spice).

Both bowls of ramen had a good amount of salt. I guzzled a few glasses of water at the restaurant, and a few more when I got home. Portions of noodles felt smaller than other ramen shops in Toronto. Overall, Jinya serves up a solid bowl of ramen, but it feels like something was lost in transit from West coast to Toronto.. I’m unsure if I’d go out of my way to visit, but I would think of them if I was nearby.

Back in 2014, I wrote about my favourite ramen shops in Toronto. Since then, I’ve managed to cross a few more restaurants off my bucket list and more new names have popped up in the city. It’s about time to refresh my list. My rating criteria has remained the same and I’ve only included restaurants that serve only ramen, not including Izakayas who have ramen on the menu or any Chinese noodle shops. I’ve also listed the restaurant’s previous ranking next to their new ranking. In general, many of the new entries rank high and Kinton has improved several spots. This was mainly due to how accessible they are and with the new North York location, The Hubby and I are there often. 

What I look for in a bowl of ramen are three things:

1. The noodles – are they chewy? has a good texture? not doughy and not over done?
2. The broth – is it rich? how much fat is there? is it bland? and even for me, is it too salty?
3. The toppings – what’s included? is there an egg? how’s the meat cooked? garlic paste? bamboo? seaweed? is there a good portion and balance?

Based on these criteria, here’s my ranking of Toronto Ramen shops (as of Aug. 2016)

Still TBE (To Be Eaten)

• Jinya Toronto
• Ramen Kyouka

Did I miss your favourite restaurant? Let me know in the comments. Last Updated: 08/04/2016

Continuing my food adventure in Vancouver, I had grand plans to visit 3 ramen shops in one afternoon. We only managed to fit in two, as both stops had a minimum order of one bowl/person. Our first stop at Jinya Ramen Bar far outshined our second stop at Kintaro, which was disappointing in both their broth and noodle texture. Jinya Ramen Bar, was delicious. Originated in California, Jinya has multiple locations throughout the US and 4 shops in Vancouver. They just recently opened a Toronto location this May and there’s a Calgary location coming soon. I’ve yet to visit the Toronto location, but was very excited to spot the restaurant under construction after our meal in vancouver.

Atmosphere: Of the 4 Vancity JInya locations, I chose to visit the Robson St. one based on its central location. The shop had a good number of seats including two large communal tables. Most of the diner were pairs or singles and turnover was quick. We arrived right as doors opened for lunch and didn’t have to wait for long, even with a group of 4. The restaurant did ask that the entire party was there before seating anyone. By the time we left, a short queue had formed outside.

Service: With the quick turnover of tables, service was efficient and professional. There wasn’t any aspect that was memorable, positive or negative.

Food: Both The Hubby and I stuck to tonkotsu broth. He ordered the Premium Tonkotsu White with chashu, wood ear mushroom, seasoned egg, and thin noodles. I had the Tonkotsu Spicy, mild. The default topping on my bowl was chashu, bean sprouts, wood ear mushroom, green onion and thick noodles. I chose to add a seasoned egg and corn. For both our orders, the seasoned eggs was served on the side.

Breaking down the bowl, first up is the broth. I really enjoyed the depth of flavour and thickness of the broth. The liquid gold was savoury, milky, and lip-smacking good. The broth was quite salty. I had a sip of The Hubby’s broth, which was a blend of chicken and pork broth. The combination was less dense but fattier. As for toppings, I liked the selection of the default inclusions and how crunchy the vegetables were. I am used to the chashu being torched and more rendered than how Jinya served it. The chashu was very tender. Lastly, the noodles were perfect, had and excellent chewiness, was a good portion size and wonderful to slurp up.

Back when Kinka Izakaya first opened, waiting an hour or two for a table was a regular part of dinner. While in line, people often ducked into the small store next door to grab a bite to tide them over. Now, Kinka’s neighbour has turned into a draw of it’s own, the 5th location of Kinton Ramen. I was invited to drop by the latest franchise addition to slurp up a bowl of noodles.

Disclaimer: All food and drinks reviewed below were provided complimentary. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

My usual order at Kinton is the miso pork broth with thick noodles, blowtorched pork belly and a seasoned egg. Lately though, I’ve fallen for Kinton’s chicken breast topping. Cooked sous-vide, the slices of chicken are super tender, juicy and rich in flavour. That night, I added jalapeno paste to be bowl, not too spicy, but added fragrance to the bowl. My friend had the miso ramen, with thin noodles, pork topping (a slice each of pork shoulder and belly), topped with nori and a seasoned egg. Other toppings at Kinton I like are the corn (included with the miso broth) and grated garlic. I usually try not to order the garlic if I’m out with friends because it is potent, a definite immune booster.

