RAMEN – JUST THE THING FOR RAINY DAYS
It's come a long way from its early days
Ramen, like sushi, slipped into Vancouver culture and now it's a near necessity on chilly, rainsoaked days. There are so many more ramen places from those early days of lineups into the steamy-windowed Kintaro ramen-ya on Denman Street.
I'd recommend Marutama Ra-men (three in Vancouver, two in Burnaby, one in Richmond and Coquitlam), Ramen Danbo, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, Gyoza Bar, Jinya Ramen, Motomachi Shokudo, Menya Raizo, Ramen Butcher, Zubu Ramen in Vancouver, Burnaby and West Van, Food Hall by Zubu, Harvest Community Foods, Franklin Food Lab, Hachiro in North Vancouver, Fat Mao Noodles, Ramen Gojiro, and Taishoken Ramen.
MENYA ITTO
Where: 1479 Robson Street, Vancouver
When: lunch and dinner, daily
Info: 604-568-6898. menyaitto-canada.com
Menya Itto, which opened last month, had a stellar rep for its tsukemen in Tokyo — a deconstructed ramen where broth and noodles are separated and noodles are dipped into the hot broth.
Chef Yukihiko Sakamoto boasts two degrees of separation from Tokyo's `Ramen God,' whose earth-born name is Yamagishi Kazuo. Sakamoto trained under this god's close disciple, a.k.a. the `son of Ramen God' and then went on to open the first Menya Itto in Tokyo. He now heads 10 franchises internationally. This is the first in North America and Sakamoto is here for two months training staff with plans to check back two or three times a year.
Serendipity, or happy accidents, create many a popular dish. Potato chips? Created when a pain-in-the-butt customer kept sending back fried potatoes complaining they weren't thin enough. CocaCola? Originally an alcoholic health tonic when Prohibition prompted owners to replace the alcohol with carbonation.
Tsukemen ramen? A waste-saving move. When Ramen God's staff noticed their boss dip leftover ramen noodles into a hot broth they wanted it for a staff meal. Boom. A dish was born.
So what's that got to do with anything? In Vancouver, we now have tsukemen from a disciple of the `son of Ramen God' and yes, it's very good. So rich and complex. At Menya Itto, tsukemen and regular styles of ramen are available with three broths: yuzu shoyu (clear chicken), noko gyokai (creamy chicken) and tsukemen.
“They have three times more chicken and other ingredients than others to make it rich and strong,” Sakamoto said through a translator.
The clear and creamy chicken broths simmer for eight and nine hours while the tsukemen broth takes 15 hours to reduce and amp up flavours.
The recipes weren't inherited from the `god' or `son of.' The most important thing he took from them, Sakamoto says, is to “have a good personality” and to hire staff for personality before experience. It's true that flavour is influenced by happy, content feelings. The broths, he says, are his own recipes using alkaline water. He wouldn't divulge too much about how he makes the toothsome noodles other than that he uses seven different flours.
The pork belly, pork shoulder and free-range chicken chasu toppings are cooked via sous vide, a holdover from earlier days cooking French food.
As Menya Itto settles in, they'll incorporate new ideas. When I visited, a server added risotto to the leftover tsukemen sauce, sprinkled Parmesan cheese over it, then torched it. Adding rice to leftover sauce is a thing in Japan. There was also the option of adding a lighter wadashi broth with lobster to the leftover tsukemen sauce, transforming it into a delicious umami-laden soup.
KINTON RAMEN
Where: 6111 University Boulevard, Vancouver
When: Open daily, 11:30 to 8:30
Info: 604-423-5452. kintonramen.com
This chain, with 20 ramen shops in Canada and three in the U.S., landed in B.C. last summer on the UBC campus. Another will follow in North Vancouver later this year and moving forward, they're looking to franchise more outlets.
Since my husband teaches at this far-flung campus, we've had some quick and casual meals here where most diners are students. Although there are a number of sides like chicken karaage, goyza, takoyaki and some desserts, stick to ramen. The last time, I went straight for what's good for me during a pandemic — the Immune Booster, a seasonal special in a ginger-infused chicken broth, with a sizable immunity army of raw chopped garlic, onsen egg, chicken breast, cilantro and an umami hit of miso.
