"Iraashaiiiiiiiiiiii" Jinya Ramen Metrotown Review

Table upon being seated

The moment you walk into Jinya, the first thing you will notice is the decor. Out of all ramen places that I've been to, this place is a bit on the fancier end for decor. You can tell that they have taken some time into designing their shop. They take more of a contemporary style of design compared to other ramen places I've been to.

Vegetable ramen

     This place is very busy by the looks of it. What is cool is that you can leave your phone with them and they can text you when there are seats for you. Alternatively, you can wait there (there is not much of a waiting area though...). The waiting area in front of the host feels more like a crowded elevator as there really isn't much space for anyone to wait. In the summer time, I can see that people can wait outside or on the patio. However, during the winter time, that would be unpractical. If you want to avoid long waits, I suggest coming here before lunch hour or after lunch and before dinner or after dinner times.The seating itself is usually shared (so you are either on the big table with many other people or at the bar). If you are looking for a place to bring your whole family, just be aware you maybe placed with other people due to the nature of the store. 

Wide Angle of the restaurant 

I was here with my mom for lunch, and I decided to order the Chicken Ramen with the kaedama (which was the noodle refill for $1.50) while she ordered the Vegetable Ramen. There were other things on the menu besides ramen such as sides (tempura) and drinks. They also had a very interesting looking kids meal ($12 and it includes tempura and other things in a small boat together with a small bowl of ramen. The pricing of all bowls of ramen were around $12 - $15 - which is slightly higher than average but it was good.  

The Menu

    After we ordered, It didn't take too long for the ramen to come, and the portions were pretty fair. The vegetable ramen looked very interesting... Besides having a vegetable soup base and the ramen noodles, they seem to dump a salad ontop of the ramen. So when the bowl of vegetable ramen came, it looked more like a salad than ramen. The chicken ramen was pretty interesting too. When I got my ramen, I asked for the kaedama to come at the same time. Then I put the kaedama into the bowl and then added three spoons of spicy sauce. The noodles sucked up all of the broth, so I had a bowl of semi- spaghetti like noodles. When I started eating, the three spoons of spicy sauce was wayyy too much. By the time I finished, I was already sweating all over with a runny nose... That aside, it was pretty good. The thing I like about their ramen is the broth isn't too greasy and the noodles (whole grain) and the broth feels real (there are some places that just use powder and you can really taste that.  

The funniest part about this restaurant is that everyone shouts to the top of their lungs Japanese phrases (like they do in Japan). Things like "Irasharimase" which means welcome, and things like how many customers there are coming in and etc... It does feel nice to have such a warm welcoming. However, not being too judgmental or anything (I learned Japanese for a few years while my mom did her bachelor's degree in Japan), the pronunciation of the phrases the waiters and waitresses were shouting were pretty off. I'll give them credit for trying, but I can see someone who speaks fluent Japanese would find the dining experience pretty funny. Overall, I like this place and would definitely come back again. 

The ramen place that doesn't take cash - Marutama Ramen Robson

When you are in Vancouver, there are three things you are not short of are: sushi, yoga pants and ramen. There are many ramen places in Vancouver and when I choose a ramen place, I take into consideration price, quality, taste and location and Marutama is one of the best ramen places that meets those considerations.
   This location is usually busy, so it's best to come here right when they open. I usually get the original ramen (without the egg, let's be honest, if I had to pay $2 more for an egg I might as well make my own eggs at home for much cheaper). The ramen is pretty decent in size, however I usually get the extra noodles on the side (you can pay $1.50 for an extra bowl of noodles to add to your soup. Note, this is just noodles and it doesn't come with soup). I usually request the extra noodles to come at the same time as my ramen, then I add it together. The funny thing is that the noodles soak up all of the soup until there is practically no soup left.

That said, the taste of these noodles are really good. It isn't too greasy like many other ramen, and the noodles are the thin types that are very tasty. It reminds me of a type of noodles (they call them dry noodles) in Taiwan that I had when I was younger. They also have small jars of fried shallots, spices and sesame seeds on the tables. Adding these fried shallots add SO MUCH flavour to the ramen.

The interesting thing about this place is that they don't accept cash. That is definitely a very interesting move considering that many places are the opposite. I asked a waitress when I was here why that was and she wasn't able to give me an answer. I do suspect it might have something to do with how they don't want to deal with the hassle of handling cash (like counting and etc...). At the same time, I'm sure this would turn away many customers. Overall, I highly recommend this ramen place, and I would definitely come back again.