There are many popular ramen restaurant in Vancouver, mostly clustered around Denman/Robson. The most popular ones are denoted by the crazy line up. Forget about the waiting line, my sister showed me  Motomachi Shokudo, about 10 meters away from Kintaro. Although curious about the popularity of Kintaro, my hunger couldn’t take an at least 30 minutes wait, so Motomachi Shokudo won over. ( Apparently, Kintaro and Motomachi are owned by the same proprietor)

It was the best decision.

Motomachi Shokudo served the first ever bamboo-charcoal dark miso ramen in North America and the bamboo-charcoal has many health benefits such as improving digestive functions and relieving skin problems.  What? I get to eat incredible ramen and at the same time, receive a skincare treatment? What a deal! My top 2 pleasures usually clashing are actually working together this time! A totally win win situation.

All of Motomachi Shokudo’s ramen have impeccable firm yet elastic noodles. Just perfect. Although all of their ramens were great, 2 of them among the ones I ordered were quite special and good. These are the 2 that I would highly recommend:  Bamboo-Charcoal Dark Miso Ramen and Japanese style Cold Ramen.

Their ramen won my heart so much that I had to visit them again before I leave Vancouver. Although I do not where does Motomachi Shokudo stand compared to other ramen shops, I can state that Motcomachi Shokudo would fully satisfy your ramen craving.

New generation Miso Ramen

Like their menu describes, this ramen is a combination of miso from all across Japan. You get to taste the whole Japan in this one bowl.

Bamboo-Charcoal Dark Miso Ramen

Quite different from the usual ramen, this one has a dark color miso base, which consists of Bamboo charcoal. Beside the color, the flavor is rather similar to the original miso base, but slightly fuller and richer. At mid-point, I find the base too salty.

Nama-shoyu

For the less adventurous and simply want an original ramen, this one quite fits the criteria. A perfectly normal yet satisfying ramen.

Spicy Miso Ramen with Organic Chicken

Don’t be intimidated by the word “spicy” because the spiciness is very faint. Those looking for a spicy kick would be disappointed. I was quite disappointed by the meat choice. The chicken was overcooked. I would like to think that pork would be a more suitable candidate for this ramen.

Shio Ramen with Natural Salt and Seasonal Vegetables

For those that are a bit more health concious and want more vegetables in their diet, this ramen is the most suitable. Very light in taste, the ramen is refreshing.

Japanese style Cold Ramen

I was never attracted by Japanese and Korean cold noodles, so when I saw this cold ramen in the menu, I had 0% interest in ordering it. However, my sister’s friend highly recommended it. So, I complied. And it was wonderful, especially in summer. Very refreshing and the coldness did not impair the noodle’s texture. My mother loved it!

The gyozas were normal, nothing bad nor good to write about. Stay with the ramen instead.

Zuuchini