Konjiki Ramen (Downtown) — Restaurant in Toronto

An amazing hidden hole in the wall that takes us back to Tokyo, Japan! With strengths in Ramen by Yamamoto and Tempura and Tendon (Tempura Donburi) restaurant by Akimitsu, the menu covers the best of both worlds. The owners have several awards and generation of mastered arts in traditional Tendon and even Michelin guide Tokyo One Star for Ramen (2019-2021). Food was amazing and really awesome! Do note, it gets pretty busy after 5:30pm and the tempura backlog may happen around 6:30pm but they are very accommodating on changes! Just be patient because it is worth the wait!

We were wandering to another restaurant that was overly full and happened to stumble upon this restaurant. It's stairs with banners noted the awards and achievements, the faint glow of the restaurant lights with diners and lit up name of their restaurant, you can easily miss this location. Entering through the door, there's an Asakusa Station sign indicating where the main entrance is on your right. Main entrance has a waiting area, staff comes up to greet you and ask for ID and proof of vaccination. The lack of windows inside makes it feel like you've teleported back to Tokyo. The hanging noren (Japanese fabric dividers), wooden panel walls, the thin corridor space along with branches of trees, there's some thought that went into the restaurant that gives a nod to the Japanese ambiance.

We tried a bit of everything since they're known for their ramen and tempura (no tendon today). We ordered the Original Shoyu Tonkatsu Ramen (with extra chashu). Note, they don't char their chashu but sous-vides it for a different texture which is different from other ramen places in Toronto. The pork bone soup base was very rich, not too thick compared to other ramen places. The thin noodles were just right and not overly soft or hard, the way it would be in other Tokyo ramen stores we've been to. It is not as salty as most places.

We also ordered the Vegetable Tempura Udon Set which comes with 7 vegetables (in Akimitsu original tempura batter on asparagus, shishito pepper, king oyster mushroom?, brown mushroom, pumpkin, yam and broccoli) , udon, tsukemono (Japanese pickles), 3 kinds of salt and tempura sauce. Hands down, the yam and pumpkin tempura were the best we've tried in Toronto. The batter was really light and didn't taste oily.

Lastly, we tried their delicious chicken karaage which came with 5 pieces of fried chicken with Japanese mustard (karashi) mayo on the side. For all 3 ordered items, we paid a total of $50 for our food and was very stuffed afterwards!

Overall, during our whole experience, the staff were very responsive and very prompt with checking on water and our experience. Needless to say, we had a great time and would come back again!

Edit: We are back here again to share the love of food to friends.. food is still delicious - tried more items on the menu like the Wagyu Ramen, Signature Clam Mild Shio Ramen, Deep Fried King Mushroom, and Asakusa Tempura Udon Set. All were great options! The Wagyu Ramen was a great choice and came with a clear beef and chicken soup base with really delicious Wagyu beef. The Deep Fried King Mushroom was took us by surprise as the thinly sliced mushroom felt like chips. The Asakusa Tempura Udon set came with 2 prawn tempura, 3 seafood (salmon, unagi and herring roe), 2 vegetable (pumpkin, shishito pepper, yam) which were all great tempura options to cover...

One spoon of their tonkotsu ($13 at North York and $14 downtown) broth and you’ll taste the difference. Their menu explains that it’s made with vast amounts of bones, skins, and other portions of the pig cooked at extremely high temperatures for a long time … the entire process taking two days.

The first sip of the broth blew me away, it has this deep richness that pulls you in and finishes with an almost earthy twist. Of course, it’s also immensely creamy, to the point I’m beginning to think that there must be dairy in it. If there was ever a cream of pork soup, Konjiki’s would make the list.

There’s even a smoky black ($14) version of the tonkotsu taking it one step further adding roasted garlic oil, and smoked cherry tomatoes and ground pork into the mix. Indeed, there’s a smokiness to it, but not to the point that you think you’re dining in the Southern USA, it still tastes like ramen

Meanwhile, their shio clam broth ($14) ramen is on the other side of the spectrum where pork is combined with clams and chicken to create a clearer base. There is a lightness to the soup, but still an umami essence throughout the broth thanks to the porcini paste and white truffle oil. Even so, these stronger fungi flavours show restraint so that it’s not necessarily the first thing you taste. The bowl is interestingly paired with chopped arugula, basil, red onions, and pea shoot stems to give it a really fresh element as well.

The clam broth garnishes were better chosen than the tonkotsu, which include the traditional scallion, pickled vegetables, and braised bamboo shoot. But, then the regular tonkotsu includes pickled ginger and the smoky version some smoked cherry tomatoes that were both so overpowering that I had to pick them out.

Add a red wine onsen egg ($1.50) to really finish the experience. It’s left whole and the yolk cooked through but still slightly fluid. As you bite into it, the slightly warm molten centre covers the tongue.

In the end, all the bowls were flavourful but not salty, rich but not oily. Konjiki’s noodles are also what you want with ramen, there’s no choice, all arriving fairly thick so they retain a lovely chewiness. Just the way I like it.

Their chashu (sliced pork) is the only thing that makes me pause. It’s certainly tender from being sous vide, but paired with the clam broth seems to have a strong pork aroma that’s not the greatest. I do like the peppercorn rub along the edges, which give it some extra flavour. Perhaps, a bit more of the spice would help to neutralize the porky aroma.

With so much protein, their vegetable spring rolls ($5.50) is a nice way to start the meal. They are the best meatless spring rolls I’ve tasted - the filling made from julienned tofu, bamboo shoot, celery and mushroom creates a lovely combination. Although they are not overly large, the wrapper is kept thin so the vegetables flavours are front and centre. It’s paired with a mango sauce that I can’t say I love, but is a nice change from the typical sweet Thai that’s so...

When you come into this restaurant, there are two levels; one is for Akimitsu (Tempura related dishes) & upstairs is where Konjiki Ramen is. There was a bit of lineup for Konjiki, but since we were here for Konjiki's famous clam broth ramen, we were able to get a seat right away at the Akimitsu area.

They have a small menu which features different tendon options, and as well as appetizers and the clam ramen choices (Mild Shio & Intense Shoyu); they also have a super size option for $18 as well. The wait time for our food was approx 10-15 mins which was normal. We ordered: Braised Pork Belly ($7.50): Wow, it was super soft and every bite really melts in your mouth. Im astoned but how juicy it was, yet so tender. Also, the egg which came with it was really good as the yolk inside was cooked, but at the same time runny and creamy. Definitely recomennded! Intense Shoyu ($14): One thing the clam ramen is famous for is that there are 3 different spots you try which taste different (these represent the different regions). Definitely try every corner before mixing it all up. The broth was very flavourful and was not too salty. The noodles were equally chewy and complimented the ramen well. Mild Shio ($14): Same thing, try the 3 different spots before mixing it all up. The broth is much more subtle compared to the Intense Shoyu, yet it was still just as good and recommended if you don't want something too rich and more clear. The noodles were the same; it complimented the ramen well.

The service was terrific here. Both the hostess and our servers were very polite and helpful when we had questions. They came to check up on every table to ensure we are satisfied with the food, and to replenish our drinks.

We had a great night and will definitely come back to this location; maybe to try the tendons next...