Back in June, we shared the news of a new ramen shop is coming to the Riley Park-Little Mountain area!
Well, the spot quietly opened this week and we’re going to give you the scoop. Introducing Ramen Kounotori…
Who is Ramen Kounotori?
The ramen joint’s name, Kounotori, is evocative in Japanese, referring to a white stork – traditionally known as the “bird that brings happiness.”
Also part of its name is ‘tori’ which means chicken. This refers to the shop’s specialty: chicken broth.
According to the staff during our visit, Ramen Kounotori is a Korean-owned independent brand. This is rare as the city has been largely dominated by ramen chains.
The Ramen and Interior
Replacing the recently closed Chinese fusion spot, Old Bird, Ramen Kounotori maintains the main concrete and wooden aesthetics. Take out all the lanterns and the Chinese decorations and this will be what you get.
It is simple and works in today’s trend of minimal design. You just won’t be wowed by its interior here.
Food-wise, you’ll find a simple menu with 4 choices of ramen – all incorporating their chicken broth. Those who are fans of shio or shoyu-style broths can opt for that.
While those who want to go for their most recommended option should go for their Tori Paitan Ramen or Kara Tori Paitan Ramen. The latter being the spicy option.
We personally found the broth very flavourful and the noodles had a good bounce to them – both things we look for in a good ramen.
The good thing is that each ramen already comes with soft boiled egg so there isn’t any need to add must-have toppings. On the back side of the menu, there are additional toppings you can add.
If you’re looking to search them up online, you’ll come up mostly empty-handed as they lack a website and social media profiles. We suppose this adds to the mystique and makes it a true word-of-mouth discovery.
Ramen Kounotori makes for a great addition to the neighbourhood, which seriously lacks a decent noodle joint. It is worth checking out for ramen lovers.
Address
3950 Main Street, Vancouver
