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Ramen 101

Where is the Best Ramen in Vancouver?

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

Kintaro Ramen

Benkei Ramen

I have been searching high and low for the best ramen in Vancouver and after many bowls of slurping the Japanese decadence, I have reached my final verdict. A great bowl of ramen is composed of the following 3 components and this is how my judging is based.

1) Soup Base

2) Noodle

3) Chashu Meat and Toppings

My Top 3 Ramen Picks in Vancouver:

1) Hokkaido Ramen Santouka (featured above - Shio Ramen, $8.95)

The #1 attraction at Santouka is their exceptional soup base. This is the closest thing outside of Japan. Their rich and creamy pearl-colored Tonkotsu soup is made by slow shimmering pork bones for 20 hours before adding vegetables, dried fish, kelp and other secret ingredients. I find their noodle a little bit heavy and doughy but still delicious. Their Chashu is well balanced made from the pork back ribs. Their secret topping that really complements their soup is their use of Japanese Kikurage which adds an incredible crunchy texture.

2) Kintaro Ramen (featured above - Miso Ramen, $7.95)

Their Fatty Chashu is hands down the BEST. Make sure to order the Fat NOT lean Chashu. Any Chashu lover would appreciate their melt-in-your-tongue layers of fat and meat combination. I also find Kintaro offers the best noodle - it is chewy and al dente. The only shortfall that put Kintaro in 2nd place is their soup base. I find that their soup is not as rich and flavourful as Santouka and also very salty and fatty.

3) Benkei Ramen (featured above - Shio Ramen, $6.95)

Benkei is the place I would go if Kintaro and Santouka are both full. They offer a solid bowl of ramen but the quality is not comparable to the other two. Their soup base is quite light and mild and also their noodle texture tasted like instant noodles. Their chashu is quite dry and lean - also the pieces are tiny. With the limited amount of toppings, meat and noodle, I was still quite hungry after a bowl.