Ramen series: Noodle soup always hits the spot: Touhenboku Ramen

Red spicy ramen at Touhenboku Ramen

Looking for a place to eat, one cold winter lunch, we saw Touhenboku Ramen at a complex in Richmond Hill. The thought of ramen hitting our bellies when it is minus 20 just drew us in. We didn’t know that this was a third location of a popular ramen house. We didn’t know that the founder trained in an actual ramen school in Chiba, Japan.  We didn’t know that they made noodles fresh, from scratch and with no preservatives or that their mizutaki broth is slow-cooked according to Japanese tradition.

But we found out that it was GOOD! They made the menu easy to follow, in steps, to guide any confused novice.  You get to select the broth—original, light, red (spicy) or garlicky. Then, choose your meat—chicken, pork, pork belly. They also have a vegetarian option. Then you can choose if you want thin or thick noodles. I couldn’t quite tell the difference. The girls got original (added $1.50 for miso seasoning which they love), chicken, thin noodles. Hubby and I got red broth but he picked pork shoulder while I got pork belly (yum). Grandma got her favourite garlicky broth.

Original broth with pork belly chasu at Touhenboku Ramen

The broth was just delicious. It was creamy and had just the right seasonings—like it was cooking for hours. The noodles had a good bite, not starchy and definitely not instant! The serving was not that big, though. So at $10.50 per bowl that was only about 2/3 full, this was not such a value meal. Yet, it was wonderful and service was good. They even had smartly-designed benches where you can keep your stuff. So, while we won’t eat there every day, we would surely return.

Garlicky broth ramen at Touhenboku Ramen

They have other items on their menu. I’d give their donburi a try when we come back. They also have appetizers (Izakaya) and desserts. I believe each location has its own character—with the downtown one having its own “noodle society.” But I am happy that even without a society, this joint is quite accessible. Now that we have found this place, it will not take another cold snap to bring us back.