Kintaro Ramen
788 Denman St
Vancouver, BC V6G
This week, I have not brought lunch to work, mainly because of my job switch. OK, that’s not really a good excuse as I had chance to cook but, in a way, is still the transition adjustment. I think starting next week I will be bringing lunch around three times a week and might be eating out twice (Friday will be probably one of them). That is next week and, as for today’s lunch, it was… Kintaro Ramen!
I have written about ramen before; this time I think is the grandfather of all these ramen places in (Downtown/West End) Vancouver: Kintaro Ramen. First, their kitchen:
Their menu is pretty short, half a dozen of ramen (including one called cheese ramen) and some appetizers. They are not jack of all trades, master of none; they are supposedly good at what they do… Here is what I ordered – miso ramen (medium broth and fatty pork):
Another view, this time, after stirring it to show the ramen
By default, it does not come with the egg, I requested it for an additional $1. In the end, the bill was $9.40 (tax included). Now, the big question… How was the bowl of noodles? Hmmmm… Unfortunately, expectations, took over again. I was hoping for an unique experience and did not get it. The noodles were not soft and al dente; however, I did not get anything else. The broth was hearty; however, just like Benkei, it did not “wowed” me. Then, are the additional “toppings” that comes with the bowl of soup, namely, bamboo shoots (OK), corn (not convinced but it comes by default so won’t complain here), bean sprouts (I am on the edge of hating these, more on this some other time) and green onions. And, of course, the pork. The pork was really good – fatty and flavourful. But, then again, nothing I have not prepared myself at home.
Overall, I think expectations made me not like it as much as I wished. I was expecting a sublime experience but did not get it. In the end, I find Lao Shan Dong’s noodle better than Kintaro. Sure, it is comparing apples to oranges to an extent but that’s the only comparison I can make at this point…
