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| - I don't think I'm a ramen connoisseur, however between this location & the one in downtown Toronto - it isn't the best. Despite subpar ramen, the highlight of this place was the interaction with staff & some observations of how this place is run.
First impression- staff needs some coaching in customer service AND team work. We were third in line to be seated. No eye contact from the girl working the front, walked away a few times without acknowledging the people waiting. Eventually she came back after a few minutes, still cold attitude.
We grabbed seats at the bar. Usually when we go to Kinton/Santouka, I have no issue sitting at the bar. Don't do it at this location. Despite the large layout of the restaurant, the kitchen & bar is a tight squeeze. I sat closest to the kitchen, and beside me was a garbage bin that staff used to empty bowls, and the cooks to throw out scraps. Next to it was their transfer station, so there was a lot of dirty kitchenware etc. I'm not a picky diner, but they need to move that stuff elsewhere.
We placed our order & thankfully it came fast. I got the tonkatsu with thin noodles. The broth was rich but a bit oily for my liking. The noodles were a bit on the chewy side. Enjoyed the egg & black fungus.
Halfway through our meal some of the cook staff got into an argument. There was some yelling, then one of them storm out of the kitchen & slammed the back door hard enough that we felt it 20 ft away. All of the staff looked uncomfortable, & despite the whole restaurant witnessing this incident- it didn't seem like it was an issue for them.
Overall, I won't be returning. The ramen was okay, the restaurant was nice but the service was variable. I was excited to see them open a Markham location but I'll be heading elsewhere.
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