Raku Ramen & Izakaya

My dad’s birthday was on the weekend and shockingly and surprisingly he wanted to have uni sashimi for his birthday dinner.  My father has always been weary of us consuming raw foods which was why we were all kind of shocked that he wanted to Japanese sashimi for his birthday.  At the same time, some friends and acquaintances of mine had visited Raku Ramen & Izakaya recently and said it was one of the better places for izakaya in Markham.  So after booking reservations for a Friday evening there, we made the trek up there to give this place a try. We got there right on time and we could see that our table was ready.  After checking out their menu, we decided to go with a little bit of everything from stone pot rice to sushi and sashimi, to lamb chops and fish.  There were six of us and we were quite the hungry bunch that evening.  

Not knowing which rolls we wanted, we decided to go with their signature Raku Rolls ($13.00).  These rolls looked amazing.  The rolls were all heavily smothered with avocado, cucumber strips and tobiko.  They were then covered with a fairly spicy sauce on top.  I don't know whether it was because this was the first food on the table or the fact that all of us were super hungry but these rolls actually tasted extra good.  The spicy sauce eliminated the need for any wasabi or soya sauce for that matter as the rolls alone tasted amazing.  It was a great first dish to have and pretty much set the tone for the rest of the evening. 

Raku Rolls

Next to arrive was the Grilled Mackerel ($7.00). The mackerel was neither gutted nor de-boned although for those who have never had mackerel before it is next to impossible to do because the fish contains many, many small bones.  The meat itself was pretty good and the outer part was gently grilled so that it was not burnt at all.  The only bad part about it was that I accidentally ate either the stomach or the gall bladder of the fish which for those who don't know, could certainly clear one's sinuses in a heartbeat.  Still it was as advertised but watch out for those organs. 

Grilled Mackerel

When the Stone Pot Pork Shogayaki ($10.50) arrived, I could see everyone's attention suddenly shifting towards this dish.  It was the first hot meal of the evening, it smelled good and everyone wanted what was inside the hot stone pot.  The pork was nice and lean and the meat was perfectly seasoned.  The only thing I would like to have seen with this dish was just a little bit more sauce to go with the rice.  There was just enough sauce for the pork but it left the rice a little dry.  I personally think that if there was just a little bit more sauce, one could have mixed it really good with the rice and make this dish even more better.

Stone Pot Pork Shogayaki

The Lamb Chops ($11.00) looked equally impressive.  Three pieces of nicely seared lamb chops placed beside two pieces of baked potato and yam put together.  The meat on the lamb chops were very juicy, soft and perfectly seasoned.  The sauce blended with the meat very well, not overwhelming it too much so that one could still taste the sweet taste of the lamb as one was chewing through the meat. The proportions were a little small but the taste sure made up for it.

Lamb Chops

If there was one dish that I had to say was pretty funky, it was probably the Black Cod ($12.00).  There was nothing wrong with the fish itself nor was there anything wrong with how dark the skin was after searing it.  What made this fish funky and interesting was the mango like sauce they had used for this dish.  It gave the fish a sweet and sour taste to it which was totally not what I was expecting.  One could say it was something different and would provide more of unique taste with its tangy taste but personally  I would prefer a more traditional taste to my fish.

Black Cod

The highlight of the night was of course the Sea Urchin Uni Sashimi ($10.00).  This dish mind you is not always present in restaurants as sea urchin is very seasonal.  We went with a couple of orders for this dish as one order only contained three pieces of sea urchin uni sashimi. There are many ways of eating this but for this night, we recommended placing the sea urchin inside a piece of seaweed and adding a couple of pieces of cucumbers with it.  Truthfully, I only had a tiny spoonful of the sea urchin as we had bought a couple of boxes earlier in the day of this stuff and since my father had never had it before and it was his birthday, both my brother and I gave up our pieces for him.  From the spoonful of sea urchin that I had, i could tell it was very good, very fresh and had just a slight tinge of that fishy ocean taste to it. 

Sea Urchin Uni Sashimi

Sashimi Set B ($12.00) was a mixture of the more common sashimi out in the market.  Each fish was nice and vibrant and very fresh.  The only issue I had with the fish was that slices were quite thick.  Again it's probably more of a personal preference but I usually like to eat my fish nice and thin.  However having said that, there was nothing wrong with the fish itself and it came as advertised. 

Sashimi Set B

The next two to arrive were the Chicken Soft Bone ($5.00) and the Beef Tongue ($7.00).  We just wanting something different and these two were both the perfect dishes to do that.  The Chicken Soft Bone was a little chewy and even though it looked like it was well marinated, the overall taste was just slightly lacking.  It is difficult for the soft bone to absorb all the juices as the soft bone itself is somewhat "non absorbing".  The Beef Tongue on the other hand was the complete opposite. It was a little bit more juicy as the meat was able to absorb much of the surrounding juices. 

Chicken Soft Bone and Beef Tongue

What really made the Grilled Duck Breast ($8.00) really unique and interesting was that the restaurant decided to use "Wax Duck" as the meat for duck breast.  This made the duck meat much more saltier and gave it that really unique taste to it.  I personally have never had duck breast like this before and it was certainly unique and quite tasty.  The chefs certainly deserve top marks for ingenuity in taking a specialty dish and make it even more special. 

Grilled Duck Breast

After all those dishes up there, surprisingly a couple of us were still very hungry so we ordered an additional Tonkotsu Ramen noodle soup ($9.00).  I have to comment in that I was actually shocked at how quickly this dish arrived after I had ordered it.  It actually took the waiter two minutes for him to bring the dish over.  When I asked him about it, he said more or less the noodles were already pre-made and all they had to do was just pour the hot soup over it.  What was equally impressive was how tasty these noodles were.  It was absolutely delicious and even though there were people who were "very full", they too asked for a portion of it as it smelled great and it certainly tasted great.  For those who do not like traditional sushi, sashimi and izakaya foods, this was certainly an amazing alternative to have.

Tonkotsu Ramen

Overall, we all had a great time at Raku Ramen and Izakaya.  All of the food that was brought out were ate cleaned off their plates.  The staff was very friendly and cost wise it was very reasonable. Total price was about $150.00 tax and tip included.  Looking for parking at Peachtree Mall however could be adventurous but it was certainly worth the walk.  If you are up in Markham and are looking for a good combination of ramen and izakaya up there, I would certainly recommend this place to you.  Overall I give it a 4.25 out of 5.

Raku Ramen & Izakaya
8360 Kennedy Road
Unit 87-90
Markham, Ontario

905 477-3828