Ramen Raijin (@ramenRAIJIN) located close to Ryerson University is a new ramen joint overhauled by owner Daiji Matsubara (owner of many popular ramen joints in Vancouver). I visited Ramen Raijin last Friday evening and as expected from what others have told me, there were no line ups but a few spots were left inside the restaurant!
One thing noticeably different about this ramen joint compared to its competitors is definitely how spacious this place is! The decor is nice & staff is plentiful – we didn’t feel rushed at all throughout the course of the meal.
I like the appetizer selections here at Raijin (because they offer poutine! =))
There’s a huge Raijin statue placed in the middle of the room with seats around it.
My friend and I shared the following appetizers:
Poutine de Japan ($4.50)
- Poutine with chedder cheese curds and teriyaki sauce, mayo topped with green onion and nori seaweed
- The flavours of the poutine were amazing…tasted exactly an Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pizza) with the combinations of teriyaki sauce & mayo – so yummy!
- The fries were a bit of a let down, was hoping for something hot & crispy but were served warm…
Kara-age (Small $4.00 / Large $7.00)
- Japanese fried chicken with a slice of lemon
- We opted for the small portion. The Kara-age was served piping hot with a thin layer of batter leaving the skin very crispy. The chicken was tender & juicy with a hint of lemon flavour
NOUKOU TONKOTSU RAMEN – Their Tonkotsu soup is made in-house with pork bone and a medley of fish dashi (Japanese soup stock) and vegetables in a pressurized pot creating a rich broth and a creamy texture.
Miso Ramen ($10.00)
- Miso flavoured ramen topped with pork shoulder, ground pork, green onion, bean sprouts, cabbage and corn
- My friend wasn’t too thrilled about her miso ramen. The broth for her was a bit tough – really thick and creamy. Everything else in the bowl was just average for her.
Shio Ramen ($9.50)
- Salt flavoured ramen topped with pork shoulder, green onion, canola flower, Kikurage mushroom (black fungus), cabbage, 1/2 a seasoned soft-boiled egg and house-made Mayu black garlic oil
- The Pork slices were not fatty nor were they dry. They offer a different selection of soup bases. The Shio ramen came with a hint of house made Mayu black garlic oil which gave a smokey flavour to the soup – not overly salty. The noodles were nice and bouncy.
close up
Ramen Raijin offers a different selection of soup bases. Depending on your personal preferences, I enjoyed my smokey broth – though I do prefer fattier slices of pork. A let down for me was the fries in the poutine but I’m willing to give it another try because I really liked the toppings on the poutine! Restaurants do have their hits and misses – I wouldn’t mind coming back to Ramen Raijin. ONE last thing to mention – Ramen Raijin have generous portions in their hearty bowls of Ramen.
