Last month, Meghan told me about an interesting outing she’d been on with a friend. They’d gone to the TIFF Cinema to see the 1985 Japanese film Tampopo, which has recently been fully restored.
This comedy is described as, “The tale of an enigmatic band of ramen ronin who guide the widow of a noodle shop owner on her quest for the perfect recipe. Sweet, sexy, surreal, and mouthwatering, Tampopo remains one of the most delectable examples of food on film.” I’m sorry I missed it at the theatre but will be keeping my eyes out for another chance.
Clearly, the lushly visual movie is the catalyst for a ramen craving, so as a cross-promotion, the audience was offered a discount on a meal at a nearby ramen bar following the movie.
The bowl of delicious Japanese noodle soup Meghan described having had at Kinton Ramen stuck with me, and I wanted to try it myself. She liked the place so much that she gladly agreed to go a second time within a month, and we made a date for Sunday evening.
If you’ve been on Queen Street West near Spadina lately, you’ve probably seen the big metal sculpture of the pig that’s outside this busy place, located at 402 Queen West between Cameron and Spadina.
I arrived moments before Meghan did, to a welcoming chorus of greetings from the staff, and was shown to a couple of wooden stools at one end of a communal table.
We had a mug of Sapporo beer while deciding what to eat.
I went for the spicy jalapeno chicken soup, choosing thin noodles over thick, and Meghan had the special called “Shio Ontama Ramen”. We also had a side of gyoza to share.
↑ A good look at those delectable homemade noodles. ↑
The food was totally delicious and the service friendly. While everything was done very efficiently, with the aim to please diners who are in a hurry, we were in no way rushed. We had plenty of time for another beer and a good catch up.
There’s no doubt we’ll be going back!
Thanks for reading,
xo loulou
