Weekly Ramen Discovery - Tondou Ramen

Tondou Ramen (Review)

Another place that I walked by countless times, but had not tried yet. I visited Tondou, located in downtown Toronto. I tried their Okinawa Soba.

Tondou's specialty is Okinawan cuisine, so I had to try their version of ramen. My friend got a garlic Tonkotsu ramen, so I had a taste of that broth too. It was delicious. I plan on coming back to try their Tonkotsu ramen.

Okinawa Soba @ Tondou Ramen

Broth 9/10 - This light bonito and chicken broth flavour was so clean, but still full of complexity. Especially if someone is craving for a seafood-type flavour, this is the one. The only reason why I gave 9 out of 10 was that it was very basic, and I had better clean-type broth somewhere else. Do not let this deter you. It is still a great ramen to have.

Noodle 10/10 - By now you should know my favourite type is thicker noodle. This traditional Okinawan soba noodle (different from 'soba' noodle which is darker, and thin) was a perfect balance of thin ramen noodle and thick udon noodle.

Chashu 10/10 - It had the great ratio of chasu, just like a balanced portfolio in finance, 60/40. Yet the meaty part was so soft that it almost melted instantly.

Toppings 10/10 - The pickled ginger and the fish cake were the perfect pairing to this type of a broth. It gave extra refreshing taste every time I had a bite with a bit of pickled ginger on it.

Egg ?/10 - I forgot to order the egg this time, but I am sure that it would have been great.

Overall 9.5/10 - This is another MUST TRY place if you want to explore ramen outside of pork based broth. I also had a taste of their tonkotsu broth, and it was really good. I do not think you can go wrong with either of those two bowls.

Bonus: The house beer just became my favourite summer drink, and I am normally not a fan of beer. This light hoppy beer is worth a try if you want a refreshing drink.

Weekly Ramen Discovery - Midori

Midori (Review)

Countless times I walked by this place and told myself I would visit over the past year. This weekend was finally the day. I visited Midori, located in downtown Toronto. I tried their Signature Tori Paitan.

Signature Tori Paitan @ Midori

Broth 10/10 - This creamy broth reminded me of samgye-tang, which is a traditional Korean chicken soup. This was by far the most delicious non-pork based broth I have ever tasted. The richness and depth of flavour achieved just by the chicken alone is usually hard to compete with pork, but this one does it. A MUST TRY if you want a change from your typical pork based broth.

Noodle 9.5/10 - The server suggested I go for thicker noodle when I told her that I like firmer noodle. I wish they cooked my noodles slightly less, but that is just my personal preference. The noodles were perfectly done.

Chashu 9.5/10 - At first when I saw the chicken chashu included in every menu, I had my doubts. But when I tasted the broth, I instantly understood why. I liked the pork chashu in here as well, which balanced out the chicken-dominated flavour in the ramen. Both chashu melted in my mouth, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Dry chashu is typically my worst nightmare when tasting ramen, and this was the complete opposite. I wish the pork chashu was a little bit more chewy, though.

Toppings 10/10 - Amazing toppings. Red onions were not overpowering. Sea lettuce added complexity (umami) to the creamy broth. Fried onions gave occasional exciting bites every time I started to get used to the normal broth flavour.

Egg 10/10 - A proper ajitama. Well marinated soft-boiled egg.

Overall 9.5/10 - This is a MUST TRY place if you want to explore ramen outside of pork based broth. I cannot wait to come back and try their different menu.

Bonus: The zen garden in the middle of the table was a gem! It certainly elevated the dining experience. I took a lot of notes for my personal interior design projects from this one.

Weekly Ramen Discovery

Kuidaore (Review)

This is a special edition, as I was visiting Ottawa for my friend's birthday. I visited Kuidaore, which is located in the Little Italy area. I tried their Tan Tan ramen.

Tan Tan Ramen @ Kuidaore

Broth 8.5/10 - This spicy sesame broth offered different experience than typical Tonkotsu broth. It has a strong seafood flavour, which can be polarizing. It requires a skill to incorporate seafood base in a broth when your toppings mostly include meat. This broth was not able to meet that right balance as I got too much of the seafood flavour versus subtle hint of one. If you are craving that flavour or want something other than pure pork based broth, it is worth to try.

Noodle 8/10 - The noodle was not up to the standards, as it was a little overcooked. It almost resembled the instant noodle one, but luckily it was still chewy enough to be considered as gourmet.

Chashu 10/10 - I got only one piece of pork belly, but this is a MUST TRY. The thickness of the pork, the charred flavour on the outside, and great balance of meat and fat ratio made this one of the perfect pork belly topping on a ramen I have ever had.

Toppings 8/10 - On top of your typical bamboo shoots and nori, it included ground pork with shredded pepper on top. I suspect that this was to harmonize the strong seafood flavour with the chashu topping, but I wonder if it would be better to just go all the way with seafood. Perhaps ground shrimp and crab meat as a replacement.

Egg 9/10 - Great soft-boiled egg that is done with a proper technique, but it lacked the soya marinading.

Overall 8.5/10 - This is a good Japanese ramen spot in Ottawa, and I bet the Tonkotsu ramen rating would be a little higher. However, the Tan Tan ramen just did not give me the same "wow" factor as Tonkotsu or other offspring pork based ramen.

Bonus: Karaage and their mayo dipping are great combination. Veggie gyoza was NOT worth the try. Gyoza seemed to be pre-cooked and frozen. The soy sauce that came out with the Gyoza was not great either.