Review Taishoken Ramen - Vancouver

We came right at opening, 5, and people began to roll in immediately. We ordered and got our soup very quickly (5 minutes). The server was lovely and friendly and made the experience. Good flavour, noodles were good too, my egg was cool on the inside. But no complaints other than I would prefer a warmer egg, tho it was nice to get a full egg. While it was good, I would have preferred some additional flavour layers and colour (throw in some ginger, corn, carrot, cabbage).

I found the overall experience, taste of the broth, meat, and ramen all quite standardly average. Like a McDonald's grade ramen place. It's not bad or anything, just nothing stands out and nothing spectacular. There was dipping ramen which was cool but it tasted kinda just like the original ramen noodle bowl in flavor to me.

I rather agree with other reviewers about the taste being a little bit "off". It's not bad in any sense of the word but the ramen is definitely more of a homemade flavor than a restaurant. We got the tsukamen, and tonkatsu. They were both totally fine but no one at the table was slurping down the end broth or asking for more noodles. Most of the bowls still had noodles at the bottom and it was obvious something didn't please most palates. Not for me.

Had the Tonkotsu ramen. The broth was very thick and rich. The noodles, pork and garnishes were good. It was still light outside but it seemed quite dark inside. The music was not great, some of it seemed out of tune.

This place got better. Haven't been back for years as there were always better options for tsukemen. Noodles were firm even when ordered warm, soup was no long clumpy although it is a bit salty for my taste. I had half and half pork belly/shoulder - Avg. Pork was a bit tough. Would definitely come back

Out of an admittedly small sample size, this is the best tsukemen I've come across so far in Vancouver. They have the option for hot noodles which I vastly prefer even if cold noodles are supposed to be what's typical. The soup is thick and actually sticks to the noodles (Menya Itto's soup is much too thin imo) and it's flavourful without the overpowering fishiness I often find with tsukemen. Egg was perfectly boiled, really liked the seared pork belly as well (shoulder was alright but had quite a lot of connective tissue which wasn't very appealing. Would go with 2 slices of the belly next time)

Best ramen I ever had! I can really recommend this place if you look for some good ramen made with heart. Sides are also pretty good. Would come here often probably, what a pitty I don't life here haha. Update: After two more months of travelling in Canada and more ramen in different places I can still say those were the BEST!! I was there today again and ordered for take out before leaving Canada tomorrow. The nice lady at the counter packed a free cola and a nice message in the bag. I discovered it only later when unpacking it. The joy was so great! Thank you very much!! :)

Tasty and surprisingly affordable. We came in at 6 PM on a Sunday, but it still had lots of seating available. The chain is also based in Japan, so it's authentic ramen as well.

Still have yet to find a better ramen place than Taishoken on Abbot. Easily the best Tsukemen in the city.

Vegetarian option is good. Service is fast. Place is always busy

Waited 10 minutes to get in - but well worth the wait. I am coming back next time I am in Vancouver.

First time trying tsukemen and it was delicious! I want more! Place is a bit small and could use more ventilation. But food was yummy!

Best Ramen I've had. And a great price. Always fresh and a nice variety of ingredients.

Can not find another better ramen place than this one, highly recommended

If you like spicy, get the spicy tsukemen and ask for extra spicy chili flakes.

This is primarily a dipping ramen place. This doesn't mean that they don't serve good old ship or shoyu - just means that the friends I have that like this place are defs dipping ramen people. I myself am not into the thick thick broth customary for dipping ramen so not my fave place. BUT. IT'S GOOD. Don't get me wrong - just not my thing but could definitely be a favourite for some.

Kimchi Ramen 🍜🥬 @ Taishoken⠀⠀It seems like all I’m eating nowadays is noodles! Can’t help it with the chilly nights – it’s gonna snow soon too in Vancouver ❄⠀ ⠀I’ve never had kimchi ramen before, so it was an interesting combination. It wasn’t overly spicy or tart – they definitely put thought into balancing the flavours of this rich pork broth. ⠀ ⠀As Soph would say, the pork chashu was tender AF 🐽 I got a mix of leaner and fattier cuts. Noodles were on point as well 👌🏽⠀

Soup ramen is very average. Soup base is a bit bland. Apparently their dip noodle is very good. I'd be interested to try. You can add a side add-on for $3.50. The don is decent size as a "snack"-sized add-on.

3.8. The soup ramen at Taishoken is nothing to write home about. However, the dipping ramen is awesome! Make sure to order if you have never tried it before. The broth is thick with tons of flavour (both spicy and non spicy), and the noodles are chewy and bouncy. The pork and egg are excellent as well. We also ordered the gyoza, decent but tastes like Hon's gyozas. We would come back for the dipping ramen only. Prices are comparable to other ramen shops, and service is good.

Taishon Ramen is a pretty popular ramen spot situated in Chinatown, Vancouver. It’s easily accessible by many people because located within a walking distance to a skytrain station. <br/><br/>Tsukemen ramen has always been our choice especially when combined with the cold noodle. The broth is thick and flavour. The noodle also has a nice texture to it.<br/><br/>The ambience is quite nice, and the service is attentive!

Taishoken should be synonymous with tsukemen! After two years since our last visit, we decided to return for another round of dip ramen. We ordered two tsukemen in original and spicy, warm, and mixed with lean and fatty chashu. The ramen noodles were perfectly cooked, though the spicy version could’ve been a bit spicier. Unfortunately, service was not up to par with the food even though it was not at all busy. Waving somebody down to take our order, grab the bill, etc. was a bit of a struggle. Mixed feelings since our original visit, but the tsukemen is one to try as a summer alternative to a hot soupy bowl of ramen!

I have fulfilled the foodies greatest obligation by introducing my 82 year old father to something new. To him, ramen meant cup 'o noodles but I think he has a different idea now. We were going to the Canucks game so Taishoken was close by. Apparently others had the same idea but the line outside moved pretty fast. Don't forget to add your name to the list hanging on the door. I ordered the Tonkotsu for Dad and the Miso for myself. Both were very good and the Chashu, egg and noodles were all tasty. We started with the Gyoza which was very good, being moist on the inside and nicely browned on the outside. My Dad liked the dipping sauce and wanted you to know that! Its not my top ramen choice but it is on a par with many places. Friendly, not uncomfortable and you could do worse in the area.

Taishoken Ramen is located in ‘Crosstown’ between Gastown and Chinatown best known for specializing in tsukemen. A couple of years ago, this style of ramen was almost unheard of but immensely became popular within the last couple of years.