Between the pork shoulder and belly, the shoulder was much leaner and a good alternative for anyone who find the belly too fatty. The broth was thick, opaque and savoury.

For drinks, I sipped on the house-made lemonade while my friend ordered the calpico. Both drinks were refreshing, light and a good sidekick to the rich broth. Kinton also offers a small selection of cold and hot tapas, including takoyaki, tako wasabi and karaage. I got to try a new tapas item, the hot karaage. The bite size pieces of juicy fried chicken was coated in a spicy, Korean sauce. This was a delicious twist on one of my favourite dishes at both Kinka and Kinton. Both the takoyaki and tako wasabi were consistent with their other locations.

Like most Kinton locations, the restaurant was packed at dinner time. I would recommend visiting either earlier (5:30pm), later (8pm), or be prepared for a bit of a wait.

Ramen Isshin was the latest to be checked off my “To-Eat” list, and as of today, I’ve tried all the ramen in Toronto (I think). Tucked away on College St between tacos and bars, Ramen Isshin was non-descript and somewhat hidden with their subtle signage. While the neighbourhood isn’t well-known for Japanese fare, Ramen Isshin could be the player to change that. With friendly service and delicious bowls of noodles, Ramen Isshin is quickly growing in popularity and cultivating a large group of loyal regulars.

Disclaimer: All drinks and dishes were provided free of charge by the restaurant. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

I had arranged to meet Yuki at Ramen Isshin with The Hubby for dinner after seeing her Instagram posts at the restaurant. One of the owners, Adam, was kind enough to spend dinner chatting with us while we slurped away. In addition to ramen, I was ecstatic to find Ikezo Peach Sparkling jelly sake on the menu. Since being introduced to the drink at Kampai 2014, I’ve been eagerly awaiting it’s arrival on menus. After a couple of shakes, the drink pours like water but sips like a jello shot. Light and fruity, it would be easy to drink these all night without realizing they are still 5% alcohol.

For starters, The Hubby and I tried the Takoyaki and Chicken Karaage. Our plate of takoyaki was generously topped with kewpei mayonnaise, sauce and bonito flakes. Each ball was crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside. The karaage was made with all dark meat, the tastiest kind, and served with kewpie mayonnaise. I found the deep fried chicken juicy and flavourful, but the batter wasn’t that crispy.

The highlight of the night was the ramen. I had the Black Sesame Tan Tan bowl while The Hubby tried the Isshin Red Miso Ramen. Both bowls used thick, twisty noodles. Thin noodles are used for the bowls of Shoyu ramen. My Tan Tan bowl came with fresh black sesame seeds and a grinder for the freshest taste possible. Breaking the bowl down to toppings, noodles and broth, Ramen Isshin aced two categories and came very close on the third. For toppings, the two slices of fatty rolled pork belly were perfect. I added a soft-boiled marinated egg (pictured below on the chashu), which also hit the spot. I loved the texture and consistency of the noodles, which soaked up plenty of broth. Each bowl also seemed more generous with noodles than other ramen shops in the city. While the broth was rich, milky and packed a ton of flavour, I found my bowl on the salty side. This didn’t stop me from drinking spoonfuls, but I did need to chase each with a sip of sweet Sapporo.

Compared to the Tan Tan bowl, The Hubby’s Red Miso Ramen had a much sweeter broth. Just as rich and savoury. On top of the healthy portion of noodles was a mountain of wok-fried pork, onions, bean sprouts, carrots, wood ear mushrooms. With all the vegetables, this bowl of ramen felt like a well-balanced meal, for two.

A few specialties I didn’t get a chance to try this visit was the Tsukemen (dipping noodles) and Vegetarian options. Ramen Isshin didn’t treat vegetarian options like an afterthought, but have worked to develop their broth to be just as rich and savoury as their Tonkotsu version. Hard to believe and I can’t wait to try it out myself.

Dinner ended with scoops of black sesame ice cream and the house-made mango pudding. I had to fight for my fair share of pudding from The Hubby. Both portions and price ($3.0 – $3.8) were perfect after the large bowls of noodles.