My good friend Q is leaving Vancouver for school for the next two years, so this was our last meet up. She was really craving noodles so we decided to go to Ramen Jinya.
We arrived at around 6pm and there was no line, which was perfect.
The seating is extremely tight, so much so that if you wanted to sit on the booth side you better hope the table next to you isn’t occupied or you have extremely thin legs.
What I ate: Jinya Tonkotsu Black (pork broth, pork chashu, kikurage, green onion, nori dried seaweed, seasoned egg, garlic oil, fried onion with thin noodles)
This was okay, this was touted as one of their signature items (as evidenced by the large photo on the menu), but I thought overall it was okay. Despite all of the flavors going on, I felt that the broth was on the weaker side. The noodles were slightly over done (but with that being said, I do prefer my noodles slightly under (katame))
What I ate: Takoyaki
Unlike the ramen, I felt this dish was outstanding. This is the best takoyaki I’ve had in Vancouver. I adore Takoyaki and this was so amazing. Every bit was hot and crispy with a really creamy center. They were very generous with the toppings! One unique twist is that they have egg salad under each takoyaki ball, which was kind of neat.
Service wise, the waitresses were for the most part very accommodating, but there was one particular waitress who just couldn’t wait to get us out of the restaurant. I’d understand if it was busy, but there were empty tables everywhere and the communal table was completely unoccupied!
Although Ramen Jinya doesn’t have the best ramen in town, their takoyaki is a stand out. I will definitely be back again for this again and again!