Jinya Ramen Bar has quietly launched their new vegan menu items. Even though I’m not a vegan, their Spicy Creamy Vegan ramen is incredibly delicious. Once I had that broth, I was hooked. I honestly order it every time, sometimes with a side of chachu. I really appreciate the work that goes into crafting the ramen.
A few new item have been launched on the menu to give vegans and vegetarians more options. The vegan taco, vegan bun, and vegan rice bowl have been added.
Vegan Taco
This has soy meat, guacamole, and cilantro on a crispy taco shell made of wonton skin. It was really good and if you didn’t tell me what it was, I would think it was ground pork. I like the use of the wonton skin shell as its very crispy and didn’t seem to get soggy.
Vegan Bun
This has a steamed bun stuffed with pea protein patty (Beyond Meat), avocado, cucumber, and vegan mayo. When I took the first bite, I instantly knew it was Beyond Meat. I was very impressed that Jinya is on board with offering Beyond Meat on the menu. The patty has a good texture.
Vegan Rice Bowl
This is their plant-based rice bowl with soy meat, corn, atsuage tofu, cilantro, pickled red onion, and fried broccolini over steamed rice.
It’s a pretty sizeable portion and you’ll definitely get full. The tofu is served cold and most of the items are more room temperature. They did note that it’s supposed to be served this way. We did find that it needed more sauce as there was a good amount of rice.
Spicy Creamy Vegan Ramen
It uses a vegetable broth, tofu, onion, crispy onion, spinach, garlic chips, garlic oil, chilli oil, sesame seeds, and served with thick noodle.
The broth is really amazing and the addition of the garlic oil and chili oil were delicious. They give you a good amount of tofu too, so you will be full after eating this ramen.
You can also add sides to the ramen like their egg, bamboo shoots or Brussels sprouts to make the meal more filling.
Drink Pairings
Jinya Ramen has a fully stocked bar with bartenders, so if you are looking for something to pair with the vegan dishes. Here they are.
Yuzu Fizu
Yuzu Fizu is their selection to pair with the vegan tacos. They use simple syrup, yuzu, carbonated water, and topped with 1908 Empress Gin. The yuzu gives an added sweetness that mellows out the gin. It was very refreshing.
Asahi Dry Black
This is the pairing to go with the Vegan Bun. This is one of my favourite beers too as there are notes of liquorice, chocolate, coffee, and nuts. It is easy to drink.
Sake
They have a variety of sake on the menu that pairs with their regular items and vegan items.
Oku No Matsu: Yusa Junmai Ginjo was what they highly recommended to have with the vegan rice bowl. It is well balanced and textured, soft sweet flavours, and has a clean finish.
Houou Biden – Akaban Junmai Daiginjo was their suggestion to go with the Spicy Creamy Vegan Ramen. This is served in a wine glass to amplify the deep melon flavours and smooth textures.
Suutsu Fashion
Whisky based drink and it was like an Old Fashioned. I liked how they use one large ice cube to keep the drink cool. It had a good balance of the bitters and the garnish of the orange peel and cherry opened up the flavours.
Final Thoughts
I am a regular at Jinya Ramen Bar and their vegan options are very good, but the ramen is definitely pricey. Nonetheless, it is one of the best vegan ramen I’ve had so far. If you want to indulge and treat yourself, this is definitely it.
The vegan rice bowl is a good option too if you don’t want anything soupy. The vegan bun and vegan taco are good accompaniments too if you are super hungry.
Website:
https://jinya-ramenbar.com/
