Food & Fine Dining Hungry? Come on down to Wings - Fun, Food and Drinks.
Top Restaurants in town? Got a good recipe to share? Share culinary info or post up photos of your delicious dish. #revsceneVLS | | |
09-13-2009, 12:59 AM
|
#1 | I contribute to threads in the offtopic forum
Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: burnaby
Posts: 2,705
Thanked 356 Times in 170 Posts
| Vancouver Ramen Shootout: Benkei, Kintaro, and Motomachi
I spent a month in Japan this past summer and fondly miss the wonderful ramen there, filled with tasty broth, flavourful and tender meats, and firm textured noodles. Seeking to find the best substitute in Vancouver I visited three of the most popular ramen joints that are located near the intersection of Robson and Denman. At each location I sampled the miso ramen which is my favourite.
Benkei certainly has the most Japanese like decor. I found the miso broth here to be the most flavourful and enjoyable of all three places. It also has a slight spice kick (they have a spicy miso available as well). Noodles were thinner than I like and too soft. In Japan, the flavour of the meat used is extraordinary and I found Benkei to come the closest, however it has a terribly tough texture. UPDATE: I have been to Benkei twice since this review and both times have gotten very tender and fatty meat. I also tried their bbq pork onigiri and its pretty tasty, although the rice quickly falls apart unlike other nigiri.
Kintaro is the most popular ramen restaurant in Vancouver by far, probably because they offer so many choices and variations. It has the most spartan and uninspired decor of the three. Here I ordered the rich miso broth (choice of light, medium, rich) with fatty meat (choice of lean or fatty). Ordering rich was a mistake as the broth comes incredibly greasy and covered in bits of fat (as seen all around the lip of the bowl). The miso broth was also surprisingly tasteless. Noodles were average and all the toppings (meat, eggs, corn, etc) were forgettable.
Motomachi is owned by the same people as Kintaro, and is meant as a more trendy upscale ramen restaurant. It seems to have the least seating and a fusion of Japanese and local decor. I believe most or all of the ingredients used are advertised as organic. The broth was much better than Kintaro but I still like Benkei better. The meats used matched the tenderness of the meat I found in Japan, but was still quite bland. Motomachi does certainly make soft boiled eggs right, getting the right texture and the organic eggs seem to taste closest to flavourful Japanese ones. The best part of Motomachi is they use the noodles I love! Its a thicker curly noodle that's yellow in colour, and has a slightly firm texture (pictured below).
To conclude, I will probably not visit Kintaro again. As the broth is most important, I think I will eat at Benkei the most. Its also cheaper than Motomachi, and offers stamp card freebies for frequent customers. Motomachi does have the best noodles and the eggs are far above all others. All locations let me down on the firm kernels of sweet corn that were found everywhere in Japan.
Feel free to express your own opinions, especially if you enjoy other flavours of broth, or share other ramen locations around the metro Vancouver area.
Last edited by jlo mein; 12-01-2009 at 05:15 AM.
|
| |
09-13-2009, 01:14 AM
|
#2 | RS Veteran
Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: GTA
Posts: 29,015
Thanked 10,502 Times in 4,307 Posts
|
Awesome review! Thanks!
__________________ Quote:
Originally Posted by Badhobz Yeah. Typical Mainlander Barbie doll.
Her car even smelled nice. Like a mixture of luxury perfume and a hint of….. vag ? Fish sauce ? Something a bit dank | |
| |
09-13-2009, 05:15 AM
|
#3 | Snapping away
Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Richmond
Posts: 1,920
Thanked 97 Times in 84 Posts
|
ou will have to try benkei
the new ramen place owned by gyoza king in richmond was way worse than kintaro
|
| |
09-13-2009, 09:04 AM
|
#4 | resident Oil Guru
Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Vancouver
Posts: 7,716
Thanked 10,457 Times in 1,794 Posts
|
Before you dismiss Kintaro, try it again with light broth, less fat..
|
| |
09-13-2009, 09:25 AM
|
#5 | I contribute to threads in the offtopic forum
Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: burnaby
Posts: 2,705
Thanked 356 Times in 170 Posts
| Quote:
Originally Posted by LiquidTurbo Before you dismiss Kintaro, try it again with light broth, less fat.. | Regardless of rich or light broth, I felt that Kintaro's miso broth was lacking in flavour when compared to Benkei. Some may prefer it that way, but every miso ramen I had in Osaka and Tokyo was strongly flavoured and I grew accustomed to it. I also felt that Kintaro's toppings were the poorest of the three restaurants, with bland overcooked eggs, mushy corn, and tough chewy meat (even though I got the fatty version). The noodles at Kintaro and Benkei are pretty much equally average.