Slow service even when the restaurant wasn't even full. Ramen soup base was very diluted and bland. Probably worst ramen in downtown area. Would not come agaib<br/>Here is no relatled with Japan Taishoken.

Taishoken has been around for many years now, but for some reason or another, I never visited the restaurant. Possibly because its in Chinatown and I don’t go to that area that often. We arrived after work and were surprised to see a line up but luckily the wait was only around 15 minutes. They have around 6 options for ramen, but they are well known for their tsukemen, or dipping ramen.

It was perfect on a snowy day. The ramen warmed me right up. The broth was nice and rich and the pieces of cha su was delicious. The only problem would be the setting. First come first serve style. So make sure everyone from your group gets there on time or else you won't get to sit together.

When I’m in Japan, one of my favourite things to eat is Tsukemen. I have yet to find a version in Vancouver as good as the ones I’ve had in Tokyo, but the one I had at Taishoken comes pretty close!. Seating is very cramped in this small restaurant, so I wouldn’t recommend coming with more than 4 people at one time.

Tonkatsu Miso Garlic is very blend. It's very mild and also couldn't taste the miso. On the other hand, Tsukemen is quite flavourful. Would I go back to this Korean run Japanese Ramen place...mmmm?!

Taishoken has gotten a lot better over the years. From bland to flavourful. They're known for their tsukemen (dip ramen) but I personally like my noodles already in the soup. I've had their Tonkotsu original and Karamiso Tonkotsu ramen - both were good but overall their ramen is heavy and afterwards I have to go eat some fruit and drink tons of water. The best part of their ramen is their chewy ramen noodle and fluffy chicken collagen texture in their Tonkotsu soup base. Reminds me of Marutama's chicken based ramen but without having to go all the way down to the West End.

Taishoken has changed quite a bit since it's opened up, but the ramen is still good. They have a few sister locations around Vancouver as well. Even if there's a line-up outside, the service is quick and you'll get seated quickly. You don't want to be standing outside for too long. I saw a man get stabbed on the corner near International Village while I was waiting outside. Anyways, don't let that deter you. The ramen is A+ and it didn't give me the runs afterwards. 4/5 stars.

For a $10 ramen, those two thin slices of meat are too thin and too little in size. Not enough noodles too. I was a little bit frustrated by spending 10 bucks on noodles which didn't really fill up my stomach. The broth is ok but not special.

I have been going here for ramen for quite a while. It's my favourite one in Vancouver, especially for Tsukemen. So far, I haven't found a better place in town. The only downside is how small the restaurant is. The only way to avoid the lineup is to hey there before they open. Otherwise, everything is great.

Really great Ramen. The broth has an incredibly smooth consistency and is bursting with complex beef and chicken flavours. The noodles are nice and gummy and closer to a yellow orange colour which I love. Tasty Aji-tama and nice thick grilled chasu, not to fatty or too lean. Also like how the bamboo shoots tasted slightly smoked. Lastly, great service prices. The only negative and this is being super picky is they should upgrade their plastic spoons to a better quality ramen ladel.

I usually get the tonkotsu or mild miso.  You can choose between pork shoulder or pork belly, or half/half (one of each).  The broth is very rich.<br/><br/>For something lighter, the chicken ramen (torigara) is nice.<br/><br/>I've only tried the tsukemen once (which is supposed to be their signature), but didn't really enjoy it.  I didn't really understand the advantage of having both noodles and soup separated, and the noodles also cold.  The regular ramen with everything in one bowl seems easier to me :P

Tai Sho Ken 大勝軒 Ramen is located on Abbott Street, and it is across from International Village Shopping Centre. <br/><br/>We ordered a Tonkotsu Ramen and a Tsukemen Ramen. We also ordered a side dish of Okonomi Gyoza.<br/><br/>Tonkotsu Ramen is served with 2 slices of pork chashu. You get to choose between pork shoulder and pork belly. You also get to choose miso (creamy mild miso) broth and Karamiso (garlicky spicy miso) broth. <br/><br/>Tsukemen Ramen is a dipping noodles. It is served with 2 slices of pork chashu. You get to choose between pork shoulder and pork belly same as Tonkotsu Ramen, and you also get to choose cold or warm noodles. It comes with rich Shoyu pork & chicken dipping broth. You also get to choose original, spicy and Karamiso (garlicky spicy miso) broth.<br/><br/>Overall, the noodles were so-so. They were too soft and not chewy. The broth was rich, but it was more on the oily side. The portion was slightly smaller than other noodle houses.<br/><br/>Food: 3/5<br/>Services: 3/5<br/>Special Features: Tsukemen (dipping noodles) Ramen

The place was packed. We had to line up for about 20 minutes in the cold outside. There were 5 of us, so a little tricky seating us in a small-midsize restaurant with limited space. They were playing hip-hop music. I ordered their signature bowl, Tsukemen $11.95 You have the choice of shoulder, belly or both. I chose the lean one – shoulder, and to be served warm. I was surprised to see the contents in Japanese (romaji)…who will know what it is if they don’t understand Japanese? It has 2 slices of pork chashu, negi (green onions), memma (flavoured bamboo shoots), aji-tama (flavoured egg), and nori (seaweed). For the broth, you have the option to get the original (which I got), spicy and karamiso (spicy miso).

I hit up Taishoken for the first time with my boyfriend and another friend of ours. The meal consisted of us staring dejectedly down at our bowls of ramen and tsukemen, wondering where it had all gone wrong. There are many, many places to eat ramen in the city, and this place doesn't even make the list for me. Definitely get yourself down to the West End, where they take their ramen more seriously.

The broth lacks a depth I look forward to in my Ramen. The Tsukemen broth is never hot enough coming out of the kitchen. The kimchi ramen is my go-to dish and the reason I return. It's loaded with pork slices and has a great fusion of flavour and spice without overwhelming it. I tried the karamiso again and they added some minced garlic on top which added a nice layer of flavour.

Was watching A Mind of a Chef in the episode where David Chang does all things ramen and visits Japan where he decides to try out Taishoken’s tsukemen. After watching this episode, it was definitely a motivating factor for me to try it here in their franchise chain store here in Vancouver and is happy to report that I was definitely left wanting to come back again.

I did not think that the broth was at all on par with any ramen I have tried. In my opinion broth is KEY, it's what I crave in ramen. Rations of meat were very small as well. Upside is the lack of waiting for a table which is usually the case for downtown ramen joints specially since my visit was on a rainy Sunday afternoon aka prime ramen time.

