Kenzo Japanese Noodle House

Today I had the opportunity to have lunch/dinner over at Kenzo Japanese Noodle House in the heart of downtown Toronto.  This noodle house has been in business for quite sometime and although it is a rather small place, it has one of the best Ramen's in the city.  We went with a couple of our friends.  We had to bring the stroller in with the little one but despite the limited space, we were actually able to bring the stroller in with the baby to the back and up the stairs of the restaurant.

Shi-O Ramen

We ordered 3 different dishes tonight.  We ordered the Shi-O Ramen, the King of the Kings Ramen and the Tonkotsu Ramen.   I guess if one was to say did we order one of each "level" of ramens it certainly was not our intention, it just turned out that way.

The Shi-O Ramen was mostly mine. It certainly was the most basic of the three ordered tonight.  With mostly two pieces of meat, a couple of big pieces of seaweed, onions and salted soup this ramen didn't really provide too much with respect to taste.  The soup base was unremarkable.  The noodles certainly had its egg taste but otherwise it was a simple and plain noodle.

Tonkotu Ramen

The next one was the Tonkotsu Ramen.  This ramen contained mostly sliced pork, half a soft boiled egg, green onions and its meat flavored broth.  Compared to the Shi-O Ramen this was far more superior in taste and overall quality.  For a dollar or two more, you certainly got more bang for the dollar.

King of the Kings Ramen

 The final ramen was the King of the Kings Ramen and this ramen had everything in it.  It was labeled to be a spicy ramen however if you are spicy loving person you'll probably find this ramen to be only mildly hot. I was told however afterwards that should one want this noodle to be even more hotter, one can request the chef to make it extra spicier.  The mild spicy noodle today certainly was not the type that would cause one's nose to run.  The broth was beautifully made which included amongst things a couple different types of meat, onions, half a soft boiled egg and seaweed.  The price on this one was about $10.50 and it certainly did not disappoint according to my fellow peers.

All in all it was a good wonderful first experience for me.  I rarely go downtown unlike some of my other friends so unfortunately I do miss out on a lot of these great restaurants down there.  Unfortunately like all downtowns, paid parking is the way to go should one drive down there.  I have to say that pound for pound, I thought that the Tonkotsu Ramen was the best one of them all.  I certainly will order it the next time I am in there.  Overall I give this place a 4.25 out of 5.

Kenzo Restaurant
138 Dundas Street West
Toronto Ontario

416-205-1155