Menya Kyu — Restaurant in Hamilton

My order: Paitan, miso, topping set, and chilli oil Gyoza Karaage Yuzu sorbet

Positives: The order did not take long to get prepared and placed at the table, the appetizers were well times and presents well. The ramen bowl was quite big and a lot was served. The noodles alone are 10/10 almost exactly as if I were in Japan.

Negatives: The ramen was extremely rich and creamy to a point where I wished they had a richness scale to choose how rich you would like it. The chicken in the ramen was very tender but extremely upsetting that it wasn’t torches, seared, or grilled. It was not a pleasant experience with the ramen.

They gyoza was very disappointing it both the wrapping and the filling felt as if they were store bought. The karaage was disappointing since the inside was not fully cooked and could use 1-2 minutes more in the fryer to have a better texture and flavour. The most disappointing was the chilli oil, it did have a lil bit of flavour but 0 spicy I mean actually 0 spice there isn’t anything you can do to it.

Over all I wouldn’t recommend it, I can understand and see the goals the restaurant tries to offer but falls short. Having the chicken come from Hamilton is probably the greatest thing the restaurant has going for it, helping local farmers is incredibly helpful.

I would recommend searing or torching the chashu. Adding a richness scale and lowing the portion size a bit, it is too large both me and my companions thought it was too large.

For the gyoza if the recipe cannot be changed, adding a starch lattice could help with the visuals tricking the mind for better flavours.

Karaage just 1-2 extra minutes and it would be impossible to beat in Hamilton. It already has the perfect inner texture all it needs is a lil more time to cook and colour.

Of course I am not a professional, I do wish the best for the business and I hope you can improve and stay for...

TL;DR - they've nailed it!

Came to Hamilton for a short visit and was not expecting a perfect bowl of ramen to pop up in the neighborhood. Everything from the restaurant's concept to the execution demonstrated the quintessential Japanese style: the use of jidori (local chicken) from a local farm as the central ingredient, the dedication of one particular style (keep the menu simple!), the thoughtfulness of each ingredient's preparation are all infused into this bowl.

First is a shio chintan (salt and clear soup) ramen. The soup is bursting with flavour without being too salty. You can actually taste the chicken! The chicken breast chasiu is absolutely tender (I wish they serve dark meat too!) and the sides are great too - tender menma (bamboo shoot) and finely neatly chopped onions that make great compliments.

Then there's a miso paitan (creamy soup) that went right in proportion - the miso is not overpowering and the chicken flavor still stands out. Chasiu great as the first, and the side is unexpectedly great! They even put in the effort in stir frying and slightly char the veggies mix (moyashi / carrot / cabbage), adding a complexity of aroma while keeping it crunchy.

On the side there comes the egg. Jelly like yolk and not overly seasoned, letting the quality of the egg stand out. They even spend the effort to center the yolk which is not done by many ramen shops. The gyoza is fried to perfection with a crusty bottom and tender top. If I have to be picky, I think the springiness of noodle seems to be a bit uncommon. Maybe because a bit of tapioca is added? Also, the kansui tasted slightly apparent in chintan. But I'm not complaining. This overall beats many other big name ramen shops in Toronto!

As to the service, friendly staff, great hygiene and minimalist modern decor (enough with the stereotypical Japanese elements).

Need I say more? This place is a reason to...

Truly great food, minimalist menu. Back at it again trying out some local cuisine. This place comes highly recommended and so we thought it would be a great place to try. We were promptly seated, and our servers were very kind, attentive but non intrusive, (preffered service). The Ramen was exceptionally delicious, with a complex and distinct broth. The noodles were very fresh and perfectly tender. All the ingredients were well presented, high quality and cooked just right. The chicken Karaage was absolutely delicious nice full sized pieces of chicken. Super fresh and perfectly seasoned. The katsu and curry was exactly what you expect and really hit the spot with that warm fuzzy feeling. Everything was exceptional from the service to the food quality and presentation. The price point is very well balanced what you get vs what you pay is well worth it and reasonably prices. Dishes range 15-20$ so with a drink and a side you'll be around 30$ per person but it is well worth it considering the value you get. The menu here is quite small and only offers chicken as a meat option. However the small menu has definitely allowed the chefs to perfected each dish and the chicken sourced locally and as fresh as it gets. In that way less is more. You get a hyper focused quality dish. I would like to see atleast pork on the menu as an additional meat option but even with the stripped down menu thus place offers top quality worth checking out. Mental Kyu has definitely earned return visit status in my book. I'd definitely come...