Lately, I read about 'Samurai Bistro'... a so-called ramen joint in the heart of Chinatown. I was a bit thrown off by the name (it screams "Chinese-owned") and the location (beside the abandoned 'burned down' Shun Fat supermarket) Nevertheless, I decided to be brave and try it out. I've had ramen before but it was in North America... (Kintaro in Vancity, Shikiji in Calgary) On both occasions, I thoroughly enjoyed slurping a big bowl of noodles. They were nothing special - just comfortingly delicious.
We decided to try some of their snacks to start - the bacon wrapped scallops caught my eye
The ramen selections were pretty good - a mix of seafood, pork, and chicken. There's no traditional types of pork in these noodles... rather, I would call it a HK fusion take on the bbq pork. You also get a choice of broth - miso or pork soup. I also found it interesting that instead of throwing in some fake crab sticks, they actually throw in an actual crab leg - nice touch :)
The portions were HUGE and the ramen tasted pretty close to what I had in the other ramen joints. If you go, pick lunch time or supper before 8pm. after 8pm, the location gets a lot of trouble makers... we are in sketchville afterall...
Service ~ 8/10 one waiter, one cook doesn't stop them from being efficient
Ambiance ~ 7/10 Open kitchen design with a 'ramen' bar seating area; food network and sports network playing on different tvs.
Food ~ 8/10 big hearty bowl of ramen with a HK fusion twist (the Japanese bbq pork = char siu imo)
Price ~ 8/10 $10-$15 per bowl plus and appetizer if split with someone
Overall ~ 8/10 definitely a good place to go if you want something other than pho or fried rice in Chinatown.
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