Here with Andrew

In addition to checking out the Sheraton Wall Centre today in Downtown (Enterprize 2010!!!) I also spent a couple of extra hours in Downtown. In about two hours, I came to the conclusion that:

1. The Mondo Gelato on Robson and Bute has fun chairs; very amusing for the young and the old.
2. The Blenz on Robson and Bute is a great spot for people watching and getting some work done.

After that, I went to try the infamous unofficially named #1 Japanese Ramen place in Vancouver, which is Kintaro Ramen on Denman and Robson.

My friend and I walked there from the Blenz; it took us about 10 minutes maybe with it being downhill. Downtown’s really beautiful at night. I really understand why so many people love the vibe of Downtown. It’s so lively and there’s so much to see just about anywhere you go.

Anyways, after searching around for it a bit, we managed to get ourselves across the street from it and watch the line get even longer. Originally, I had called earlier in the day to book a reservation but was told that Kintaro does not take reservations. Then I asked how busy it would be around 6 pm and the person on the phone said it’s usually not too bad on Sundays and there would be no line.

Once we got there, we were probably #11 or 12 in line. The place is particularly small and was very cramped. However, looking at it from the outside makes you wonder what’s so special about the experience. I was pretty excited about trying this place so the line didn’t bother me too much. Even when you’re in line, you can hear chitter-chatter from other folks in line raving about the food in this place. It’s really awesome.

What’s even better was that we were a group of two so we got to skip the group of 5 in front of us. The total time we spent in the restaurant couldn’t have been more than 15 minutes (we checked the receipt, 6:47pm for our order to go in and by 6:58pm we had finished eating).

Credits to Dinehere for the Photo

We were offered water off the bat and had both taken a look at the menu outside to get an advanced look. It’s so busy that there are groups who stand inside, order their food, and their food comes right when a table leaves so they just sit down and eat right away. We both had the Miso Ramen with medium soup and lean BBQ pork. You can choose between light, medium, or rich soup and lean or fat pork. We were both cutting back so obviously we chose the healthier alternative. They also have a cheese ramen there which sounds really neat. I also asked what the difference was between the Miso Ramen and the BBQ Pork Ramen with Miso and the 2nd has more Pork, just in case anyone was wondering.

Other than the ramen and pork, there’s also bean sprouts, green onions, corn, and other miscellaneous sides in the bowl. The soup was very good but seemed to be pretty layered with oil too. I believe that the soup’s made of pork stock…

All in all, the food was pretty good. Our bill came out to about $16 (we didn’t get any appetizers). I would definitely recommend this place to other people. Although it’s a bit cramped, the ambiance/experience felt pretty legit and the service was very to the point; we were given our receipt before we my friend finished her ramen.  I think this place is much better than the other Ramen place i’ve been to, which is in Richmond near Parker Place (Ajisen?)

If you’re ever in the area, do check it out! The walk back to the Canada Line helps with the meal which is actually quite filling…