By Queena Kwok
I have been craving some Japanese street food, ramen, udon, takoyaki, etc. I gave these three noodle houses a try…
Manpuku Modern Japanese Eatery @ The Grange, 105 McCaul Street, Toronto
3-4 courses with tips and tax for 4 ($48)
First, I visited Manpuku, during lunch with some colleagues. This little gem is hidden in the very back of The Grange’s food court, with its chic and simple décor most would mistake it as a pricey eatery. I was awed that Manpuku is affordable, pleasant and plentiful.
The waitress was sweet and polite. She seated us swiftly, handed us the menu and came back with green tea in hand to patiently explain to us the details of the menu items and its ingredients.
I decided on the Curry Udon with Beef. The broth was smooth and tasty and the curry was not overpowering- it enhanced the sweetness of the beef brisket pieces. The accompanying carrots and cabbage were cooked to perfection, still but retained the crunch of fresh veggies. My colleague Amy had the vegetarian version, which was loaded with veggies and a few fried tofu pieces. My other two lunch buddies had the Kake Udon. The broth was fish based with a hint of bonito; light but distinct. The toppings were a bit scarce. It only had a few pieces of the kameboko fish cake, and a piece of fried tofu skin floating on top. Nevertheless, it was equally delicious. The udon was cooked just right in both soups, tender but with some firmness to it. For an additional $2.99 you have the option for a combo, with a choice of salad, soup, or a side of takoyaki (2) served on two round shrimp crackers. I was mighty hungry, so I went for a full order of takoyaki (6 pcs for 5.99). They are labour-intensive, crispy shelled, tantalizing fried balls of seafood goodness that melts in your mouth. Inside, it contains a piece of octopus topped with powdered seaweed, shaved bonito flakes (so delicate that they resemble dancing snowflakes in the breeze). It is drizzled with mayo and some type of brown sauce. I wished they were open for breakfast. I would have replaced my breakfast sandwich with an order of takoyaki!
We finished off this awesome meal with iced mochi (3 pcs $3.99), ice-creamy goodness inside a thin chewy rice flour shell with the option of red bean, green tea and mango flavours. They were delicate and delicious. These Japanese cheesecakes aren’t your usual rich, dense deserts we have in North America, they are a light fluffy cake baked with cheese in its batter. The cake part of it is a bit lighter than pound cake and velvety smooth in your mouth.
I really enjoyed my lunch there. As the service was on point, from the moment we entered the door, the tea cup was magically filled as quick as it was emptied. The food arrived quickly and the dessert recommendation came with just enough time for us to digest our mains. All in all, the bill is pleasantly affordable.
Ajisen Ramens 7030 Warden Avenue, Markham
Appetizer and Noodle Soup for two, Tax and Tips included $32
This noodle house is run by a Cantonese speaking staff and is conveniently located at the same plaza as the T&T Supermarket in a neighbourhood often referred to as “Chinatown North”. I was neither impressed with the service nor the food. They sat us relatively fast, but we had to ask for the tea, and they only brought us a single menu for two people. I had to go fetch the second one at the host’s desk myself.
The décor is interestingly done with different ramen bowls from years past. Their menu has the most variety out of the three places and seems to be very child friendly. We started off with Kaki Fry (fried oyster) accompanied by a tangy dipping sauce. It was a nicely done crispy breaded crust, with rich and creamy oysters inside. Our ramen was a bit disappointing, although the broth in my curry ramen was velvety and rich. The pork cutlet arrived separately 5 minutes earlier and was a bit dry. My dinner partner’s spicy pork ramen, 3 on a spicy scale out of five, was spiced just right and the pork on it was moist and tender. Our biggest disappointment lay in the noodles. They tried to pass spaghetti noodles off as straight ramen! Anyone who has eaten both ramen and spaghetti would be able to tell the difference. Spaghetti is usually slightly harder, and lacks the bounce and tenderness of fresh ramen.
Like many fast food eateries in Chinatown North, the service is something left to be desired. I had to repeatedly ask for tea, and 2 out of 3 times, we were forgotten by the staff. We then had to ask several times for our bill as well. It’s lucky that we weren’t on a schedule. The only redeeming quality was that at least they accept debit and credit cards and not cash only.
Kenzo Japanese Noodle House 6180 Yonge Street, North York
Appetizer and meal for two, tax and tips included $34
As my quest for the perfect Japanese noodle soup continued, I decided to head over to Kenzo Japanese Noodle House. This place was a bit hard to find. It was tucked into a little strip plaza on Yonge Street just south of Steeles Avenue. This ramen house is both cozy and quirky. The outside signage is a giant bowl of noodles (chopsticks included). The interior has a few nice booths, and there are banners and posters on the walls, with diagrams to educate the diners with interesting ramen facts. In true Japanese hospitality, we were offered toasted Oolong tea. The menu was small, but of quality offerings. The descriptions for each item and the wall banners were a big help.
We were in the mood for something with a kick so we chose two delicious options from their hot/spicy ramens, with options of spice levels 0.5-3. I decided on the Karashi Ramen, a 2.5 on their spicy scale. The broth is made with a fish stock and the namesake Karashi hot sauce. It came with 4 slices of pork, a little of cabbage, carrots and a generous amount of bean sprouts. The veggies soaked up all the flavour in the spicy broth. The heat of the broth was perfect; it warmed me from the inside out and made my nose run a little towards the last few bites. My dinner partner was looking for lots of toppings, so he had The King of Kings Ramen, which was a 2 on their spicy scale. It has five toppings: grilled pork (slightly marbled, but not greasy), nori (toasted seaweed), boiled seaweed, and half a boiled egg. The egg was mostly firm, the yolk was perfectly done, still bright yellow and soft. There were also tons of bean sprouts to soak up the broth. This broth was milder. The spice used was less sharp and more rounded. The curly ramen in both soups were tender yet bouncy, just what a perfect bowl of ramen should be. For the love of takoyaki, we shared an order of 6 pieces, $7.99. They were beautifully presented in a chic little disposable wooden dish, but they weren’t nearly as good and delicate as the ones at Manpuku’s. They were larger in size, and although the sauces on it were good, the shells were not as crisp. The octopus balls were a bit greasy and a little sulky. Their centre was still creamy but the octopus pieces were a bit too chunky.
As we were chatting and munching away at our meal, the wait staff filled our teacups consistently and napkins were offered to us as our noses were running from all the spice. This place has a good balance of economic price, quality ingredients and the generous servings that will ensure an excellent dining experience.
I love this article “Oodles of Noodles”! Thanks for the info!