Location: Downtown, 740 Denman St.

Kodiki and I on another one of our lunch outings. I think we went here back when ramen was such a craze.. I think to some extent it still is. Anyways I’ve always heard of Kintaro but it was so packed that we decided to opt for Motomachi Shokudo, which is the one down the road. Plus I’ve always heard about their charcoal broth so I decided to try it out.

Bamboo Charcoal Dark Miso Ramen 

•  $9.75
• advertised as healthy, it didn’t have too much grease and richness as I expected
• definitely unique with that dark broth; tasted very “clean” and smooth
• don’t know what’s with all the fuss, ramen is alright.

Shoyu Ramen

• $8.95
• soy sauce soup base with pork
• this was, again, light and very smooth. Didn’t really deliver a kick
• Personally, light and one-dimensional flavors will only work on me for the first few bites then I just don’t like it

The ramen hype will just be a hype that I will not really join. I am however, tempted to try out Kintaro to try their rich broths instead. But Motomachi Shokudo ramen is not something I would travel all the way to Downtown and pay almost $10 per bowl. It is healthy but I’m more about the flavors. It’s just not my type so I wouldn’t come here again.

Verdict: Will not return