Kamen — Restaurant in Mississauga

My family and I have been ordering here since this place changed names to Kamen Ramen (ordered here for years even during COVID), and they are usually on-time and ready. 85% of the time very happy with our meals.

Usual order is seafood ramen and tonkotsu which we have no complaints and is tasty. Personally, I always order black tonkotsu. Unfortunately, this time I didn't eat it right away as the first smell from the container was like rotting meat and was putting me off. This has happened before. maybe once or twice in the many years we've ordered here. I normally just pick off the pork and haven't had any serious issues from it except...losing one of the main toppings and worrying a bit if I will get sick.

This time, I decided to make a record of it. Received 3 slices of pork, 2 of the slices smelled off, the drier thicker piece with less fat smelled fine. The regular tonkotsu dish also smelled fine. The black tonkotsu broth smelled normal as well. I think off smell came from a mix of the 2 pieces of pork, and the wood ear mushrooms that were oddly white on one side and had a strong vinegar smell along with the scallion bunch smelled vinegary (maybe that is just underside spores of the mushroom?). Normally, I love these mushrooms as a textural component and they don't usually have a strong flavor or smell (photo of a strand with no white side, did not smell strongly). I removed those ingredients (see toppings on lid) and reboiled the noodles and soup only.

In the future will order regular tonkotsu and see if there is a difference in consistency. If happens again or I get sick from this dish will update review and not return.

I really hope I can continue coming here as it is a favourite for take-out meals and this review serves as...

So we finally decided to try this ramen house by 720 Burnhamthorpe Rd West in Mississauga called KAMEN.

I ordered the KING KAMEN which was described as a Super-premium ramen (or Kamen) with generous servings of roasted pork, ground pork, egg and mushroom. First off, the broth is simply delicious. The broth is Shio so its lightly colored versus the Shoyu broth (soy sauce) . Not sure if their broth is from chicken or fish bones but whatever the base is, it sure is delectable.  My eldest daughter ordered the TONKOTSU (not to be confused with Tonkatsu) ramen which also has roasted pork, egg, chili threads, bamboo shoots, fish cake, scallions, Bok choy and mushrooms. This had more veggies in it compared to what I ordered and the broth is pork based (or from pork bones). The broth is a little dense and you can really taste the pork flavor. My youngest daughter tried the VOLCANO CHASHU. She ordered it “mild” but the spice is still strong….I guess that’s why they called it VOLCANO to begin with. Like their other ramens, this one has roasted pork, egg, fish cake, bamboo shoots, scallions….etc. The menu does say that it is made of “capsaicin extract”…..hence it is hot. My wife is not fond of ramens and she only ordered the Gyoza & Agedashi Tofu.  We also tried their Chicken Karaage. I have to say though that the last three were you average Japanese dishes…..don’t get me wrong though, all three were also good.

The place is not that big and can get quite busy (and fast) during lunch and dinner. They do not accept reservations so best to go before the lunch or dinner rush (1130 am or 5 pm). Service is fast and staff is very helpful...

My absolute ALL TIME FAVOURITE ramen place is Kamen! If you love your soup, you love ramen I am telling you, YOU MUST TRY KAMEN! I have gone here multiple times throughout the year both dine in and take out, nothing beats the dine in and fresh ramen and the Gyoza is mouth watering! This is my go to ramen place and every time I have taken someone new to Kamen they ALWAYS love it! Now with the pandemic, their takeout is VERY busy so I suggest ordering before hand atleast 30-45 mins wait time. My favourite is the Volcano Tori (chicken) but I also love the Volcano Chashu - but just remember if you can’t handle spice then do not do higher than a lv1 spice I normally do about 1.5-2. The Garlic Miso is also delicious! Please try Kamen if you are a true ramen fan because I can GUARANTEE that you will love it just as much as I do. I love their takeout it’s so clean and put together, the team is always working very hard and I appreciate it so much! I am always there almost every 2-3 weeks! It is jam packed full of flavour and the best of the best!

Update July 29 2021: This was our first time back since done in closed & cleanliness is definitely still top of mind. Social distance is maintained inside as well as dividers are up between tables. Customer service continues to be excellent just how I remember the last time. Kamen is a very popular place and it does get busy. Make sure you reserve online before going so you are waiting...