My love for soup noodles in general is on another level. It's one of the hardest thing for me to lay off when I am eating "clean" and getting a bikini body ready. Like I'll not eat bread, rice, chocolate, fine. Take it. I won't even think about it. But no pho, ramen, any kind  of noodle soup and I will be crying.

Jess and I were in downtown for a Canucks game and we go there early to go eat somewhere nearby, and we happened upon TaiShoKen Ramen when walking around the area. It seems we're on a ramen streak recently so without further adieu!. We beat the rush here as we only had to wait about 15 minutes or so to get a table. We were asked if we minded sharing a table with other people and we didn't, so they paired us with the next two on the list. The restaurant isn't that big, just like almost every other ramen restaurant so there would usually be a wait here during busy times.

This is another mediocre Ramen joint in downtown. I went in there during lunch time and the place was full. I ordered the miso based ramen and wasn't out of the world flavour and bit heavy/greasier than I'm used to. The fact that people were complaining( out loud because their order was missed or something & the food) says that I'm sure there are other places better than here. Doesn't live up to its name. Considering there are no other ramen place near Stadium side, you can try and see for yourself.

After my first encounter with the $5 promo ramen, of course I would have to go again for a round two, especially because this is the last day of it. This time I have Jai and his girlfriend with me, that way hopefully I would be able to try the other ones as well. We arrived later than my first visit, the lineup has almost gone to the end of the block, it seemed to have been forever before we were even near the storefront. Through the windows we spotted empty tables, or customers waiting for the bill or change. So service was still as slow, as if they don’t realize the urgency and the patience of those outside growing thin and hungry.

Like there isn’t enough ramen shops saturating all over Downtown, however, Taishoken serves up something new to the masses, and that is tsukemen. Which is essentially like zaru soba, but in this case it’s with cold ramen noodles and hot, concentrated soup. Taishoken was closed for a few months not too long after opening, there were signs saying that they were doing renovations, but rumours had it that they were going to have a change in ownership. Nonetheless, what does it mean to consumers? Another soft opening promotion; the $5 ramen, in hopes to attract attention and interest. With a normal bowl of ramen being well over $10 nowadays, of course I lept to the idea of such a deal, only problem was who would be crazy enough to go line up with me. Assuming that there will be a line since the promo is only open for a few days and available until sold out, my only option was the last two remaining days on the weekend.

I come here on a regular basis when I'm craving the thicker, chewier noodles (my favourite ramen place is Santouka but their noodles are firmer and thicker). Most of the time I eat lunch here and the noodles are delicious, service is fast and everything is great. On the two separate occasions I've come for dinner, the noodles and soup were equally amazing but the service was horrendous. The first time they forgot to input our order (the person next to us had sat down after us, ordered after us, but got his food first) and when we tried to follow up they were short with us and told us to be patient. After the person next to us was already on his second order of noodles, we again tried to follow up because by this time we had already been there for 30 minutes after ordering our food. Finally they brought it out. The second time, they had empty tables but ignored us standing by the door for a whole 10 minutes and when we tried to sit down at one of the empty tables, they angrily told us to wait. Don't get me wrong, I love the food there and the tsukemen is one of my favourite all time noodle dishes in Vancouver but the service is just so awful.

You must try the Tsukemen when you visit Taishoken. Tsukemen separates the noodles and the broth (you get to choose hot or cold). The thick and al dente noodles are served in warm temperature, while the broth on the side is kept hot with a hot stone. The broth is reduced and it is more concentrated for a stronger flavor. Their regular ramen also tastes delicious, noodle is al dente and a bit more thick compared to other ramen places. And I like how you can choose between pork belly or pork shoulder for their ramen.

After watching a movie with some Yelp Elites at Tinseltown, my boyfriend and I were hungry. The first restaurant we looked at on the street was this ramen place Taishoken on the opposite side of the street. It opened till 9:30pm. It was a good timing to eat some late night snacks here. <br/><br/>We ordered a spicy tsukemen and a karamiso tsukemen with warm noodles. The portion was good (I.e. The bowl of noodles was not too small or too big. It was about right). The noodles of the tsukemen were round and thick that I really liked the chewy texture. I liked tsukemen more than the regular ramen. The tsukemen came with a piece of seaweed and half of an egg. The sauce or soup that came separately was great! No matter it was spicy or karamiso (two flavours in this sauce or soup - spicy at the bottom and lots of garlic and miso flavours on top) the flavour was excellent. <br/><br/>It is a ramen place, so I did not expect the service was extraordinary. It took longer to wait for the tsukemen to come, but it was alright. <br/><br/>It is worthwhile to come back to try other ramen in the near future.

Tsukemen, the much lauded regional speciality by David Chang from Mind of a Chef, was ultimately a tad disappointing. The flavor of the broth/sauce was intense and rich, and leaves one wondering about its constituents. But after a few slurps, it became too much. The broth really was more sauce than broth, and swallowed up whatever puny ingredients it had, such as the small chashu, green onions, and nori. One is simply dipping very satisfyingly textured ramen into a rich sauce...yes it was good at first, but the novelty wore down as the combination reached a level of barely-palatable. My partner had the torigara and it came with some generous ingredients that one rarely sees in ramen such as bok choy and snow peas. The broth was reasonably lighter, as to be expected with the chicken broth (and not the gross butter soup of Marutama), but the chicken was unfortunately coated in some corn starch like in Chinese restaurants to give it that ultra-fake and slimy texture. We'd be willing to try again for their more traditional tonkotsu variation.

There is no shortage of good ramen in Vancouver. This one does not qualify as one of the best, but not too bad either. I would say OK food, a bit slow service, relatively cheap.

Over the past few months, I have grown to love eating ramen more and more. This new found craving has led me to explore many different ramen restaurants around the city. On this occasion, I decided to visit Taishoken Ramen which is located in downtown Vancouver around Tinseltown.  Shio Ramen  (Regular- $9.95)

Ramen has came a long way, There seems to be a ramen shop opening up every few months. Some better than others. This ramen is passable. A little oily without the tacky layer sticky mouth feel which I miss. I mean Tai Sho Ken has it and it is sort of there, but not really. Moving on to greener pastures.

Great service and great food! Ordered the "Tonkotsu" and substituted chicken instead of the pork and had it with the garlic and spicy miso broth. Had the ramen in about 5-10 min after ordering so it was a speedy service! The soup was very creamy and the chicken was super tender! The noodles were definitely cooked al dente as well. It was really delicious!

