I first discovered Ramen Taka at their original, downtown, off-Robson Street location. This Vancouver location was their first oversees location. And although I do visit and crave for other ramen options, they continue to be the one I call my favourite.
Their second and now only location is within Aberdeen Mall in Richmond, as their only Japanese ramen option. So if and when I am in the vicinity and looking for a meal, I steer my group in this direction. In this case, our original destination for lunch did not pan through, so seeing as we were already 45 minutes away from home, we decided to eat in the mall anyways.
Ramen Taka is a small shop with bar seating behind their all glass exterior; and a few small tables for groups, deeper within. Their name means eagle, so there is one in their logo, and another painted on the wall. And if you stand just so in front of it, you can take a photo that looks like you have wings sprouting from your back.
Their broth is clear with a golden hue. This is achieved by carefully and slowly simmering pork bones (tonkotsu), vegetables, and dried fish together for many hours. The result is a rich umami flavour that isn’t heavy or oily, despite there being a sizzling hot scoop of oil added to it as a finishing touch.
This is Asahikawa-style ramen from Sapporo, known for their soya sauce broths. You can see the thin layer of oil on top of the soup, but it doesn’t add a film to your lip or overkill the serving with grease.
They also use a thin and hard, wavy noodle that stays firmer for longer. It offers a nice starchy base for the collection of green onions, pork, bamboo shoots, and soft boiled eggs.
You can customize your serving with the option for a richer or leaner broth, or a fattier or leaner pork (Chashu). I have had it either way, and I don’t find one better than the other per se; it is just want you want on that day. The fatty Chashu eats chewy and tender. The rich broth heavy with so much more rich nuance. Whereas at the same time the lean version of both does not diminish from the taste or the mouthfeel.
To start we ordered a serving of their Takoyaki. Made to order, this was served piping hot with a large chunk of octopus right at each centre. This was a satisfying option for this classic Japanese street food item.
And as a side to our noodles, I also ordered a plate of their Ponzu Chicken Karaage. Tender dark meat chicken with the perfect amount of sweetness from the ponzu sauce, and shredded daikon for added texture. I found the noodles below rich mid-way through, and that this was a great way to offer a much needed break in between bites.
As for noodles my partner ordered the Meat Lover Ramen, reading the mix of protein that included more fried chicken, pork belly, and Chashu. We both appreciated that the order comes with a full egg and not just a half. He went with the richer broth in miso, which they call “Paitan”. Sadly his fried chicken got soggy floating around in the broth, but at least we had plenty on the side for him to supplement this with. He did like the noodles and found the broth heavily salted, in the way he liked. And the broth delivered on the promise of it being thick and creamy.
I got my usual order of their Original Miso ramen, leaner with their trade mark clear broth. I don’t get a chance to visit let alone dine in often, so I always get what I know and like. This was satisfyingly rich with the body of miso soup, but comparatively cleaner to the serving above. I also got more bamboo flavour here. Although in hindsight, I think I like the Paitan broth more for its full bodied mouthfeel, and will get it next time I return.
For those interested, they also have an eating challenge available anytime, so long as you call in advance. This is the Giga Ramen Challenge, a giant bowl of one of their signature noodles. If consumed within 30 minutes you are declared the winner and get it for free. This is 5x the regular serving with 5 times the amount of meat, egg, seaweed, etc. I have tried this once upon a time, during my competitive eating days; and sadly did not succeed. .
In closing, they are still my favourite ramen brand, and they will definitely be seeing me here again.
Ramen Taka Richmond
4151 Hazelbridge Wy Unit 2780, Richmond, BC V6X 0A4,
604-821-8080
ramentaka.ca
