If you are a foodie like me, and a big fan of ramen and izakayas, you would have noticed the explosion of Ramen establishments and Izakayas that have sprung up in the Toronto food scene. In Japan, ramen is comfort food, a hunger fix. However, signature ramen has become a symbol of an urban meal in the North American pop food culture in major cities like New York, Vancouver and Toronto. The fierce ramen competition has introduced an evolution of signature flavors. A good bowl of ramen consists of the equation of two main ingredients - the noodle and the soup, then mixed with various toppings flavored with shoyu or miso.
Some restaurants below have been tried and tested...each ramen shop has their own authentic approach to make the soup base, sometimes take slow cooked for 1-2 days.
Ryoji Ramen & Izakaya 690 College St, Little Italy
Hapa Izakaya 603 College St, Little Italy
Zakkushi Izakaya 193 Carlton St , Cabbagetown [Specialize in charcoal grilling. Their sashimi is one of the best I have tried anywhere]
Kingyo Izakaya 51B Winchester St, Cabbagetown
Ninki Izakaya 133 Richmond St W, Downtown
Izakaya Nejibee 24 Wellesley St W, Unit 1, Downtown
Raijin Ramen 3 Gerrard St E, Downtown [Black miso soup base is a specialty]
Izakaya Ju 3160 Steeles Ave E, J-Town, Markham
Santouka Ramen 91 Dundas St E, Downtown [They offer options for less fat or low sodium for the broth. Nice variety on the menu including roe on rice - one of my fave!]
Kinton Ramen 51 Baldwin St, Baldwin Village [Their soup base is cooked for over 20 hours]
Fin Izakaya 55 Eglinton Ave E, Mid Town
Guu Izakaya 559 Bloor St W, Annex 398 Church St, Downtown [I never get tired of this place.]
Sansotei Ramen 179 Dundas St W, Downtown
Chou Izakaya 556 Church St, Downtown [Don't judge this place by it's decor. Everything on the menu is consistently great! Great value for the quality they offer.]
How to eat ramen:
1: Eat with chopsticks. That's your noodle shovel. So what's the spoon for? That's for sipping the brothy goodness while you are consuming the noodles. It's all about layering the flavours.
2: You have to slurp. It's not about being dainty. Slurping actually helps cool down the hot soupy noodles. Just relax and enjoy!
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