Ramen have been popping up in a lot of places in vancouver thus creating many many great ramen, however this place is totally decent, i had the tsuke men and my friend had the tomato cheese ramen. Well with all those going on, i must say the tsuke men i love the noodles and the broth is good, but it's not that great to the point that i can point out that this place is highly recommended or I will come back to the restaurant again. I guess the broth there's not enough rich texture/layer for me. But overall it's a decent ramen, and you will definitely not be dissapointed for sure, but at the same time, i'm scouting for places that I trully love, and went beyond my expectation.<br/><br/>overall i would say this place serve a decent ramen, but i would prefer to go somewhere else if possible, now that i know

Finally the long waited Tsukemen. There were not a lot of noodles like what I saw on TV. And the broth was quite rich, and it was more flavourful than Pascal’s spicy garlic broth. It was good but it was not amazing. I wonder if how close this is to the broth they have in Japan.<br/><br/>Although the Tsukemen was okay, it was  not quite what I expected, and maybe I need to visit their Japanese shop if I really need to experience what David Chang has experienced.

My husband and I have been searching for good ramen places in Vancouver. We came across 大勝軒 online that they have our favourite tomato ramen. We think it is the best tomato cheese ramen! It's very unique like an Italian Pasta X Japanese Ramen Fusion! Plus when you order any ramen, you can add a side dish for only $3.50! We tried Japanese Veggie Curry Don, and it is absolutely delicious and great deal! My girlfriend tried the Miso Ramen, and she loves it too! We will definitely become a regular here! <br/>*Note to business: hopefully there will be more vegetarian selections on the menu, and only if the tea does not cost $2. :)

Pretty good ramen shop in east downtown. Broth is rich and flavorful, the portion is pretty good for $12. Chashu wasn't as flavorful as I would like or charred enough but perfectly acceptable. All and all I enjoyed it and will come back.

i am not a usual review writer,  but i thought the public should really be awared of this.    this place is not a clean place.    some foods were hand on by the waitresses,  i meant by hands,  their hands pick up tissues from the ground,  wipes down table with a un-rinsed clothes,   handle cash....etc.  <br/>then they help out in the kitchen from time to time at least that were what i saw.    <br/>my friend and I were there waited for the food for about 12 minutes.   the noodle came quite hard so we had to let the soak for a while.    the pork belly ,  we were given was 1 piece of belly and the other 1 small piece was a dry pork.   <br/>the worst thing was that both my friend and I ended up with food poisoning where we spend the duration of the evening and part next morning on the toilet.   <br/>Health Department,  should take a look.

This one was alright.  I must admit that I'm not usually a fan of the Tsuke men but this place does a good job.  Avoid the gyozas and side items though, they were really quite terrible.<br/><br/>A note on service.  Deliberately keeping  a line outside your door by NOT seating people when there is clearly room is insulting to your customers.  You do not build hype this way, you simply piss off hungry people who took the time to try your restaurant!

Ramen isn’t something I’ve always enjoyed. In fact, it was a little over a year ago that I first visited Santouka. I’ve been hooked ever since. Since then I have tried every major ramen shop in Vancouver and formed opinions about my favourite broth, favourite noodles, favourite pork, and favourite egg (Santouka/Hida Takayama, Santouka, Kintaro, and Marutama respectively).

Absolutely phenomenal tsukemen ramen, chicken ramen, and pork appetizers. We visited twice in one week, it was SO good! Excellent service, as well.

I've been here twice and both times I ordered the tsukemen with cold noodles. The noodles and broth are served separately! It's good enough that I think it's the only thing I'll get at this place, ever. Service was okay. Tea is not complimentary.

On a Friday night around 7pm, this place wasn't packed, but it wasn't empty either -a good thing for someone like me, trying to get a quick meal in before a night out! I was seated right away at a four-seater as it was the only empty spot. I had the tonkatsu ramen with pork shoulder -it was ok, but i honestly felt like the noodle portion was too small. I definitely could have had more! The service was alright, she didn't rush me although there were lots of people waiting for a spot by then (and I felt bad sitting at a four-seater by myself)! However a couple friends who have visited here said they had horrible service here and so I'm guessing they just came on an off day. <br/><br/>Would I come back? Likely not, as I didn't really feel full and I think there might be MSG in the soup... I was so thirsty after!!

Having lunch together on a Saturday has been nearly impossible due to Boyfriend's schedule. Luckily came the Easter long weekend! (which also means this review is testing my memory...)We had a hard time deciding between Taishoken and The Ramen Butcher. While Taishoken is known for its Tsukemen (dipping noodles), The Ramen Butcher offers fun variety of ramen flavours, including spicy garlic paste, roasted garlic oil, and basil and cheese. When I knew about The Ramen Butcher, I told myself that I had to take Boyfriend, who loves everything that you can add garlic to, there... unfortunately, we aren't big fans of lineups, so maybe next time.

Having lunch together on a Saturday has been nearly impossible due to Boyfriend's schedule. Luckily came the Easter long weekend! (which also means this review is testing my memory...) We had a hard time deciding between Taishoken and The Ramen Butcher. While Taishoken is known for its Tsukemen (dipping noodles), The Ramen Butcher offers fun variety of ramen flavours, including spicy garlic paste, roasted garlic oil, and basil and cheese. When I knew about The Ramen Butcher, I told myself that I had to take Boyfriend, who loves everything that you can add garlic to, there... unfortunately, we aren't big fans of lineups, so maybe next time. Love the red pillar and the Asian decor. The design of those chairs was very smart and necessary for a place like this. Since we always share our food, I decided to order the Miso Tonkatsu ($9.75) while Boyfriend had his eyes on the Spicy Tsukemen ($11.75) . For my chashu, I went with the half-and-half option because Boyfriend would always and only pick pork belly. As for the noodle, we chose cold.  We felt they were quite generous with the portion of the noodle. And our dipping sauce was pretty hot. Trying to recall from my memory... The Miso Tonkatsu was quite rich and flavourful. However, nothing special when compared with other popular ramen vendors in Vancouver. The half-and-half was on the leaner side and as a result, a bit dry and tough. I really liked the half ramen egg. The texture of the egg yolk was soft and slightly chewy, and it was marinated well that the whole "half" egg was sweet.  Boyfriend really enjoyed the Spicy Tsukemen while I regretted for not suggesting him to go with the Original. Since the Tsukemen was spicy, it was not fair to say whether the sauce was good or not as we never had the basis of comparison. But Boyfriend loved it. He loved the spiciness and the thick and super rich sauce -- which was too much for me, and could be a love/hate thing for most people. But then again, Boyfriend loves sauces and

