V2 Ramen Izakaya

Congratulations to the City of Scarborough for being named the best ethnic food city in the world.  With its vast and diverse population, the city contains quite an array of multicultural people and restaurants.  Speaking of which, I had passed by this one restaurant quite often on a weekly basis however it was just very recently that I finally stepped foot into the restaurant.

We actually got there on a Sunday morning and just happened to get there just as the doors were opening.  As we got in, we noticed that the chefs were already inside busy preparing their lunch menus.  With no one inside but us, we were given a nice corner booth to sit.  Their menus contained a large number of ramen dishes and izakaya appetizers.  It also contained a New Zealand Black Curry Stone Pot Dinner and as much as I was tempted to try, it was just too early in the day to indulge in such a big bowl of rice.  Instead I opted for the Pork Belly Ramen ($9.00) to be made in a pork bone soup base. 

Pork Belly Ramen in Pork Base Soup

The dish smelled delicious when it arrived at the table.  There were three large pieces of pork belly, one half of a soft-boiled egg, some onions, ramen and black fungus.  The pork belly was fatty yes but it was absolutely tasty.   The noodles were nice and stiff and the soup base was magnificent.  The only thing that was missing I thought was a little bit of corn.  Even though the absence of corn is only a very minor ingredient relative to the entire dish, most ramen places have a little corn in them to give it that extra bit of color and taste.  Since the pork belly was pretty heavy, a bit of corn to counter the fatty pieces of pork belly would have been good.  Having said that, it still very filling and the pork bone soup base made extra tasty.  My wife order a similar ramen however she went with the miso soup base instead. We both personally like the pork bone soup base more as it was way more tastier as the miso soup base was bland.

It was a great first time experience and the staff was ultra nice.  Had it been dinner or even a later lunch, I probably would have tried that black curry stone pot signature dish of theirs.  For sure, the next time I'm there I will give that dish a try.  There was plenty of parking outside and one could certainly go to Pacific Mall or Market Village after their meal.  Overall, I give it a  4 out of 5.

V2 Ramen Izakaya
4733 Steeles Avenue East
Scarborough, Ontario

416-293-5885