Kintaro meets Tokyo

My eating out routine has changed dramatically since I changed jobs. Looking to save more and splurge less, I embarked on a fervent search for more budget eats. Kintaro was on my hit list for a long time (as touted by local food presses), and I finally decided to try it out at lunch on New Year's Eve with 2 fellow noodle enthusiasts.

What seems like a small unassuming restaurant from the exterior is anything but. We were subjected to the ritual of waiting in line outside of the restaurant, then ushered to and fro as the waitresses scurried to grab menus and have us place an order inside the already packed restaurant.

Having never ordered authentic Tonkotsu Ramen (Japanese soup noodles in pork bone broth) before, we chose the fat soup from a menu that featured light, medium, and fat soup bases, and ordering the Miso ramen, Kintaro's signature dish. This soup, in addition to the pork base, combines 12 different types of miso into the mix in creating a strong, soya flavour that soaks into the noodles as you devour your share. Mixed with bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, green onions, and corn, plus several slices of pork (your choice of fat or lean), each ingredient adds strong texture and sophisticated flavour to every bite. At around 7 dollars for the bowl, the meal was economical, filling, and best of all a very comprehensive eat.

Having returned several times since the first trip, we also discovered delicious gyozas that were cooked crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. The edges of each gyoza has a golden tint while the middle remains soft and svelte, markedly different from soggy steamed or greasy pan fried gyozas.

A friend visiting from Tokyo also remarked that this place comes very close to the noodle shops in Japan, and even cheaper. Eating out throughout her trip, she was truly impressed with Vancouver's culinary diversity and skill, especially in creating Japanese dishes.

Unfortunately, we have yet to try the always sold-out Kintaro Saturday special, the Forest-fire ramen, as well as their 3 month special, spicy miso ramen. Hopefully, we will have the privilege to sooner or later. If we do, I'll post the review for sure.