Okay place for ramen. Broth is thick. They also have some of my favourite noodles. I would say go with the fatty chashu – it’s nice to reward yourself sometimes. If you’re still hungry go for the chashu bowl on the side. It might not be my staple ramen place, but hey it’s still ramen

We went to Taishoken on Rememberance day and we were glad we didn't drive as a lot of the roads were blocked due to the parade. When we got there, there was a lineup, but not too long. We got seated in probably around 15 mins. The place itself isn't very big. There were around 4 small tables with a big communal table and 5 seats at the bar. Taishoken is famous for their Tsukemen which is noodles and soup separated. I decided to get just the regular Shoyu Tonkatsu though as every ramen place has that and it would be easier to compare. Calvin got the Kimchi Tonkatsu Ramen. We get a choice of pork shoulder or pork belly for the chasiu. I chose half and half and Calvin chose pork belly because he likes his fat.  The soup was super rich. It tasted different than other soup base. There was an interesting after-taste which I couldn't seem to figure out what it was. The soup definitely had a good proportion of fat as you could tell with the oils in the soup. When I drank the soup, it seemed as though the soup and the oil kind of separated in my mouth. It was very interesting but I did like the soup. I really liked the noodles as well. It was very al dente and tasted like what ramen noodle should taste like. Between the pork shoulder and the pork belly, I would also pick the pork belly next time because there were more taste and because of the fat, the meat was softer. The pork shoulder still tasted better than the ones I've had in Vancouver before. It was marinaded well and the taste came through. It wasn't tough like rubber. The egg was pretty good too. It was boiled property with a soft yolk although the yolk wasn't oozing out.  Calvin did enjoy his kimchi noodle too especially when that day was super cold. The kimchi wasn't too overpowering or spicy that he couldn't taste the soup base. He really enjoyed his pork belly. It was done quite well.  The pork shoulder on the left and pork belly beside it. You can tell after one bite, the meat didn't look tough and hard to sepa

One word: OVERRATED

Different and great. I had the spicy tsukemen ramen. From reading the reviews about this I wasn't sure how my selection would turn out. The spicy broth was really spicy, which I appreciated. It was also piping hot and the waitress even added a cube of hot granite. I had to blow on my first few mouthfuls. I ordered hot noodles they did arrive hot but got colder pretty quickly, hence the piping hot broth to keep the noodles at a perfect temperature before consuming. Overall great experience!

Did not like the tsukemen at all!. Tried the tsukemen and for some reason we weren't asked if we preferred the noodles warm. So basically the noodles were ice cold and the broth lukewarm, and it ended up being cold noodles that should be hot. Very disappointed!

Taishoken is famous for their “dipping noodles” or tsukeman. It is a serving style where cold ramen is eaten after dipped into a bowl of hot soup. This differs from regular ramen where the soup, toppings, and noodles are all in one bowl. Because the tsukeman soup is dense, you should only briefly dip a few noodle strands into the soup. This is so that the soup flavor does not overwhelm the noodles.

Having the noodles and toppings served on the side ensures that nothing gets over cooked in the hot broth. The noodles stay al dente the entire time. The broth is even more condensed, rich, and fatty than regular ramen broth because you are supposed to just dip everything in it rather than drink it from the spoon. The pork belly was super fatty, which I enjoyed because I don’t like eating lean meat when I eat ramen. I feel like half an egg is a little skimpy and I wish they would have just given a whole egg. Eating this style of ramen is more time consuming than a regular bowl because of the dipping process and I kept splattering myself with broth. Final Thoughts? This style of ramen was fun to try and kept the noodles at perfect consistency, but it didn’t take the spot for my favourite ramen place. About these ads Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Email StumbleUpon Google Related Tags: featur

All of us ordered the Original Tsukemen Ramen ($11.75) which came with a plate of hot or cold noodles, soft boiled egg, and a side bowl of deep concentrated broth. The broth is extremely rich and fat which is great for dipping your noodles in before slurping them up. The flavour clings on to the noodles to give you a delicious bite every time. Also, they put a hot stone in your broth to keep it piping hot during your meal. All in all, I thought it was a fun and interesting meal! I like playing with my food so it's always fun to do some extra work while eating (am I right, hot pot lovers?) :). I will definitely return in the summer when I want something cool and tasty for lunch. Service Rating: 3/5 Food Rating: 3/5 Price: $$ Overall Rating: 3/5 Happy Eating!        playing with my food like..

The Tsukemen is bomb.. Excellent broth, uniquely thick and perfectly chewy noodles. I will be back.

Not bad but not great. I've been there twice. Service was good both times. Attentive, friendly and quick. Last time I went, I was super hungry so I appreciated how quick they were. I don't like their ramen but I went there to give another chance.<br/><br/>They are all Tonkotsu(Pork Bone) base soup and I find it bit oily & quite strong. Shoyu(Soy Sauce Flavor) was nothing special but edible and Miso(Soy Bean Paste) was terrible. Worst of all, their Chashu(Sliced Pork Shoulder and Belly) is bland both times and belly was very fatty. Belly part felt so gross when I chewed it and I had to spit it out to napkin. I only ate Miso ramen because I was super hungry and I ate it so fast in order to not to taste too much.<br/><br/>Shoyu was $5 because I went there when it just opened. But Miso was $10 and that's overpriced in my opinion.

I'm still not sure how I feel about this place. Walked in and was told they were full, when we clearly saw 2 seats at the bar. Waitress said those seats were part of another party that hadn't arrived altogether -seating is first come, first served, even if your entire party hasn't arrived. They really need hooks under the bar or on the pillar for coats and bags- there is no place for you to put these since you're on a bench. Food was relatively fast. I really liked their noodles, but I think Santouka makes a better soup broth. Also, the place is cash only. This was a great choice for us since it was freezing the day we stopped by, but I'm still unsure of how I feel about this place and will probably be back to figure this out.

Come here for the tsuke-men (dipping noodles). Their noodles are on the pricey side when compared to other ramen joints around town.<br/><br/>I come here only for the tsuke-men, which they're best known for.<br/>Noodles are thick and chewy cooked perfectly.<br/><br/>Don't forget to ask for the 'plain soup' broth after you're done consuming your noodles.<br/>If you don't ask for it, they usually don't bring it to you.<br/>The broth is used to dilute the dipping soup so that's drinkable.<br/><br/>All in all it's a solid ramen place but definitely not my favourite.

