Ramen Butcher

223 East Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC

Back in early February, Ramen Butcher had their soft opening and offered a promotional $5 soft-opening ramen deal! Due to work and logistical matters, I wasn't able to partake in this awesome offer during that time...boo!! With all that hype going on through social media and the interwebs, I convinced W to go to the grand opening straight after work. The shop opened at 5pm but we (and a dozen other people) arrived early to line-up and be the first to slurp up their noodles on grand opening day.

The design of the interior was more modern and sparse than the other ramen joints around town. The RAMEN sign hung above the bar area was made out of nails and it matched the contemporary, industrial look of the restaurant.

The menu was also a little different. The names were colour-coded to describe the type of tonkotsu (pork) broth it represented. 

Red = tonkotsu broth with a spicy garlic paste 
Green = tonkotsu broth with a fresh basil paste and Parmesan cheese
Black = tonkotsu broth with roasted black garlic oil
Orange = tonkotsu broth with rich miso marinated ground pork

There is also a chicken broth version and a vegetable-based broth for the herbivores.

Okonomi Gyoza

The rice bowls and fried chicken karaage were not available at the time of the grand opening so we gave their Okonomi Gyoza a try first. Although the dumpling skin was thin and smooth, it was not pan fried enough to give it a crispy exterior. The filling inside was juicy and seasoned just right though. The okonomi toppings (green onions, bonito flakes, mayo and tangy okomoni sauce) brought an otherwise regular gyoza another life. Gyoza sauce/vinegar definitely not needed for this dumpling!

Black ($8.95) - Tonkotsu broth with roasted garlic oil. Freshly made noodles with aburi pork chashu and a medium boiled perfectly marinated egg 

The Black ramen was my choice. The pork broth was quite good, but I found the addition of roasted garlic oil made the soup too salty. Also, Ramen Butcher uses thin ramen noodles which is not my favourite type of noodle. Nearing the end, my noodles became too soft from sitting in the hot broth.

Classic ($10.95) - Signature tonkotsu broth simmered to perfection.

W decided to go with the classic to gauge Ramen Butcher's quality. He also added an Ajitama (medium boiled, lightly marinated egg) to his bowl. The classic tonkotsu broth was not as salty as my Black version so that was good. However, W was not that impressed with the ramen. He too, like me, did not like the thin ramen noodles, and he found the egg a tad overcooked and not as flavourful as Marutama Ramen. 

Overall, I found the hype amped up our hopes and expectations which then caused some disappointment after trying their ramen. By no means the ramen at Ramen Butcher was not good but after having many bowls of ramen all over Metro Vancouver (and worldwide!), we have developed our own personal preferences when it comes to ramen!