Maruhachi Ra-men Central Library — Restaurant in Vancouver

ok, so what was this? i have seen countless ramen restaurants in tokyo, vancouver, china and have never seen any this bad. when we came there were like 3 people inside and we were told to wait outside. in what? 4 degree drizzling weather at 6pm? mm makes sense. seems bad? oh boy, this was just the hors-d'oeuvre. not greeted and we were seated in the corner. menu a qr code you scan, pretty normal. except they don't have wifi. when i asked they just shooed me off with a menu. ok so, got the menu, here are the choices: ramen with egg, ramen with no egg with lots of seaweed, ramen without egg with lots of seaweed, ramen with egg with lots of chashu, ramen without egg with lots of chasu. ok, but i love chashu, looks amazing. hmm, i am a big fan of bone broth soup, i might order extra soup. arrived in a teapot, about 50ml. looked at the price and it was 5 dollars?! well i guess its bone broth so it might be expensive. but oh boy was i wrong. i have never been this harsh but here goes:

broth: literally what was that. tasted like condensed milk with salt and had the texture of cat puke. definitely not bone broth. order some fried garlic and it was SOO bitter. tasted like gandhis' slipper flakes. i also think i have just consumed more msg than a depressed middle aged adult in his 40s in one year. no lard, just oil. puked on the spot. would rather drink my puke than that horrible disgusting excuse for a "broth"

noodles: literally pulled hair out of the drain. so clumpy like the qin dynasty of china. honestly so greasy like a middle schoolers skin. sticks together so much like just pop a batch of dough inside of the pot and it would still be better. also it was like so hard?? for what? tasted like it got lost inside of the jump rope factory.

garlic: received it and it was so bitter. very hard to chew and no garlic flavor at all. no amount of msg can save this god-forsaken monstrosity. also it was ninety cents?? for one piece of garlic?? nothing screams more rip off than this bowl of garlic.

cha-shu: ok i will admit that was pretty good.

onion: pretty good too.

boiled egg: really good also.

seaweed: this was the absolute worst part of the entire meal. so slimy and fishy it was absolutely horrific. covered up everything so i had to eat it and turned green by the end of it. so slimy for what?? reminds me of those little algae the float on the lake. actually, would rather eat those than this. it was also so black for no reason. texture of phlegm and it was so scrambly and it was covering up everything. was soo sick by the end of it and got food poisoning. this was a literal sign that i have hit rock bottom because this was a jumpscare to my taste buds.

anyways it was like 50 dollars for a free ticket to the toilet and food poisoning. had the same flavor in my mouth for like the rest of the day and the morning i woke up. i would not call this maruhachi ramen but would call it maruihopeyougetafreakingstrokeonthetoilet ramen. thank you for listening to...

Just want to be honest and fair as always:

I would leave a 3-star for the first couple bites, but coming home after finish it, I felt very sick and oily.

I went in for its high ratings, but realized that I actually visited their other locations and never liked it. However, since I already sat down, I decided to give it yet another try, with hope to find out why I didn’t like a place with such high ratings. This is what I (re-)discovered:

Ramen: They do have rich and thick broth for those who loves heavier tastes, but their noodles are very very thin, soft, and soggy. It always tastes like overcooked, at least to my personal experience with ramens all around world, plus personal preference, of course.

Service: Not sure why they are always soooo passionate about forcing people out, even when they are not busy! I am usually a faster eater, compare to average, and all these times I was in this restaurant, I was alone, so I wasn’t the type who sit there chatting endlessly with friends or anything. However, I got asked twice, this visit alone, can they take my bowl, when I’m not even close to finish!!! When i got way too annoyed by such vibe and felt the pressure, I had no mood to “enjoy” anymore but just had to finish the food. Having the pressure they may come and ask again which may irritate me more. When decided to leave ASAP (but just having the thought, not even telling any servers yet), they stuck the bill and the post machine (yes, all together without even asking!!!) in my face in a lightning speed, which Ieft me no time to even find where my wallet is!!! I had to quickly reaching out everywhere finding my wallet with such pressure that the pos machine will time out soon!!!!!

The weirdest part is, it was 9 pm, they were not even busy, There were a plenty of seats right in front of me! I really don’t understand WHAT IS THE RUSH!!!!

Absolutely awful experience!!! Will never visit again, neither for the food nor...

This was a refreshing surprise to the typical ramen options available almost anywhere in Metro Vancouver. Marutama Ra-men’s unique approach to the famous noodle soup makes it stand out from the norm, as seen with its popularity among both tourists and locals alike.

The actual ramen portion was fairly acceptable, given the plentiful slices of chashu pork but being offset by a smaller portion of noodles. Next, the ramen’s infamous broth did not disappoint. Compared to a stronger shoyu or tonkotsu broth, this had a lighter and cleaner taste, while remaining flavourful. The negi and aosa are also a great addition not only presentation-wise but also in enhancing the flavour. The chashu also tasted well, though it was a bit dry and firm. The egg was cooked too long, preventing the yolk from forming the soft creamy centre. Lastly, the noodles were a hair too soft, and could be more firm. As well, the noodle portion was slightly smaller than expected, only being offset by the option to add more at a cost.

The gyoza were standard, the flavour profile being similar to that of other ramen joints. The filling, made of minced meat and green onion, were seasoned well, and the wrapping was not too dense. The accompanying sauce, made of soy sauce and sesame oil, did not play too big of a part and could have been stronger. At the price point, a higher quality is expected.

The service was kept to a brief interaction as necessary for orders and payment. Drinks and cutlery were self-served, and condiments were for communal use. The waiters were helpful in showing the different menu options as well as recommendations and descriptions.

Overall, this place stands out from similar restaurant due to its two unique selling points; the creamy chicken broth and their egg. While most of the food and service were above average, improvements could always be made as highlighted in suggestions for the...