Poor service and food quality. Very unorganized staffing~ no one cared where we sat and no one brought us menus~ food was delivered to the wrong table~ soup base had strong taste of msg and super salty~ noodles were soggy~ small portions for price~ do not recommend

Not bad 3/5. The only complaint I had with the food was that it's WAY too greasy in my opinion; from the broth to the chashu, everything tastes like it's coated in grease but otherwise great

Great Ramen! But new owner?. Having been to Taishoken 2months after they opened up months back I went again cause I saw they had the 5$ special again. First time visiting i ordered the tsukemen tasted great. This time when I arrived I immediately noticed something different, not only did the waiters change, but also the kitchen staff. Really surprised its all the kitchen staff are now korean and the waiters caucasian. I asked the waiter if they switched owners but she said no but I kinda have my doubts... but I cant really complain since the ramen still tasted great with a few new additions to their menu. Tried the kimchi ramen and it tasted great!

I'm obsessed with the Tsukemen Ramen. I hate this place. The service is slow, the line ups don't move. They promised me noodles in 8 minutes, it took 45. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?! I still go here, at least once a week. I am obsessed with the Tsukemen Ramen with pork belly. I order the large with the knowledge that a regular will stuff me, and always tell myself I will save half to go (this stuffs expensive!) But, I don't. I stuff myself, even drinking all of the broth. I LOVE IT! I make it my own though. I order this cold noodle dish with hot noodles, and instead of dipping, I pour the broth right over the noodles. Then voila, perfect soup, with a very rich and porky broth. Way better than their ramen soups. I recommend going before noon or after 1:30pm, because if you get in line in between, you will be likely be waiting 30 minutes in line, then 20 for your food. These people need a little lesson on efficiency from the guys at Meat and Bread. I mean come on, it's noodle soup! (Albeit the best damn noodle soup I've ever had.)

Close at 8:45 pm. Attempted to go there last week and we reached at around 8:45. The notice at the front door said they ran out of soup.... .... and it's closed.

I

Best, for now.. You know the ramen story here in Vancouver. Kintaro came, it was cool but it died a bit. Benkei came, it was awesome but it too died. Motomachi Shokudo, same thing. Santouka is going downhill. Now comes Taishoken. Yes, it is the bomb. Noodle texture is like Benkei/Kintaro, soup is like Santouka. So if you like deep flavourful soup with the thick chewy curly noodle, this is it. Oh and the tsukemen, get it. Let's see how long Taishoken will last.

Try it yourself and see. For the price they are charging it seems that their portion is a little small. Topping is a little limited. It will fill you up once the noodle expands, unless you eat a lot, then you might consider ordering more. The broth is rich and you can really taste the pork. Some might like it. Try ordering miso if you want it to cover the taste. It's a solid ramen place. I wouldn't make the extra trip to go there, but if I'm in the area and my friends want ramen I wouldn't say no to going back. It all depends on the type that you like. It's worth trying if you are in the area and looking for ramen. I tried Shoyu, Shio and Miso.

How come the waitress said there is no take out ??

Open on May 27, 2014. They are one of famous Ramen chains from Tokyo area in Japan. Their speciality is Tokusei-Mori-Soba, which is also called Tuke-Men. It is translated as dipping style ramen of which noodle and soup come separately. Taishoken boasts that they started this style with ramen, although the style itself had been quite common for Japanese noodle, Soba.<br/><br/>They soft opened on May 27, 2014 and at this moment, they only serve 3 styles of ramen only. They are Shoyu(Soy sourse), Sio(Salt), and Miso, which come noodles in soup. No Tuke-Men, Gyoza, Rice, Fried Rice, yet. More items will be available after regular opening, or items will be added one by one.<br/><br/>Their plans was: Until June 2nd, they open 11-20, and after that 11-22:30.<br/>However, they closed much earlier as they sold out until June 1st.<br/>From June 2nd-4th, they opened at 6pm until they sell out 150 bowls.<br/>During soft opening, a bowl was $5.<br/><br/>My first visit, I ordered Miso Ramen with pork belly. Noodle was good. Soup was good. Pork was less fatty as pork belly, but I like it. I felt somewhat it was a small portion, but probably this is normal for regular Ramen only. <br/><br/>Service was decent, too. As to value for the price, I cannot say as I don't know the regular price yet. I hope it doesn't go too high as I am used to Ramen price in Japan, which is much cheaper than Canada.<br/><br/>My second visit, I ordered Shoyu Ramen with pork loin. Usually, soup for shoyu ramen is transparent, but here it was opaque and somewhat oily. Yet it was good taste overall.<br/><br/>As to Chasyu, pork on top, you can choose pork belly or pork loin. This time I ordered pork loin and it was more than my expectation. I liked it more than pork belly.<br/><br/>Scheduled promotion finished. I asked what the operation hours and the menu from tomorrow. They answered "No Idea." I think they lack some communications and/or announcements.<br/><br/>I know some people came here for lunch or dinner only to find out they were closed. They of course came during operation hours which they previously said they were open or didn't say they are closed. That was not very nice.<br/><br/>Anyway, they have just started. Let's hope they provide us with good ramen and service with inexpensive price and better communications.<br/><br/>P.S.<br/><br/>There was a huge line up on June 4th.I arrived at 5:20pm and there were already 30 people in front of me. By 6:00pm the line up extended to more than 100 people. Why do I know the number? Someone actually counted line up from the fear they were already out of 150 bowls. I had to wait for an hour before I have a seat. It may not have been intended, but I somewhat felt they wanted to show off the line up to their neighbors.<br/><br/>F.Y.I.<br/><br/>They have 25 seats. Counters and tables.

