I have been living in The Village for two years now and had no clue that a little ramen shop had been sitting under my nose all this time. Kenzo Ramen is located right at Yonge and Maitland so when Marian mentioned she wanted to meet up to chat food after the holidays I suggested the place as she is known as a soup fanatic from near and afar.
Marian ordered a hot bowl of spicy sapporo style ramen with ground chicken while I opted for their tonkotsu ramen and a bowl of katsudon. The woman who delivered our meal to the table was dressed in a puffy winter jacket and made a sarcastic smirk when she realized I had ordered two meals for myself (with the intention of taking the unfinished loot home for future feasting). I’ve always been a lover of warm rice bowls and became obsessed with the dish after enjoying an early morning breakfast bowl just outside of the Fushimi Inari Taisha down the road from Nara, Japan. That simple yet unforgettable breakfast featured a hot bowl of rice topped with savoury scallion and sesame scrambled eggs and a massive shrimp tempura.
Marian and I enjoyed sipping through our bowls on a cold winter afternoon, famished as we had delayed our lunch until 3pm. We chatted about our favorite foods, chefs and Toronto restaurants while restoring our souls with slippery noodles.
