Kamamarui Ramen & Don

Going for ramen can be good or bad. To some, a hot bowl of ramen fills the tummy and does the job. However, there are others who do not bother trying certain ramen joints because they hate settling for mediocre. Without stating which category I belong in, it is safe to say that homemade ramen is obviously the best. Well, isn't homemade food always the best? Furthermore, since the profit margin for ramen is very high, why shouldn't people be selective? 

Kamamarui is a small ramen joint that is located in Burnaby. The restaurant has less than eight tables available and the interior is fairly clean (more than the utensils). The interior looks simple and is not cluttered. There are dog tail hooks along the wall as well as the menu, and chalkboards by the counter. As for the menu on the wall, I kind of struggled because I have bad eyesight and my contacts were dry that day lol.

(CORN $1.00) AND SOFT EGG ($1.50).

The restaurant does not offer boiled eggs or ajitama, so we ordered their "soft egg" to add to a donburi. The egg has a generic runny yolk but the egg white is very rubbery as well as dry, rather than smooth and soft. In addition, the egg is topped with teriyaki sauce, black pepper and green onion.

MINI BUTA DON, PORK BELLY ($4.50).

The slices of pork belly have a tasty seared barbecued flavour and taste tender with a nice snappy texture. There is a fair amount of meat and despite not being a fan of the sauces, the Japanese mayonnaise along with the unagi sauce do not taste overwhelming. If anything, the rice is slightly too mushy and wet.

MINI BUTA DON, BEEF DON ($4.50).

As for the beef don, some slices of meat taste very dry as well as chewy, and a couple are somewhat tender. Furthermore, similar to the pork belly, the beef has that nice flavourful barbecued taste as well (along with mushy rice).

TONKOTSU RAMEN, PORK SOUP BASE SEASONED WITH SOY FLAVOUR, GREEN ONION AND BEAN SPROUT ($9.00).

When the waiter brought over our bowls of ramen, he asked if we have tried their ramen before and explained that chilli oil, spicy sauce as well as ramen sauce are provided on the side. The tonkotsu ramen arrived warm rather than hot, has a light broth and does not taste rich at all. Perhaps the broth lacks ingredients, has not been cooked long enough, or there were not enough bones.

As for the noodles, they are perfectly cooked. The noodles have a nice bounciness and are neither over or undercooked. In addition, the slices of chashu taste tender and have that nice seared flavour.

MISO CHASHU RAMEN, MISO AND PORK SOUP BASE SEASONED WITH MISO FLAVOUR, GREEN ONION, BEAN SPROUT AND CHASHU ($11.50).

Like the above, the ramen arrived warm. The broth has a fair miso flavour but tastes very flat and not rich or flavourful. There is no flavour whatsoever asides from the miso, which is disappointing. If anything, the chashu tastes tender and again, have that nice seared flavour.

TOTAL: $35.20 + TIP $4.80 = $40.00.

Kamamarui is an option for those who want ramen considering there are only a couple of ramen joints in the area. However, we found the broths very weak and not flavourful. In addition, the mushy rice in the donburi were not pleasant.

POSITIVES

- Friendly staff

- Clean restaurant

- One of the couple of ramen joints in the area

NEGATIVES

- Ramen arrived warm rather than hot

- Very basic ramen and the broths are not flavourful

Food: 2/5

Service: 3/5