Ryu's Noodle Bar

After viewing some of my food photos on my camera, my friend Jody-Ann has been urging me to start posting about food adventures on my blog... So here is my first post!

Last Wednesday, my boyfriend and I decided to go downtown to eat — it was unpleasantly cold but the perfect weather for a nice warm bowl of ramen. We've been to a few different places already, like  Kinton, Santouka, etc etc, so it was only fitting to try one other one that was on his list: Ryu's Noodle Bar. As we walked down Baldwin street with the frigid air blowing against our faces, we scanned the street in anticipation for our destination. Lo and behold, the distinct outdoor decor caught my eye:

Dat extra effort adds some oomph ya know?

The indoor space, similar to other ramen places, was quite cramped and the waiting/reception area was small too. I was just thankful that we had arrived before a large group did so that we could at least squeeze inside! Otherwise though, the place was brightly lit with a section that seats larger groups, which you don't find often in ramen places.

The best part about going on a food adventure with just one other person (especially to ramen places)? There is significantly less waiting time for you because it is easier to accommodate for two people, rather than say, five.

Funny enough, I had no idea that the restaurant was having an anniversary promotion that night. Everything was half off, which was a lovely surprise :)

And here is what I ordered :)

Shoyu Ramen (pork based broth, less salt), thick noodles, extra chashu/pork and extra poached egg

Even though it was a sincere mistake, the second surprise I got that evening was having that odd piece of chicken in my ramen when I ordered just pork, haha. I didn't mind however, as I enjoy chicken too. I find that the chicken pieces here are not only incredibly soft, but the flavouring seems well marinated through the meat that it's not too "in your face" but not too subtle either. The pork pieces were also well cooked and mushy, while the poached egg was a nice addition to the noodles. 

Portions at Ryu's Noodle Bar is pretty decent for its price, especially when you order extra noodles. According to my boyfriend, their serving was "equivalent to your original ramen bowl and then some" :P

What's unique about this place is that when you place your order, the waitress would let you know to order one of their four special sauces as well. They recommend for you to eat your ramen, then halfway through, mix your sauce with your food to induce a fresh flavour.

Their 'House Special' XO sauce

As usual, my boyfriend and I would exchange bits and pieces of our food to try different flavours, which would explain why I purposely ordered different noodles than my boyfriend did. I could've taken a picture of his dish, but he is always impatient when it comes to food (even more so ramen), so I didn't want to burden him by making him wait. He did enjoy the sauce I ordered versus his garlic flavoured one though.

Everytime we go to a ramen place, he would always order gyozas. Out of all the places we've gone to so far, this place had the least saltiest one, which is a good thing for the health-conscious folks :)

I would say this was a successful night of food adventuring/ramen eating/trying a different place.

Until next time :)