BTW for Benkei visitors: be sure to show your student ID if ordering extra noodles, which reduces the price to $0.50. Two bowls compared side by side with a normal noodle serving and extra noodles showed that they give you almost double.
|
| |
09-13-2009, 02:42 PM
|
#6 | F**K YOUR HEAD
Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: vancouver
Posts: 8,718
Thanked 8,153 Times in 1,251 Posts
|
tried 2 different ramen at Benkei, didn't really like either, noodles weren't very good,
I love kintaro's cheese ramen, but I feel ashamed because it says ladies love it on the menu, (technically ladies just lo-o-o-ove it!) But yeah, I like their noodles
Not really worth the wait but IMO better than benkei
|
| |
09-13-2009, 03:20 PM
|
#7 | Unofficial Tin Foil Hat Specialist.
Join Date: May 2008 Location: Vancouver
Posts: 8,150
Thanked 1,529 Times in 604 Posts
|
Awesome review! |
| |
09-13-2009, 04:45 PM
|
#8 | OWNER/C.F.O./MONEYMAN
Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Vancouver
Posts: 16,486
Thanked 2,253 Times in 626 Posts
|
nice!
now i want ramen!
|
| |
09-13-2009, 05:44 PM
|
#9 | Hyde's Understudy
Join Date: May 2001 Location: Vancouver
Posts: 6,001
Thanked 436 Times in 226 Posts
|
tried all 3 places
hate benkei / motomachi but i love kintaro
|
| |
09-13-2009, 08:15 PM
|
#10 | I *heart* Revscene.net very Muchie
Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: space
Posts: 3,524
Thanked 1,584 Times in 633 Posts
|
i just go to the one at the aberdeen food court lol but really i must try these 3 places
__________________ http://i55.tinypic.com/jujz2q.gif Quote:
Originally Posted by hk20000 I went up to a cute chick and asked her if she'd let me take a photo of her for $30 she slapped me, she said to me that "I AIN'T A WHORE!"
But other than that I have seen every car on display in DTP just by cruising about in Richmond, thank you very much for collecting them together and get someone to sing a cover for "fuck you".
OH FUCK YOU OH OH OOOOH~ | Quote:
Originally Posted by Neva wtf man? what the hell kind of women do you go for? spca is for animals not dates... | |
| |
09-13-2009, 11:40 PM
|
#11 | RS Veteran
Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: GTA
Posts: 29,015
Thanked 10,502 Times in 4,307 Posts
| Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackZRoadster tried all 3 places
hate benkei / motomachi but i love kintaro | That's a very extreme opposite review. Can you explain why?
__________________ Quote:
Originally Posted by Badhobz Yeah. Typical Mainlander Barbie doll.
Her car even smelled nice. Like a mixture of luxury perfume and a hint of….. vag ? Fish sauce ? Something a bit dank | |
| |
09-14-2009, 01:12 AM
|
#12 | I answer every Emotion with an emoticon
Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: V
Posts: 7,849
Thanked 656 Times in 326 Posts
|
try menyu on broadway and cambie.
their ramen is pretty good, but still, ANY ramen in japan beats the best here.
|
| |
09-14-2009, 04:55 AM
|
#13 | Need to Seek Professional Help
Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Vancouver
Posts: 1,020
Thanked 130 Times in 30 Posts
|
I found Gyoza King's broth was pretty good execpt their noodles weren't as good as Kintaros.
|
| |
09-14-2009, 05:41 AM
|
#14 | I contribute to threads in the offtopic forum
Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: burnaby
Posts: 2,705
Thanked 356 Times in 170 Posts
| Quote:
Originally Posted by ae101 i just go to the one at the aberdeen food court lol but really i must try these 3 places | I visited that place as well but deemed it unsuited to add to this review. The ramen at Aberdeen is a step above instant noodles, not much else.
|
| |
09-14-2009, 08:18 AM
|
#15 | My name is Michael. J. Caboose, and I hate BABIES!
Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: MoI
Posts: 6,576
Thanked 1,421 Times in 678 Posts
|
I tried Kintaro, I liked it. There's a japanese restaurant on Thurlow and Melville that I think had way better ramen, albeit slightly higher priced. I'll have to try the other two you mentioned at some point.
Thanks for the review
__________________
"Can you match my resolve? If so then you will succeed. I believe that the human spirit is indomitable. If you endeavour to achieve, it will happen given enough resolve." -- Monty Oum Quote:
Originally Posted by STATUS105 IF I FIND YOU
I WILL EAT YOUR RICE! | |
| |
09-14-2009, 11:58 AM
|
#16 | I *heart* Revscene.net very Muchie
Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: space
Posts: 3,524
Thanked 1,584 Times in 633 Posts
|
then has anyone try that famous raman place from asia, it's the one at parker i go to that place a lot in HK & when i found out that they had a location here i was sooooo happy till i realize the price of 1 bowl of raman was $10 i was like shit
__________________ http://i55.tinypic.com/jujz2q.gif Quote:
Originally Posted by hk20000 I went up to a cute chick and asked her if she'd let me take a photo of her for $30 she slapped me, she said to me that "I AIN'T A WHORE!"
