Ramen Gojiro is a new ramen shop in Downtown Vancouver and it is part of the Menya Kouji group that also owns Ramen Butcher and Taishoken.
They specialize in jiro-style/gatsuri-style ramen that has lots of noodles and toppings. They are trying something new that differentiates themselves from the other ramen shops.
It was a rainy day in Vancouver, no surprise right? My friend and I came here before heading off to work.
They are still very new, so there were grand opening flowers out front.
We came at 12:30pm on a Sunday, but there wasn’t a line up until about 1pm. We were pretty lucky to get a table as I’ve only heard people lining up outside during peak hours.
The interior is nice and simple with wood and cement textures. There’s even a painting of Godzilla.
The staff in the kitchen were wearing t-shirts from Ramen Butcher.
The menu is simple and you have the choice between 2 size, 2 toppings and 2 broths.
Beer, fried rice and tsukemen aren’t available just yet, but at some point, it will be.
After putting in our order, the server asked if we wanted an apron. Seemed like a good idea at the time. The paper napkin helps prevent any noodle slurping splatter from hitting your clothes or bags. As we put on our aprons, we realized NO ONE else in the restaurant had one on. We didn’t hear them offering these to other tables.
Regardless of how ugly it was, we kept it on and it really did help with the splatter.
Basic Chashu has their signature broth with pork and chicken. Noodles are made in-house.
The thickness of the noodles were in between udon and ramen. There is also lots of bean sprouts. My friend said the chashu was fatty and delicious, but the broth was meh.
Basic Bakamori with karaage is a mountain of food. It has the same broth but with more topping, more noodles, and more meat. If you are a big eater, you will want this option.
I wasn’t thrilled with the broth either. It was rich but lacked much depth to it and it was salty.
The chicken karaage was crispy and full of flavour, but I didn’t like the noodles. The option garlic on top was pungent as well.
Ramen Gojiro has its high points and low points, but I don’t think I would return. It’s just didn’t appeal to my tastebuds.
We Rate Ramen Gojiro:
Address:
501 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver
Website:
http://ramengojiro.com/