March 9, 2015 March 17, 2015 | admin I decided to try out Taishoken because I was craving tsukemen (dipping ramen). This restaurant is located walking distance from Stadium Chinatown Skytrain station (it’s right beside the famed Tsuki Sushi Bar ), so it is quite convenient to get to. When I got there, there was a line up, but I was lucky enough to get a table quickly as I went on my own. I ordered the Regular Tsukemen ($11.45), but I’m sad to say it hardly lived up to my expectations. The soup was quite sweet as it was a mix of chicken and pork broth. I found it too salty (even though I knew that tsukemen is supposed to be saltier than your regular ramen) and the soup really did not taste that great. The piece of cha siu was painfully small, when it arrived, it was so sunken into the soup that I did not even realize that it was there. The egg was also quite small and quite flavourless. The texture of the noodles was good, as it was thicker and chewier than your normal ramen (kind of like egg noodles) which allowed the soup to cling onto them well when you dipped it in. However, the temperature of the soup was lukewarm, and the noodles were served cold which made it not very appetizing. I would probably not order this again. If you want to drink the soup in the end, you can ask the waiter to bring you a pitcher of unseasoned broth (I think it’s water boiled with konbu and dashi?) that you can thin out the soup with instead of just adding water. I went there a second time to give it another try, and got the Shio Tonkotsu Ramen ($9.75). This was a lot better than their tsukemen, since it was actually hot, and the amount of toppings (cha siu, bamboo shoots, onions and egg) was much more adequate.  My friend got the Miso   Tonkotsu Ramen ($9.75) which was very similar, but had a nuttier and slightly heavier broth. She also thought it was so-so. Though the ramen was better than my tsukemen, it still is a far cry from the many ramen shops that Vancouver has. If you’re crav

Noodles themselves are good. Soup needs improving...

There’s been rumours of a change in ownership of Taishoken...

I ordered the most seemingly generic item on the menu: shoyu tonkotsu ramen. The broth was really thick and concentrated. Yes it was very flavourful, but it felt a little odd. Was it a bowl of noodle soup or a bowl of blanched noodles served in a sauce. The noodles however seemed to be in good quality and cooked properly. The other ingredients were rather standard which was expected. I think I have mentioned that I am more of a pho guy that prefers lighter and clearer broth for my noodle soup. Here I could appreciate the time and effect put into the broth making, as well as all the tasty and nutritious bits of collagen, but the overall texture of the broth and noodle combined was not entirely pleasant. If they had a bigger serving bowl and there were more diluted broth, I would have enjoyed it more. Shoyu Tonkotsu Ramen @ Taishoken Ramen I tasted a spoonful of Pascal’s broth of his kimchi tonkotsu ramen. It was the same broth base but it was definitely more diluted in order to mix in the kimchi. It was spicy and full of flavours and I enjoyed it more than my own ramen broth. Kimchi Chashu Ramen @ Taishoken Ramen I had not been visiting a lot of ramen places for at least a couple years. But because of the recent visits to Gyoza Bar and Taishoken, and spending 20 hours on m

Hey guys! Welcome to part 2 of 3 of my mini club Itadakimasu 's ramen outings. Today we went to a new (2014) place called Taishoken who specialise in a style of ramen called “Tsukemen”. Does this style overthrow the traditional noodle and broth formula? Read on to find out. Food: Coming here with Team Itadakimasu, I ordered the specialty, a Tsukemen with Pork Shoulder and extra Soft Boiled Egg. How this works is you get a bowl of concentrated soup that you mix into spoonfuls of cold ramen from another plate. The result is you have a paste to eat with your ramen instead of a broth absorbed by the noodles? For me, I think I would prefer this style in the hot summer where I might not want a piping hot bowl of ramen. This seemed to be a novelty for me and I recommend it for experimentalists. The noodles were an al dente chewy and the soup was indeed super concentrated and zapped full of flavour and pork shoulder so the separate ingredients were alright.  Features: This is a small ramen restaurant with about 30 seats. There’s a nice bar looking over Abbott Street great for people watching and the dark wood interior gives a nice Japanese vibe. Service: Service was a bit iffy. I didn’t know one had the choice of hot or cold Tsukemen noodle and our waitress didn’t bother giving us the option when we didn’t specify. In addition, I had to ask for my extra soft-boiled egg when it became apparent that someone had forgotten. Water service was pretty frequent though and bill splitting was given to us which helped with our group of 7.  One-liner:  Chic ramen that could have better service Highlight: Hot concentrated ramen soup paste Recommended for: Ramen lovers who don’t want to wait in line Would I go back? No. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Notes:

Taishoken Ramen has been on my must eats list for a good few months now. The sad thing is that I’ve tried to come here twice, which have both failed. Third time is the charm I guess, as the boyfriend and I finally found ourselves here one early evening.We had just finished walking around the Christmas market and Taishoken had just opened, which was perfect timing because I didn’t want to wait in line in the cold. He dropped me off first, and there were still a few minutes before the doors actually opened.

Taishoken is famous and unique for it’s Tsukemen. Tsukemen is ramen that serves with its broth separately. There’s a few reason why it is served this way. The main purpose is to keep the noodles away from being soaked in the broth so it would keep it’s al-dente (chewy) texture. The broth that is served aside is also different than your regular ramen broth. It comes in room temperature, and it is twice or even three times more concentrated than your regular broth. You probably won’t want to enjoy drinking your broth cause it is salty and gooey. It is almost like Marutama’s kind of broth but even riche

The Noodle’s Prayer – please do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Ramen.  For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Noodle will also forgive you. It is I who found redemption tonight, on the most unlikeliest of nights.  On a Monday evening when only the heathens among us revel in hijinks and shenanigans on the first work night of the week, I found ramen redemption at Taishoken . Fragile and dejected afte a slew of disastrous ramen experiences , it is with wary apprehension that I approached my noo noo bowl. While known for their Tsuke-men, or “dipping” ramen in which the noodles are served separate from the broth, near hypothermia and rational thought called for something a little more heavy duty. Two big bowls for two big girls, it was  Miso Ramen  for me and  Shoyu Ramen for Daphne. Served with two pieces of juicy pork belly, half an egg, and a cuttlefish, this velvety pork and chicken broth packed a ton of flavour. Automatic extra points for the cuttlefish no doubt, but the egg needs some work.  A lesson in marination and cooking time might benefit because with a slight ooze, one bite in, the whole thing fell apart into one mushy heap. And what’s the deal with only half an egg?  What’s a sister gotta do around here to get un oeuf? When it comes to noodle, Taishoken’s got it right.  Springy and perfectly cooked with a nice chew, these noo noos are bringing sexy back.  There’s nothing like the soft soothing sensation of a firm chewy noodle running through your mouth to make you feel like a natural woman. Both the savoury miso and shoyu broths are tasty but truth be told, I couldn’t help but look over at Daphne’s bowl with a tinge of jealousy.  On the excessive side, the salty miso hit me in the face like BAM, where as the shoyu has a more sophisticated and subtle delicacy. Ramen God, heard my prayer – so would I return? At $10 a bowl, the ramen is slightly c

by onesortwosblog@gmail.com • $10 - $15 , City of Vancouver , Downtown , Location , Price , Vancouver • Tags: gastown , japanese , miso , noodles , pork belly , ramen , shio , shoyu , spicy , vancouver

Tashoken Ramen is a new ramen bar in the Gastown area. Taishoken had a “soft opening” a month or so ago, but they are now open for business.

