Afuri Ramen in Toronto is known for their signature yuzu broth and noodles that are made fresh in-house daily.

Located in the Church-Wellesley Village, the restaurant occupies an entire corner on the street level of a residential building. Seating has been designed to face towards the open kitchen, giving diners a clear view of the assembly action. 

The spot was chosen for its size as the noodles and dumplings require temperature-controlled kitchen facilities.

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While the rooms are tucked away to the side, you can still steal a glimpse of them while walking around. 

Wood tables accommodate solo slurpers, as well as larger groups.

To start, we tried the Tori Karaage ($10), a simple Japanese fried chicken served with shishito, lemon, and a creamy yuzu kosho sauce you can dip into.

A very interesting dumpling plate, Winged Buta Gyoza ($12) is served upside down straight from the pan. It has a thin crisp layer, so eat quickly before it loses its crunch. There's also a vegan option: Cashew Gyoza ($13).

The Softshell Crab Bun ($12) is another popular item people have been ordering. It's a whole fried crab with spicy mayo, cucumber, and kimchi served between pillowy buns. 

The signature ramen here is the Yuzu Shio Ramen ($17.50) . With a light clear broth (due to the use of salt over soy sauce), it has a light finish. Unlike pork broths, this one is made of chicken, katsuobushi, kombu (seaweed), and dried anchovies.

It's apparently simmered for eight hours and promises to use no MSG. Yuzu that is sourced from Kochi, Japan is a key ingredient on the menu and here, it cuts through the broth in a nice refreshing way. 

The noodles take up to three hours to make and are made daily using wheat from Japan. Overall, it's a solid ramen.

They also offer a Hazelnut TanTan ($20) that's completely vegan. A creamy and nutty broth is balanced with spicy miso and topped with shiitake mushrooms, bok choy, and cashews. This one comes with a thicker noodle that has bounce.

We loved the Yuzu-Tsutu ($20), a tsukemen type of ramen that comes with a dipping sauce on the side. 

The sauce is soy yuzu and covers the noodles in a salty sweet glaze. The bowl also comes with thick braised pork instead of a traditional thin chashu.

There's also a selection of donburi rice bowls.

We tried the suggested Aburi Koro Chashu Don ($13), which came with grilled pork that was braised in a soy and ginger sauces first, before being topped with a ball of grated daikon, pickled vegetables, and a yuzu soy sauce.

For drinks, the Yuzu Limeade ($7) is a perfect accompaniment to finish off a citrus-forward meal. 

The Shishito Soda ($7) is a unique pepper-based drink made sweet with pineapple, lime, and cilantro. 

The Suika Soda ($7) is a watermelon, ginger, and lime soda that's super easy to drink.

Afuri Ramen is located at 411 Church St. Unit 1. Open 7 days a week.