Restaurants
Kinton Ramen
Kinton Ramen opened in Baldwin Village last month, upping Toronto's noodle ante, a food trend that's been all the rage in New York City for a few years now. With David Chang of Momofuko fame set to open shop in Toronto at the end of July, this city's ramen scene is likely in for a serious shake up. If Chang's Toronto spots live up to his reputation, will Kinton be relegated to second fiddle?
The latest restaurant from the owners of Guu Izakaya and Guu Sakabar, Kinton doesn't seem to have much to worry about, as it's been packed since opening. On the night of my visit, it's pouring rain but that doesn't deter the crowd assembled out front for the 45 minute wait (unsurprisingly, there are no reservations here).
As with the Guu restaurants, Kinton's staff hollers out enthusiastic greetings in Japanese as guests enter, setting a friendly vibe before we've even sat down. We take a seat along the bar facing the line of frenetic and hustling kitchen staff who are labouring over huge vats of noodles in boiling water and pots of ochre-coloured soup stock.
Hip hop blasts through the restaurant, lending upbeat energy to the already fast-paced environment. The rich, meaty smells wafting up from the open kitchen has us excited and hungry. Some of that excitement wanes when we learn that despite having a selection of Japanese beers printed on the menu, the restaurant isn't actually licensed yet — egregious false advertising, I would say.
Settling for glasses of water in lieu of Sapporo, we contemplate the mains. Seeing the enormous portions at the tables around us, we decide to forego appetizers in order to save room for the big noodle bowls. But when our food arrives, we find ourselves underwhelmed. The noodles are a little undercooked and each dish is defined by an overabundance of starch and salt.
I decide on the spicy garlic ramen ($9.80). The soup's chili spice colours the stock a bright, rusty red and the strips of tender pork shoulder coating the bowl are topped with crisp bean sprouts, onion, scallion and a hefty scoop of freshly grated garlic. The spice adds a very welcome intensity, but the dish is fairly one-dimensional, with the heat and the garlic doing most of the heavy lifting.
My companion's bowl of shoyu vegetable ramen ($9.80) is also underwhelming. After a few bites, the broth started to cool and the dish turned out to be rather bland with a tinge of metallic aftertaste. On a more positive note, the hefty serving of well-cooked vegetables and the delicate hard-boiled egg, give the dish a healthy kick and a welcome variety of textures. The spicy vegetable ramen (also $9.80) didn't suffer from any unpleasant aftertaste and was naturally less bland, but I wouldn't call it a show-stopper, either.
We went in with high hopes, but left a little disappointed. Perhaps the long wait built our expectations up a little too high. Each of our meals were hearty and warming, and there's certainly no skimping on the meat and vegetable servings. Next time I'm in the neighbourhood and in the mood for noodles, I'd definitely give Kinton Ramen another shot.
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the general sentiment about Kinton seems to be "good but not amazing, but still the best ramen in Toronto"
Pikey
Quality-wise, that's a different story.
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I'm looking forward to trying this place out. This impending "noodle war" can only be good for ramen lovers.
Perhaps this ramen costs a bit more than what you might pay in Tokyo. But it's not typical food here. Just like you would pay more for spaghetti and meatballs in Japan, or a baguette sandwich in Korea.
We went after 9pm on a Thursday and there was no wait. I thought in general all is good, but we all agreed the broth is not flavorful enough. Service is always great.
Noodle 9/10
Broth 6/10
Pork 8/19
Drinks 8/10
Presentation 9/10
Service 9/10
Annie | Arc & Co. Design (www.arcandco.ca)
After I tried my spicy garlic ramen, it did not make the wait worthy at all. The broth was not flavorful and all I could taste is the spice from the garlic. Overall, not great and won't be back if I have to wait.
Also, the waitress approached me after I'd finished my bowl and told me that they take pictures of people who finish their ramen and put them on their Facebook page. Yikes! Anyway, she tried to argue with me when I said I wasn't interested. Strange! Suddenly I feel so old.
http://www.wikito.org/Kinton_Ramen_-_Baldwin_Village_Toronto