The chicken, cooked sous vide, is very moist and tender. The broth involves a 20-hour simmer of pork and chicken bones, then vegetables and bonito come aboard.
You choose from options of pork, chicken or vegetable toppings and decide on thin, thick or healthy shirataki noodles. The latter is made from konjac, an Asian root vegetable. And for flavourings, choose from `original,' or miso, spicy garlic, or spicy jalapeno additions to the broth. Watch for specials like the Immunity Ramen. Last month, an all-day breakfast ramen with miso broth, pork belly, onsen egg, sweet corn, scallions, nori, chili pepper, hash browns, chili oil, butter and blowtorched tomato and melted cheese.
You can pile on up to extra 16 toppings for $1 to $3.50 each.
It's the most exciting time of the wine year. Or, at least one of the two main exciting times. As a general rule, new wines are released during spring and fall. The spring release heralds the arrival of fresh, new vintage whites and roses — while reds tend to start trickling in during autumn. Thus we've officially entered new release season, and in this case we're referring to the launch of 2021 white and rosé wines.
So here are three recent local arrivals, with more and more B.C. bottles to follow in the weeks ahead.
THE SWIRL: B.C. DISTILLED FESTIVAL
B.C. Distilled, the province's premier artisan distillery festival started in 2014, is back. On Saturday, B.C. Distilled returns to the Croatian Cultural Centre (3250 Commercial Dr., Vancouver) to celebrate and highlight British Columbia's craft distilleries.
Thirty distilleries and exhibitors will be attending this year's main festival room, which has been separated into two smaller, lower capacity events. Tickets to either the 3 p.m. afternoon tasting or the 6:30 p.m. evening tasting are $79.03 (inclusive of taxes and fees). For complete information head to bcdistilled.ca.
Hester Creek 2021 Old Vine Pinot Blanc, British Columbia ($17.99, available through the winery)
If authenticity registers in your wine consideration, then there's no need to look further than this bottle. Hester Creek is an original Okanagan Valley wine player, and when they label their Pinot Blanc “Old Vine” it represents real street cred. The grapes for this bottle come from a vineyard planted in 1968, which represents a verifiable — and symbolic — agricultural lifetime. Whole berry pressed and undergoing cool stainless steel fermentation, this extroverted white throws aromas of flowers, lemon, and pith. This mid-weight white nicely represents the Golden
Mile Bench thanks to its approachable, mellow and fruity stance, making an easy pairing companion for fish, shellfish, or grilled poultry. Bottom line: B, Versatile white
Lock & Worth Winery 2021 Sauvignon Blanc & Semillon, British Columbia ($24.65, available through the winery and select private stores)
From old to new, or at least relatively recent — to be fair Lock & Worth has plied its wines for some years now. But since Day 1 the focus has been steady: “Honest, single vineyard wines of time and place — priced for everyday consumption.” For the just released, latest incarnation of their perennial go-to Naramata Bench-grown Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon blend this means a tad more rambunctious, savoury sensations. We're talking herbs, citrus pith, and an inherent greenness to complement peach and citrus fruit. It's an easy, fun style overall that makes for versatile food pairing — think impromptu picnic, pretty much a patio and anything right from the grill or takeout containers. Bottom line: A-, Ripping white
Sandhill Wines 2021 Rosé, British Columbia ($20.99, #583351)
One of the first 2021 rosés out of the gate hails from venerable Kelowna-based Sandhill Wines. Again sporting a fetching, curvaceous amphora-referencing bottle, the new vintage is a blend of Merlot and Gamay Noir from two vineyards — Sandhill Estate and Rocky Ridge. Pouring a pale pink, it throws gregarious red berry, melon, and earthy aromas before providing a cherry kiss in a fruity and fresh style overall. With evident residual sugars, this jovial pink wine is both smooth and approachable — an easy partner with friends and sunsets, ideally served alongside pizza or even an antipasti spread. Bottom line: B+, Cheery rosé