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Benkei Ramen serves the popular Japanese soup now with many locations around Vancouver.
With this newer Benkei situated at a more parking friendly location, my gf and I decide on a bowl of noodles on a hot summer day.
As with all other Benkei locations, decor isn't over the top and the ambiance is welcoming. There always seems to be a certain kind of hush at a ramen noodle joint, something about noodle soup that keeps people focussed on their bowl.
We order a Shio and the spicy Akaoni with a side of chashu. What we get is much the same as the other Benkei's we've been to. A rich, full bodied broth that goes down light. Noodles have good bite with tender pieces of pork on top, which I find to be on the lean side and there's an abundance of bean sprouts which tends to overpower certain mouthfuls. Still, the overall product makes for a very satisfying meal. Portions do shade on the scant side, so best to add extra noodles if one does not enjoy most of the broth.
The service is fairly basic but fulfills the usual tableside duties. Though I've found that kitchen speed tends to slow things down a touch.
Great bowl of noodles to dive into on a cold day.
Food:
The broth is amazing! I like the fact that they don't use MSG. I always somehow end up drinking all the broth before finishing the ramen...
Service:
The waitresses are very polite and courteous, and the cook always thanks you when you leave the restaurant. My only complaint is that service can get a bit slow when the restaurant gets busy, because there is only one waitress.
Value:
They were offering a '3rd Year Anniversary Countdown', where you would get 2 free toppings, and upgrade for a larger portion of ramen was only 50cents. With the promotion, the value is alright. I have been here prior to the promotion, however, and the serving was quite small.
Ambiance:
This place does not get incredibly busy, even during the lunch hours, so it isn't cramped.
I think this is the best ramen location in Kitsilano. I would definitely choose this over Sanpachi Ramen across the street. Remember to ask for a stamp card - buy 10 ramens and get the 11th one free!
Went on a weeknight and it was not very busy, only 2 other tables. Not like the locations in the West End. Tried the Shoyu Ramen which had some pork, spinach, bamboo shoots. A bit on the small side for approx. $7 and this was after I added extra noodles for $1 extra. Noodles were good but I can't really tell the difference between the ones you can buy in the supermarket and these ones. Soup was really good. A bit light on the pork, only 2 slices. Overall, not bad but not worth the price. Tried the Gyoza's and pretty good for $4. Fast and efficient service and new place which is quite nice. For soup noodles, rather stick to Pho across the street.
Benkei Ramen has been hard at work bringing you many new locations including this one on West Broadway just west of McDonald. This puts the tally up to 4 with their other spots including the hidden locale on East 5th and two more downtown on Thurlow and Robson. Wow, that was fast.
I ordered a bowl of shio ramen despite its designation as being popular with the ladies. Maybe I thought a little of that would rub off on me. Anyways, it was what you'd expect from Benkei: tasty broth, quality ingredients and flavourful pork. But I can't help but think either their portions are getting smaller or I am getting hungrier. I would suggest they either charge more and make them bigger or offer a large size as well.
The space looks like the other locations and even has fairly comfortable cushions on the stools you sit on. Despite that, I don't think this will be my first choice for ramen when the craving comes back which I am sure will be soon.
I've gone to this place twice within the last few months. The food is not what I would really call ramen - if it is then it's the lower end type.
Food
First time there, I ordered shoyru ramen. It came in good time, relatively fair sized bowl but my broth tasted like water and soy sauce (not impressed). The noodles and toppings were fine.
Second time, my boyfriend liked his shio ramen I ordered curry ramen...this was basically japanese curry cubes melted into the broth or water (I didn't taste any broth really). On top of that it was a very thick soup - I would say it goes better on rice.
Service & Ambiance
The ladies were very nice, they greeted you at the door and also bid you farewell. They are prompt and efficient. The decor was nice in this restaurant, the theme included a lot of tree trunk looking stools and bamboo stalks as dividers. I did not use the washroom in this place - so no comment there. Lots of room to move around, tables aren't too close together and since the place was not busy it was not noisy either.
So I tried the Benkei over at W Broadway after months of seeing it under construction. It was pretty okay. Standard Benkei fare, it wasn't busy like the downtown one so it definitely affected the busy ambiance I'm used to. The table I sat at was particularly close to another table so I didn't feel like I had a lot of privacy.
There was a sign on the wall that advised customers to as for the garlic and red chili sauce. I can attest to the garlic (being freshly pressed) was good and welcome in my bowl of ramen.
I ordered the Shoyu ramen and added an egg (50 cents) and added a side order of chashu. Unfortunately the side order of chashu arrived first, and cold. It was rest on some bean sprouts, soy(?) and had some green onions on the side. I was expecting something warm - but it was okay...
The Ramen was pretty good when it arrived. Lots of noodles and the like and the chashu was hotter than the appetizer that came earlier. Iced water was provided and servers were available to take your request as needed. They do the Benkei ramen loyalty card here too so I will be back when I need something in that area but I like the downtown branches (esp. Thurlow) better!!!
So here's where they lost marks:
Food: the cold side order of chashu, the 7 spices that was missing the black sesame seed (was it so finely grated that I couldn't see...?)
Service: Waitresses ready and waiting but I waved my hand in the air for 10 seconds before someone saw me in a restaurant that only had 4 tables in use and 2 waitresses. But that was the only hiccup...
Value: Same prices as downtown (I believe) - not sure. If you want something cheaper, go to the McDonald's nearby :)
Ambiance: Okay except the area by the window has some tables which are closer together (less privacy) and it doesn't feel like busy and authentic Japanese like usual.
Yeah I'm picky.
| 1. | Robson (4.2 km) |  |
| 2. | Broadway & Cambie (4.3 km) |  |
| 3. | East 5th (5.2 km) | |
| 1. | Andales Mexican Restaurant (10 m) |  |
| 2. | Olympia Pizza (11 m) | |
| 3. | Minerva's (13 m) | |
| 4. | Swiss Chalet Rotisserie & Grill (24 m) | |
| 5. | Le Village Cafe (26 m) |  |
| 6. | La Mascotte (26 m) | |
| 7. | Gold Train Express Vietnamese Cuisine (26 m) | |
| 8. | East is East (36 m) | |
| 9. | Chai Gallery (38 m) | |
| 10. | Shack Eatery & Watering Hole, The (40 m) | |
