Kinton Ramen was one of the first ramen restaurants in Toronto. They have finally brought their ramen to Western Canada by opening their first location in Vancouver at UBC. This is a great addition to the ramen scene in Vancouver.
Kinton Ramen uses the freshest ingredients to make their noodles and soup. Their signature soup base is made by simmering pork and chicken bones for over 20 hours and adding bonito fish and fresh vegetables. Unlike most ramen restaurants in Vancouver which specialize in one type of broth, Kinton Ramen offers pork, chicken and vegetable broth base on their menu. There is also the choice of thick, thin and Shirataki noodles. The Kinton Ramen menu is diverse with a lot of options to satisfy everyone.
Starters
To start we had Takowasabi ($5.00) and Original Karaage ($7.00). The takowasabi was fresh and packed a punch with plenty of wasabi. It was a great way to start our meal. The karaage had a great crunch, and the lemon went well with the moist chicken and creamy mayo sauce.
Ramen
For our ramen we went with – Pork Original ($11.95) and Pork Spicy Garlic ($11.95). When ordering your ramen, you first choose you soup base. Next you choose your noodle and then any additional toppings you’d like. There is also the option to combo up your ramen for a more filling meal.
First up we had the Pork Original ramen with thin noodles. This ramen comes with pork, seasoned egg, nori and scallions. Unfortunately on our visit they were already sold out of their eggs for the day. The additional toppings we chose were bamboo shoots ($1.50), wood ear mushrooms ($1.00) and seaweed ($1.00). The soup base was flavourful and the toppings worked really well with the mild pork flavour. The pork was charred on the outside and was tender and flavorful. Unfortunately the noodles were on the softer side, but still acceptable (not mushy).
I love spicy food, so I went with the Pork Spicy Garlic. They mean business with the garlic – there was quite a sizable scoop on top of my noodles. The additional toppings we chose for this was bamboo shoots ($1.50) and wood ear mushrooms ($1.00). This was one spicy bowl of noodles. The chili really hits you and I thoroughly enjoyed by bowl. Similar to the Pork Original, these noodles were on the softer side, but this didn’t affect my overall enjoyment.
Overall I had an excellent experience at Kinton Ramen. For their soft opening weekend, there is 20% off all ramen – so it’s a great time to check them out! The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. Even though it was incredibly busy at the restaurant, social distancing was in place and the tables were spread out accordingly. Kinton Ramen is a great addition to UBC and a delicious meal option!