Restaurants
Raijin Ramen
Raijin Ramen is the newest contender in Toronto's rapidly growing ramen scene. Those familiar with Vancouver ramen shops will note that Raijin is operating under the same owner as the popular Kintaro Ramen and Motomachi Shokudo. Taking over the former Creasians BBQ at Yonge and Gerrard, Raijin has chosen a prime location for both students and hungry shoppers from the Eaton Centre.
The interior features a front dining space that includes bar seating (currently without liquor license) as well as a quieter dining area in the back. The combination of the two allows Raijin to seat around 70 patrons at any time, a noteworthy contrast to the smaller ramen shops that people have found themselves queuing in long lines for.
Upon our entrance and throughout the meal, the staff was attentive and courteous without being invasive, and seating was comfortable and spacious. At the time of my visit, Raijin was in its soft opening phase and there was no alcohol on the menu as well as limited side dishes available.
We started off with a small order of pan fried gyozas ($2.50 for 5), which came with an accompanying soy-based sauce. I enjoyed the wonderfully thin dumpling skins, but the pork filling could have been more plentiful.
Shortly after, our two bowls of ramen arrived. I opted for the Shio Tonkotsu ($9.50), consisting of cabbage, green onion, wood fungus, half a soft boiled egg and a few slices of pork shoulder over their shio tonkotsu broth. The egg was cooked perfectly, but I found the pork shoulder fairly mediocre--a bit too lean and tough compared to other Toronto ramen shops. The noodles were fantastic with a nice thickness and slightly chewy texture, however they did have a stronger alkaline taste which some people may not prefer (although I loved it).
My dining partner chose the Shoyu Tonkotsu ($9.50) which featured essentially the same toppings, but favoured bean sprouts over the wood fungus. Personally, I thought the broths for both bowls were not impressive at all. They did not come close to the creamy pork bone broth that Sansotei offers, nor did it have the richness or depth of Santouka's broth. The portion of noodles is very large for the price though, comparable to Kinton portions for sure.
Overall, I was a bit let down by Raijin, based on the reviews of Kintaro and Motomachi. Considering the number of ramen options that Toronto has amassed within the past few months, I wouldn't put them at the top of my recommendation list, but a return trip will be required in order to try their chicken-based ramen offerings. On the plus side, if you can't stand waiting in line for a bowl of noodles, then I'm sure Raijin will be able to seat you faster than any other ramen shop nearby.
Writing and photos by Bryan Chang
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it may be food borne illness related to her previous meal, or maybe the ramen didn't agree with her stomach, tho it may not necessarily be food poisoning.
Went there on their second or third day open. It was fairly quiet, which is surprising considering how packed the other ramen joints in the city are.
Overall, I'd say it was pretty decent. I've been to Japan numerous times, and my wife - who is Japanese herself - said that the ramen is more Tokyo-style than the other ones in T.O. (Santouka is Hokkaido-style, Sansoutei is apparently more western Japan, etc). I had the tonkotsu, and thought it was good; the noodles were the best, while the broth felt a little on the fatty side. Wife had a chicken-broth based one which was also really good.
Would I go back? Definitely. I think I'd rank it slightly ahead of Kinton and perhaps a bit below Sansoutei. Definitely better than Momofuku. Haven't tried Santouka yet but have heard good things.
The amount of the food is good for the price, and service was incredible quick. I pretty much agree with this review, the broth is tasty, the noodles are satisfying, but there is a subtle difference where I prefer my regular haunts. I'd go there to avoid the queues at other places if I'm craving ramen.
The food felt very fresh to me, and was definitely well cooked, I had no concern about food safety.
My typical order is the shio. Pretty one-dimensional broth, but nothing offensive. Lacked the richness of Santouka. Noodles were great. The pork shoulder was well cooked and flavourful, but unfortunately I only seemed to get one medallion.
Also tried a few bites and slurps of the shoyu which was on par with the shio.
From the new ramen arrivals that I've been to, I'd put Raijin ahead of Sansotei, but behind Santouka for flavour and Kinton for overall value and experience. The one upside is that they have plenty of tables so if you're good with B/B+ quality ramen without the wait, this is the spot for you.
Staff were friendly, helpful, and prompt.
Having said that, Raijin is actually quite good- milky tonkotsu broth rich and thick with pork bone flavor. I also favor the chewiness of the noodles at Raijin compared to Sansotei. They also do the tamago (egg) properly at Raijin as well. Unfortunately the pork isn't as delicious as Kinton or Sansotei but really, what you really need to appreciate in ramen is truly the broth, noodle and the egg.
Also- as a nurse, I also just wanted to say that food poisoning doesn't hit in 30 mins. Probably want to blame that on something you ate earlier in the day and up to 48 hours earlier. Just saying.
Food poisoning is not a medical term; symptoms (and the timing of their onset) can be dependent on whether it is viral vs. bacterial.
Bob, nobody point a gun at you to have you eat Ramen, you can go and eat something else if you don't like it. There are people who eats McDonalds daily, and there will always be others who hates it