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Quote:

Originally Posted by LiquidTurbo (Post 6859565)

The ramen here is quite expensive. I'm not really sure it's 'better' than other places. The decor is really nice, but I didn't feel that there was value for money.

Heres Ramen Santouka. The place is just a few paces up from the Benkei heading up the hill. WHen I went there wasn't a line up, but every other time I've seen it, there's been a big line up. Probably because of the novelty of the place.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_RlBlRdp4hCE/S5...0/DSC_3841.JPG

This was about $12-13 before tax/tips. (Can't remeber exact price) I think that's rather expensive. However, the pork, (which they call Pork Jowl) was very good. I kinda wished they had given an extra slice or two.

They give you the goodies separately..
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_RlBlRdp4hCE/S5...0/DSC_3828.JPG

Then you gotta mix it into your noodles..the broth was good, but I didn't really enjoy the texture of the noodles much.. didn't have enough 'chewi-ness' to them. There also wasn't as much noodles as I expected. I prefer Kintaro's noodles. Usually after I finish a bowl of ramen I'm usually completely satisfied. I found myself kinda wanting a bit 'more' with Ramen Santouka. The broth was really good, but the noodles were just lacking a bit.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_RlBlRdp4hCE/S5...0/DSC_3829.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_RlBlRdp4hCE/S5...0/DSC_3827.JPG

Here's what everything looks mixed together.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_RlBlRdp4hCE/S5...0/DSC_3835.JPG

The egg, (called Ajitama) was really good. But at an additional $2? Come on. Essentally the yolk is nice and creamy which gives the egg a really nice texture. You can make these at home by boiling cold eggs from the fridge fo 7m30s, then dunking them in ice water.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_RlBlRdp4hCE/S5...0/DSC_3832.JPG

Kintaro: BBQ Pork Ramen - A couple $ cheaper.. Very filling and satisfied.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_RlBlRdp4hCE/S5...0/DSC_4521.JPG

The ambiance is of a crammed, crazy ramen shop from Japan. These guys work tirelessly to pump out ramen continuously. It's really fun to watch.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_RlBlRdp4hCE/S5...2/DSC_4520.JPG

This is Kintaro Spicy Garlic Ramen.. it's very hardcore and not for the faint of heart..
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_RlBlRdp4hCE/S5...0/DSC_2937.JPG

So overall, I think I prefer Motomachi Shokudo, Kintaro, over Ramen Santouka. I still like Ramen Santouka better than Benkei though. Just my personal preference.

In terms of decor and ambience, if you care about that kinda thing, I'd rate, Ramen Santouka, Motomachi Shokudo, Benkei, then Kintaro in dead last.

In terms of food, (which is all that matters to me), I'd rate Motomachi Shokudo and Kintaro virtually tied, then Ramen Santouka, then Benkei. (I really didn't like the random pork bits and noodle texture from Benkei, but it was a really nice place to eat at. My overall favorite is Kintaro. I like the philosophy of get in, eat, then get the heck out. Along with Motomachi Shokudo, they have the best noodle texture, which is what I look for in a nice bowl of Ramen.

i tried the spicy garlic the otherday, it wasnt that good, had too much of a sweet flavor. I was also not feeling too well for the whole day after haha. ended up not eating dinner and shitting fire the next day. I can take spicy foods no problem, just not this for some reason. Must be the wad of garlic

shitting fire = back fire
:haha::haha::haha::haha:

running too rich son

Quote:

Originally Posted by J____ (Post 6973404)

Shit, son!

You didn't heed my warning " it's very hardcore and not for the faint of heart..".

Yea, the garlic can be pretty intense. When I ate it, I found that 1/2 of what they put was far more than enough.

just got back...lol $40 bux for two

most expensive ramen ever.

but damn was it good

9.5/10

soup base was perfect, like the ones u have in jap. more oily, with flavor. The pork is really soft, cooked to perfection
:thumbsup::thumbsup:

apologize for not knowing their proper Jap names for their dishs.

Motomachi is still number one in my books, their seasonal cold noodles (and then add soup in it after) and their charcoal ramen was definitely interesting and well worth visiting. you just don't see it at kinatro or Benkei.

kinarto is dirty and yes, if u like fat and rich soup base, it's like drinking oil, but seeing them work and just walking into the super hot oven somehow makes it so much better since I've been going to it for a while.
Benkei jsut doesn't do it for me and I went to santouka ramen, it's pricy but it is sort of better than benkei.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LiquidTurbo (Post 6973520)

haha i didnt consider myself faint of heart. I can drink extra spicy kimchee jigae like water and eat szechuan dishes for breakfast while rubbing jalapeños in my eyes. Something about that garlic mixture at kintaro didnt do me well lol.

I just got back from Japan last week, I ate about 6 bowls of Ramen from various restaurants offering different types of ramen originating from different parts of Japan.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-a...94399_7551.jpg
Name of the restaurant - 龍上海 (literally translated Dragon Shanghai) from the Yamagata Region - Kara Miso Ramen is BY FAR HEADS AND SHOULDERS 10000x better than any ramen you will have EVER eat in your entire life!
I had the privilege to consume a bowl of this 3 years ago, and just to make sure I wasn't dreaming and prove that old adage of how your memory is better than your taste... I went to eat it again last week, and it was still just as damn good as ever, if anything it was even BETTER than I last remembered!... unbelievable awesomeness! Just drooling from thinking about it! ... ok I'm way off topic LOL ...

Back to Vancouver ramen, where it all taste like bleh now compared to that ... but of the good ones I would rank:
1) Santouka - very tasty broth for the Shio base and the Kara is not bad either, noodle texture could be better.
2) Kintaro - Delicious but even when I order light broth it still comes out pasty thick which literally feels artery clogging.
3) Motomachi - Pretty good, noodles were good but the broth isn't as flavourful as Kintaro or Santouka

WAY below those 3 I would put Benkei somewhere, infact it shouldn't even be in the same list. I've been there twice and both times have been very dissappointing. Soggy noodles and soup was very lacking.

^

Nice pic! What exactly made it so amazing?

Everything! Right from the temperature, to the chewiness of the thick noodles to the incredibly flavourful soup base. The clump of chili pasta had a very aromatic touch to it. You can push in however much you want, either you scoop out half or use it all. They even offer bigger clumps too for the more daring. It can get pretty spicy but it just enhances all the flavours of the soup and noodles even more. The meat was also perfect, not overly fatty but still melt in your mouth tender with the lean cuts. I gotta stop talking about it I already miss it too much lol!
It's the ONLY time I can completely finish the entire bowl down to the last drip of soup. Everywhere else (especially Kintaro) I can't drink a lot of the soup... oh yeah and it's only $6 :D

^

damn after reading your description i feel like im eating garbage here lol

i like the texture of the cold ramen and dipped ramen at santouka...the noodle in the soup is too soft...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Obsideon (Post 6974413)

I went to the Dragon place too! I ordered the fatty-est, biggest bowl. I find it a bit too much though, but not as bad as kintaro's oil.

My mom went to the one across (the other famous one), she said that one is perfect! I think she ordered shio.

I loved the fact that they have a vending machine type ordering system, that makes everything much faster.

those vending machines sells school girls undies too
:haha: