Restaurant Review: Tokiwa Ramen
TOKIWA RAMEN 11978 104th Avenue | tokiwaramen.ca Instagram: @tokiwa_ramen Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew
I am clearly on a ramen kick at the moment and I can think of no better type of food to be touring! Last week I wrote about where ramen began in Edmonton and this week I'm writing about where it has ended up. We're bringing out the big guns with Tokiwa, widely regarded as the best ramen shop in the city. They've only been open a few years but in that time have indisputably risen to the top. CBC Edmonton's Best Restaurants 2019 list named them one of the Best of Oliver and 124th Street and EDify Magazine awarded them Best Soup 2022. The Oliver (Brewery District) restaurant operates with a "no funny business" attitude: they either have soup or they don't. There's even a neon sign that lights up to say "NO SOUP" when they are sold out for the day. Which happens basically every day. If you want to ensure that your ramen dreams come true, I would recommend showing up right when they open - which is at 11am every day. Tokiwa isn't a place for dinner, as they close at 3pm and are usually sold out before then. I showed up at 10:45am on a Sunday and no one had begun to line up yet. Moments later, some people started standing by the door so I hopped out of my car and took my place in the queue. By time the doors opened fifteen minutes later there was a lineup down the side of the building and not everyone was able to be seated. If you don't want to get stuck waiting and you don't want to risk the sad "NO SOUP" sign, my advice is to roll up shortly before they open for the day. The restaurant space is small, minimalistic, and modern. There's a contrast between pale and black wood which keeps things very clean and straight forward. The open kitchen is firing on all cylinders, constantly. The restaurant contains roughly 10-15 tables plus the bar seating by the kitchen, and let me assure you that every single seat will be occupied. The room is bright and the aroma in the air is tantalizing. Being that I was able to get myself into the door second in line, I was seated right away and tended to immediately by the friendly and efficient servers. With a table by the window, I had a front row seat to just how many people were trapped waiting outside, waiting for their turn. It was a lot. The first thing that I did was select a beverage. Genmaicha tea (my favourite) is available, as are several beer and sake options. However, I loved the idea of the Cold Brew Unsweetened Tea ($3.50) which sounded ideal for our warming spring weather (plus mouthfuls of hot soup!).
The glass was large and I was surprised by the lime-green colour! Specks of tea swirled within and each sip was cool and refreshing. The flavour of green tea was light and enjoyable, without being too overpowering. The fact that it was not sweetened at all was my ideal preference. They also offer this drink in an organic houjicha black tea if green isn't your bag. Obviously, the whole entire "thing" at Tokiwa is the ramen, however I was curious about what else they serve. There are a few rice bowls to choose from and one "appetizer, "which I decided to order. The Bou Gyoza ($6.50). Every culture has a dumpling and Japan has gyoza!
I liked the unique shape of these gyoza! Most of the time they will be served in that half-moon shape and these ones seemed more easy-going, which I like. They're just fast and loose and getting shit done at Tokiwa! The golden rectangular dough encased a delicious and savoury pork combination and were easy to eat. I loved dunking my bites into the gyoza sauce. These felt simple, yet delicious, and a great way to round out the meal. Next, of course, was the reason why people line up. Prepared in-house daily using quality ingredients that are locally sourced whenever possible and created in limited batches: It's ramen time. Tokiwa offers two base soups; a ten hour pork soup and a six hour chicken soup. From these stocks they are able to serve ten different ramen options, all with different flavour profiles and spice levels. I knew that for my first visit I wanted to try the ten hour pork soup but I didn't know which one to choose! I'd heard that the black garlic one was very good, but after asking the server which one was the most popular (and noting that almost everyone around me was eating it) I decided to choose the Spicy Goma ($16.50).
The ramen comes with wood ear mushrooms, a half boiled egg, bean sprouts, Shanghai bok choi, and green onion. The spicy goma also comes with nikumiso (chopped pork) and a chili oil drizzle, and is generally one of the spiciest soups on the menu. Lucky for me, I am way into spice! This soup looks fiery and dangerous from the first moment that you set your eyes on it. I couldn't wait to dig in! Grabbing my wooden ladle, I began to sip the broth itself, the most important and labour-intensive component in ramen. I loved it. It packed a lot of heat but also contained a beautiful depth of flavour. This soup is an explosion of layered spice, aromatics, and expert-level care. The noodles were toothsome and not sticky. I also really enjoyed all of the other toppings included; from the deliciously marinated egg, to the tender bok choi. The braised ground pork seasoned with miso paste did a great job of elevating the dish and brought substance to each bite. And my favourite of all is the lotus root chip on top - Tokiwa's calling card. The hype is real and everything that you have heard is true. As with most ramen, the portions are generous and you leave feeling satiated and sloshy. I do believe that Tokiwa is very likely the best ramen available in Edmonton and that the lineups don't lie. There are many more bowls that I want to try; like the black garlic, goma goma, yuzu shio, and spicy miso. Clearly, I will be returning! Plan your visit accordingly and find out what everyone is talking about - you won't be disappointed.
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