We visited Chinatown’s The Ramen Butcher on a drizzly Tuesday morning, and, within two minutes of being seated, the place was bustling, with a line spanning the block (we recognized a couple local chefs, a good omen).
Quick service had us tucking into generous bowls of piping tonkotsu ramen with skinny house-made noodles (ours was "red," with spicy garlic paste and aburi pork; you’re free to choose lean or fatty cuts) beneath cool decor features, like the word "RAMEN" spelled out in nails and a flock of paper cranes. The broth had a rich, savoury complexity, and a side order of unique Okonomi gyoza came heaped with really delicious bonito flakes and Japanese mayo (#blessed). Though Manya Kouji, the team behind the new venture, boasts more than 150 restaurants, this is its first North American outpost.
With soup this good, no wonder the welcome’s already warm. —Adrienne Matei
The Ramen Butcher, 223 E Georgia St., Vancouver, 778-862-7155, Facebook.com/theramenbutcher
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