The Tsukemen Ramen was awesome!! The noodles were cooked perfectly al dente, bouncy, and toothsome! It also comes with a side of the broth that you're suppose to dip the noodles in.  It came with 2 pieces of chasu. It was really tender but since the broth was already so salty, it masked the flavour of the chasu.  Broth 4/5 stars   You're either going to l

... funny thing, I asked for hot noodles, and the noodles arrived steaming but once dunked in the semi-hot broth, still turned out room temp (?!); the chef actually came out to plonk a hot stone (see that in the bowl?) to keep the broth hot, but to no avail...

... very eggy noodles w just the right amt of bounce and thickness; extremely rich broth, just the way I like it...

... very bouncy, al dente noodles, just a tad thicker than the avg ramen noodle (served cold whilst the broth is piping hot) w strong egg flavor; broth was addictive but a tad salty...

... broth slightly richer than the avg ramen broths from other ramen joints in Vancouver (but not heavy!)... FYI you can choose the type of cha shu you want, either pork shoulder (leaner cut) or pork belly (fattier)...

After grabbing a snack at Pourhouse , we headed to Tinseltown to pick up sunglasses. On the way there, we noticed an extremely long line up outside of a ramen restaurant, Teishoken. As it turns out, people were lining up to try a newly opened ramen joint while taking advantage of a great promotional value, $5.00 for a bowl. This is a great marketing strategy; lose a little, gain a lot. As two hours passed, yes, two, it was finally our turn. In general, I would never line up for any restaurant but because my schedule is extremely busy with business, working out and making sure my dogs get enough exercise, I considered the two hours as a time for me to "relax". Sad, but true. Taishoken was offering three types of ramen, shoyu (soy sauce), shio (salt) as well as miso, and we went for the miso along with the shio. On every table, chilli pepper, pepper, chilli oil, vinegar (uhh..?) and soy sauce is provided on the side. As for the interior, the table as well as chairs are all wooden and lik

This was my latest lunch destination, a shop my guest had passed by on several occasions and wanted to try. We agreed to meet at 5pm and arrived three minutes early. They weren’t open for dinner until 5pm, so we spent those few minutes looking longingly in, and we weren’t the only ones. When the door was propped wide and the “open” sign flipped over the server immediately showed us to our table. We followed her through the threshold with the other two staff members greeting us in unison, in Japanese. As the only ramen bar in the area, the small space that filled up quickly. The interior was wood on wood, dark and varnished: load baring posts, the panels on walls, serving and prep counters for the staff, and dining tables and benches for guests. Seating was available at individual tables with your party, on bar style counters facing the window, or at family style large shareable tables. All the non stationary chairs were wooden stools; they were not comfortable, but they were practical.

Ramen isn’t something I’ve always enjoyed. In fact, it was a little over a year ago that I first visited Santouka . I’ve been hooked ever since. Since then I have tried every major ramen shop in Vancouver and formed opinions about my favourite broth, favourite noodles, favourite pork, and favourite egg (Santouka/Hida Takayama, Santouka, Kintaro, and Marutama respectively). My foray into the world of ramen started with this episode of Mind of a Chef  in which Chef David Chang explores and explains ramen in Tokyo. He visits Taishoken in Tokyo – the restaurant that created tsukemen, and it looked so amazing that I went down to Santouka to try it! Kazuo Yamigishi opened Taishoken in Tokyo in 1951. In 1954 he invented tsukemen at his shop and it has become one of the most popular types of ramen! Even though he’s retired now; he still checks in to his shop every morning to make sure the broth is okay and to greet customers. And he wears a towel on his head which looks kind of badass. Taishok

I would definitely return frequently to Taishoken for the delicious and wonderful pork belly cha-su. I’m also excited to try their Tsuke-Men on my next visit, as it was available and on the regular menu on my second visit.

The ramen noodles are served cold and were quite chewy but in a good way. The broth was served on the side and although the portion looks small, it was very concentrated and full of rich fatty flavour.

It was awesome. It was so much better than what I imagined it would be like. The soup was thick, pork-flavourful, and surprisingly not too salty. It was more umami-sweet than it was salty. It was thick enough to impart rich flavours to the perfectly-elastic ramen even when the strands of noodles were only dipped for a few seconds. The soup was also lukewarm enough that it did not neutralize the enjoyably cool temperature of the yellow noodles. The onsen egg was runny in the yolk and snappy in the whites – although it strangely looked like it had been bitten into.

Taishoken Ramen Vancouver Chinatown features tsukemen ramen that was featured on Season 1 of Mind of a Chef by David Chang. Taishoken Ramen by Stadium Chinatown Skytrain Station is a branch of the infamous ramen in Japan. I don’t normally like to park and walk in the area myself during night time. Although right next to Rogers Arena, it is rather sketched. My best friend and I came here after a pampering event at Beauty Mark in Yaletown...

“Real” ramen uses real ingredients, a huge array of soup bases and painstakingly take a while to make. Not every place in Vancouver offers hand made ramen, but most places follow the same formula: ramen, meat, egg, seaweed, broth. Taishoken, located super close to the Stadium Chinatown skytrain station is another ramen place that’s on the rise. They serve is tsuke-men style ramen where the broth is served on the side and you dip your noodles into the broth. My good friend Gary recommended this place – who is a huge ramen fan as well. And right after he recommended it, we just had to go!

Taishoken Ramen is the newest ramen join in Vancouver. It is located right across from Tinsel Town. During their soft opening, they were offering ramen up for $5. Sadly, I don’t like lines so I never ended up trying it in it’s first week. Once that deal was over, there are rarely any lines and there’s always a spot to sit. The ramen is around $9 – $14, so it is a bit pricey for the ramen they have on the menu. Taishoken is a Japanese chain and is best known for their tsukemen. They have a small variety of ramen, but you can find the usual – miso, shio, and spicy. The interior has a communal table in the centre and more seats on the side for groups of 2 or 4. I’ve been here twice so far for lunch and dinner, but it’s not too busy. On the table, you have pepper, chili oil, soy sauce and vinegar to add to your meal. Special Spicy Ramen has 6 pieces of pork belly, a soft egg, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, scallions, and seaweed. I got the least spicy version and it was quite spicy. They giv