Ryus Noodle Bar – 786 Broadview Ave, Toronto, ON M4K 2P7
Country: Japan  
Seating: Only indoor seating. 
Must-try dish: Ramen
Dinner guests: Suited Sebastien 
The high: There’s an excellent selection of ramen to satisfy any palate. 
The low: This place is busy, so you may have to wait for a table. 

It’s ramen weather! Every season is a good time for ramen, but this flavoursome soup tastes particularly comforting during the chilly winter months. Ryus has a constant flow of people coming through the doors to enjoy the variety of ramen types. Although the Japanese soup is the restaurant’s specialty, it’s not the only thing on the menu. There are rice bowls, salads, dumplings, and of course, plenty of ramen. 

Toronto’s obsession with ramen started a few years ago, and today there’s no shortage of spots serving up the hearty soup in all corners of the city. Finding the unique specialty of each place can be exciting because although they all seem similar, each ramen restaurant has it’s own character. 

We took our time going through the ramen choices while nibbling on Pork Gyozas (Japanese dumplings), Seaweed Salad, and Edamame beans. When there’s a seaweed salad on the menu, it’s usually a go. 

On the menu, each soup has a description of the toppings, the contents of the broth, and a review on the dish from Facebook. There are also suggested add-ons for a small fee. It’s not everyday that a review makes the menu, so it spiced up the experience a little for us. 

The most traditional is the Nostalgic Japanese Shio – the base is a clear chicken broth that’s fresh in its flavour. The toppings include chicken, steamed greens, a hard-boiled egg, sesame oil, lemon zest, and thin noodles. 

The Tan Tan Men soup claims to have Ryus’ original spice in it from the prominent chili oil made in-house. This ramen is much thicker than the first from the ground chicken inside it. The rest of the ingredients are made up of shrimp powder, chives, sesame seeds, and thin noodles. For those who like a seasoned hard-boiled egg in their ramen, that’s an add-on option to consider. 

The Spicy Miso ramen definitely has more of a kick than the previous two, but diners can pick the spice level that makes them comfortable. It’s a thick red base that’s heavy on the vegetable front with tofu and ground chicken for protein. There’s a miso paste included that makes the flavour distinct from the other ramen options on the menu. 

An evening of ramen challenges the family style culture of sharing dishes typical at Eat the World TO dinners, but it also allows for each person to make their own decisions for the night. In this case, we all tried each other’s broth and they are vastly different from one another. Perhaps a trip back is in order to both stay warm and taste the rest of the ramen varieties. 

Eat with you soon, 

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)