David V.
Yelp
The best ramen in Chinatown.
I've heard mixed reviews about The Ramen Butcher over the years, however today, after hearing about some praise from a friend who's been a recent customer, that friend and I decided to go there for a late lunch, around 3:00pm. Since it was my first visit, I tried to have no expectations walking in, and my, oh my, was I pleasantly surprised.
Perhaps it helped the restaurant that I had just come in for my first meal of the day, following a two-hour gym sessions which probably made me extra hungry and more willing to look past imperfections and errors in food quality and presentation, but I think I had a good time needless to say. Since we came at an odd time, my friend and I were the only two customers in the shop, with a few single diners here and there over the course of an hour. I can imagine that if we had come in at lunch time proper or dinner time proper that we wouldn't have been seated so quickly.
Here are some important takeaways from me:
1) Location - This is the only ramen shop in Chinatown (to my knowledge). That being said, just because this is the only ramen shop in Chinatown doesn't mean you shouldn't think you're settling for less if you decide to pop in for a meal. If going into Chinatown is the difference between saving you another 20 minutes of driving downtown (not including the whole parking ordeal) and getting you your next ramen fix ASAP, The Ramen Butcher will do the job. There is a decent amount of street parking available in the area, just make sure you don't leave valuables in your car, for obvious reasons.
2) Free kaedama - Yeah, you heard me. First kaedama free. AKA noodle refill at no charge. Of course I had to order one, and yes, it was actually delicious. Probably more so than if it wasn't free. Nonetheless, if you are a hungry, growing boy like me, this is a deal you shouldn't pass up while it lasts!
3) Excellent service - The staff were welcoming and extremely nice. The food came in hot and within a reasonable time and the server made sure we had everything we needed.
4) Food - For exactly $25.00 after tips, I got absolutely stuffed off of a bowl of delicious Black Garlic Ramen (and kaedama) and a Mini Cha-tama Don. It wasn't the best I've ever had, but, as we all know, ramen is subjective, and everyone likes different things. I think that I would liked it more if the Mini Cha-tama Don had more seasoning, but the portion size was spot-on. The Black Garlic Ramen didn't have enough garlic in the garlic oil for me. It's a personal preference, but I would've liked to have more of that pungent garlic flavour in the soup. Everything else was excellent and the toppings were generous.
I look forward to coming back to The Ramen Butcher and trying their other menu items. All in all, a great spot to get ramen!