shichiroku.com - kenzo (toronto, canada)

ramen review: kenzo

Address:
North York: 6180 Yonge St. 416-229-4526
Markham: 8392 Kennedy Rd. 905-470-1432

Hours:
Mon-Sun 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Website:
http://www.kenzoramen.ca/

Thanks to a friend from Japan to remind me how much I love ramen, I decided to cure my craving for ramen tonight at supposedly the best ramen shop in Toronto. It's been a long time since I've had ramen, and it was about time I had a bowl. After much research on the internet, it was suggested by many locals that Kenzo Ramen was the place to be.

Toronto has definitely lived up to its reputation for good food. I've already had excellent dim sum, and excellent xiao lung bao (soup buns). So my expectations were high. It wasn't all that easy to find this place. Only because I didn't have the address (my fault), and expected the GPS in my car to lead me there. Well, after minutes of searching the GPS, Kenzo Ramen was not listed!! I was sad... disappointed... ready to cry... then comes my friend Sam to the rescue. I called him (long distance, roaming charges) from my cell phone, and at 80 cents a minutes, I got the address and found my way to Kenzo.

As soon as I walked in, I knew I was in for a good night. Not many ramen shops outside of Japan have all four kinds of ramen flavors (shouyu, shio, miso, and tonkotsu). The fact they had tonkotsu was a good sign, since tonkotsu ramen is not widely available outside of Japan. Well, that being my favorite ramen, it was a no-brainer. Tonkotsu ramen, side order of gyoza, and Kirin beer to finish it off.

Kenzo did not disappoint! Not one bit. The soup base was as good as I have tasted. I have had better tonkotsu soup, but the tonkotsu soup base at Kenzo's was simple, yet flavorful. The ingredients spelled the same. Just enough, but not overwhelming. Here comes the good part. First of all, the noodles were amazing and cooked to perfection. Just the right q'ness, if you know what I mean. Then, the chashu. OH, the chashu!! It was absolutely gorgeous. I've only had better chashu at the ramen museum in Yokohama.

Okay, maybe it was because it's been awhile since I've had ramen and gyoza, but Kenzo really exceeded expectations. And those of you who know how much I love ramen, that is not easy to do. The fact that I am already thinking about heading back for some more ramen is a good indication that Kenzo was truly amazing. I've used the word 'amazing' so many times because it truly is. If you are in Toronto and craving some authentic Japanese ramen, go to Kenzo's. You won't be disappointed.

Conclusion

Okay, maybe it was because it's been awhile since I've had ramen and gyoza, but Kenzo really exceeded expectations. And those of you who know how much I love ramen, that is not easy to do. The fact that I am already thinking about heading back for some more ramen is a good indication that Kenzo was truly amazing. I've used the word so many times because it truly is. If you are in Toronto and craving some authentic Japanese ramen, go to Kenzo's. You won't be disappointed.

Freshness rating:

Back to ramen review page