But other than that I have seen every car on display in DTP just by cruising about in Richmond, thank you very much for collecting them together and get someone to sing a cover for "fuck you".
OH FUCK YOU OH OH OOOOH~ | Quote:
Originally Posted by Neva wtf man? what the hell kind of women do you go for? spca is for animals not dates... | |
| |
09-14-2009, 12:54 PM
|
#17 | Hyde's Understudy
Join Date: May 2001 Location: Vancouver
Posts: 6,001
Thanked 436 Times in 226 Posts
| Quote:
Originally Posted by bcrdukes That's a very extreme opposite review. Can you explain why? | the pork is the softest (fatty) out of all three places, the miso soup base is the tastiest , the size is also the largest.
i guesss im' biased
|
| |
09-14-2009, 01:28 PM
|
#18 | RS Veteran
Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: GTA
Posts: 29,015
Thanked 10,502 Times in 4,307 Posts
|
^
Yeah, and that was my initial impression but how are you biased?
__________________ Quote:
Originally Posted by Badhobz Yeah. Typical Mainlander Barbie doll.
Her car even smelled nice. Like a mixture of luxury perfume and a hint of….. vag ? Fish sauce ? Something a bit dank | |
| |
09-14-2009, 02:20 PM
|
#19 | I *heart* Revscene.net very Muchie
Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Vancouver
Posts: 3,918
Thanked 1,825 Times in 523 Posts
|
Damn that looks good, going to try it out this week.
|
| |
09-14-2009, 05:32 PM
|
#20 | Hyde's Understudy
Join Date: May 2001 Location: Vancouver
Posts: 6,001
Thanked 436 Times in 226 Posts
| Quote:
Originally Posted by bcrdukes ^
Yeah, and that was my initial impression but how are you biased? | i guess i've ate at kintaro all the time, and i've tried those other ramen places and had bad experiences so i was kinda pissed i wasted a trip to downtown and wasted a ramen dinner slot at these places.
|
| |
09-14-2009, 07:05 PM
|
#21 | Trollollolloing RS sine 2005
Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Richmond
Posts: 7,093
Thanked 2,471 Times in 704 Posts
| Quote:
Originally Posted by ae101 then has anyone try that famous raman place from asia, it's the one at parker i go to that place a lot in HK & when i found out that they had a location here i was sooooo happy till i realize the price of 1 bowl of raman was $10 i was like shit | that place is crap, its way worst than the locations in HK, and even then, the ones at HK isnt any good.
i used to love going to kintaro for their cheese ramen, but then when i tried the creamy tonkatsu at benki, it's alot better. now i only go to benki with the occasional kintaro visit for the cheese ramen.
__________________ Quote:
Originally Posted by MajinHurricane I had some girl come into the busser station the other day trying to make out with every staff member and then pull down her pants and asked for someone to stick a dick in her (at least she shaved). | Quote:
Originally Posted by 1exotic Vtec doesn't kick in on Reverse. | Quote:
Originally Posted by Ulic Qel-Droma its like.. oh yeah oh yeah.. ohhhh yeah... OOoooOohh... why's it suddenly feel a bit better... ohhhh yeahh... ohhh...oh..fuck... it probably ripped. | |
| |
09-14-2009, 07:28 PM
|
#22 | HELP ME PLS!!!
Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Vancouver
Posts: 5,542
Thanked 652 Times in 346 Posts
|
Never tried Motomachi
Hate Kintaro. Portion is big, but the broth is extremely bland.
Likes Benkei, though the portion is smaller, but the soup tastes much better.
|
| |
09-14-2009, 07:28 PM
|
#23 | I don't get it
Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Vancouver
Posts: 440
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
| Quote:
Originally Posted by ae101 then has anyone try that famous raman place from asia, it's the one at parker i go to that place a lot in HK & when i found out that they had a location here i was sooooo happy till i realize the price of 1 bowl of raman was $10 i was like shit | You mean Ajisen Ramen at Parker Place?
Mediocre soup. Mediocre noodles. The "tenderous rib" is very good (better than the toppings at Benkei or Motomachi) but then a bowl has 2 or 3 little pieces. Not worth the price.
|
| |
09-14-2009, 08:27 PM
|
#24 | RS.net, helping ugly ppl have sex since 2001
Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Vancouver
Posts: 8,341
Thanked 263 Times in 82 Posts
|
what about G-Men in richmond? anyone tried that?
__________________
:makeout:
|
| |
09-14-2009, 08:34 PM
|
#25 | Hyde's Understudy
Join Date: May 2001 Location: Vancouver
Posts: 6,001
Thanked 436 Times in 226 Posts
|
^ g-men is not good imo, too salty and small bowl
but the good thing was their onsen egg's and their negi cha-shu as a side dish
|
| | | |
Posting Rules
| You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts HTML code is Off | | | All times are GMT -8. The time now is 10:24 PM. |