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| - Irasshaimase!
We were excited to try the ramen restaurant that for the past few weeks on everyone's lips and arrived on a Saturday afternoon for lunch to this bustling ramen shop. Connected to the restaurant was the dessert cafe "Saryo", also a popular chain imported from Japan. Although, as my fellow reviewers have noted, the lines to get in were long, the service once inside was rapid and friendly, characteristic of these traditional ramen bars and izakayas that have popped up throughout the GTA.
We tried the Shoyu clam broth ramen (+ egg + extra pork belly), and the spicy tonkotsu ramen. Though it was the clam broth ramen that won Mr. Atsushi Yamamoto (founder) the Michelin Gourmand Bib four years in a row (an award for serving Michelin quality food at reasonable prices), it was the spicy tonkotsu ramen that amazed us.
The shoyu ramen was light and refreshing, the noodles were chewy and we could really taste the clams in the broth. Yet, it did not feel like a violation of authentic Shoyu ramen, a risk that using clam broth instead of chicken or beef broth might entail. The egg was perfectly soft-boiled and very flavourful. The sous-vide chashu was tender but lacked the flavour that the rich pork belly had. Both meats were less salty and less oily in comparison to other ramen bowls I've had.
My favourite ramen is generally the tonkotsu ramen as I love the creamy, rich broth signature to the dish. The spiciness of the dish was mild, but we could taste the fresh spicy peppers thinly sliced in the dish. The broth was definitely the highlight of this dish as it achieved a unique umami flavour that I had not encountered in other tonkotsu ramen dishes before. You'll need to try it; it is indescribably good. I would recommend adding extra meat and the egg to this as well to supplement a somewhat sparse array of toppings in both dishes. The house-made pork-belly side dish (7$) that comes with egg would be a good way to achieve this for two people.
Most patrons did not get dessert that afternoon but that would be a mistake. Saryo is a dessert chain specializing in matcha and hojicha ice-cream and lattes. We tried the Hojicha Saryo signature parfait (Hojicha can be thought of as a roasted green tea, hence the brown colour, and it is a must try if you like matcha). If you have tried Tsujiri, then this place will feel familiar as both offer multi-ingredient green tea ice cream parfaits, filled with delicious tasting Japanese sweets such as mochi and red bean. The unique flavours in this parfait such as green tea and water jelly, cubes of matcha brownies really made it stand out as a delicious dessert.
One of the great things about ramen is that its variations are so different that everyone can find a flavour that appeals to them. We loved the tonkotsu ramen but the appeal of the clam broth shoyu was clear as well. Compared to the other ramen places in town, this is definitely in my Top 2 for its unique yet traditional, bold yet authentic flavours.
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