Kamen Ramen Vaughan — Restaurant in Vaughan

The fact that Kamen's Google review average is 4.7 stars yet their Yelp review average is only 3.9 stars peaked my interest, though I did note that there are many times more reviews on Google. Upon arrival, my curiosity was solved as there was a little posting stating you can get free ice cream for leaving a 5 star Google review. As tempting as this was for me, I always keep my reviews honest, so I plan to do just that.

Our table of four came around 7 pm and was seated immediately. The place was about 70% full at the time, with a constant trickle of people coming and going. We sat for a few minutes before being offered menus and water. Another server then came later to take our order after flagging them down with minimal effort. I was impressed that the waiter memorized our orders (i.e. didn't have to write anything down) which is not common practice nowadays. This allowed for a more personable and attentive experience. Not to mention, we ordered four meals with some options (e.g. chicken or pork and spice level, two drinks, alongside one special request (i.e. no bamboo shoots), and accuracy was spot on. Again, for my customization I asked for no bamboo shoots and though an error was ALMOST made (i.e. they brought my ramen to the table but caught the mistake just prior to setting it in front of me, and corrected it immediately), they still rectified the situation before it was even realized by the consumer.

I personally ordered the Tonkotsu Shoyu which I found to be lighter than the other ramen orders at my table. Despite this, it was still very flavorful while not being overly salty. I can also say now a couple hours later that I was never thirsty after the fact. There were about three pieces of roast pork which is pretty standard alongside the portions of the other toppings, such as half a ramen egg. I tried the Black Garlic Tonkotsu soup which is one of their popular/recommended items and that was really rich. The Tan Tan Men is also amazing for those who love spice! It was spicy (we got regular), rich, and creamy with a fragrant nutty profile.

One of the members at our table ordered their Gyudon, which came with a side salad and miso soup. The sides were good. The Gyudon was flavorful but frankly, too salty. I also found the meat to be "rougher" compared to other places. A bonus I appreciate though was that they ask you if you want your egg raw or cooked - again, making this a very personalized experience.

As for the matcha smoothie we ordered, this was the most disappointing of the bunch. The matcha flavor was evident and overall, the drink was not too sweet. However, they should really rename it to be "slushy" as that is what it was. This meant the bottom of the drink got quite icy at the end and lacked flavor. I was hoping for a creamier and smoother beverage.

I must applaud the team for their service. It wasn't even a particular employee that wowed me but rather, they were collectively really great. Everyone was friendly and took the time to check up on us regularly. The waiter who took our order was also great about making recommendations such as asking if we wanted an appetizer for the table and later on during the meal, pointed out that they have delicious macaron desserts. Unfortunately we were too full to order them.

The restaurant is quite casual and had a good vibe with loud music. This often made it hard to converse but gave a good atmosphere. To glance, the place also looked quite clean. There are little hints and nods to Japanese culture with their decor but this is by no means a very traditional-looking spot.

Being located in a large plaza, there are ample free...

I’ve dined in-person here about two times and ordered via DoorDash, two times, as well, while also doing take-out myself two times. The first time I ate here was in February 2023 and the service was really slow, despite me and my sister and two more people being the only customers in the restaurant. I ordered the King Kamen at the time and my sister ordered the Shoyu Ramen. The King Kamen had a good amount of veggies and were very plentiful; however, the broth was just not it because it just tasted like watered down chilli liquid. My sister also said her Shoyu broth was also too salty to her liking. The second time I dined in, was a more pleasant experience and we also got to the meet the owner, who’s Vietnamese like us, and he was friendly. However, the second time I dined in, I ordered the Ultra Shoyu and the broth again just tasted really weird like it didn’t taste like your typical Shoyu that you would get at other ramen places. It tasted more like Chinese herbal broth. The chashu and egg portions were very fair though for the Ultra Shoyu bowl. However, one thing that I would like to comment on and this applies to all the ramen bowls at Kamen, is that it would be really great if the eggs were soy-marinated with the yolk being more jammy, because without marinating them in soy sauce, it lacks a lot of umami. Through take-out, I’ve ordered the Tseukemmen (pardon my spelling) which is really tasty, probably their best noodle dish in the shop. Recently, I’ve ordered the Volcano chashu which had a very generous amount of meat and the tonkotsu broth was pretty good, too. Today, I ordered the Fresh Tofu Ramen via DoorDash and added on sliced chicken for $2. Honestly, it would be nice to have more than just 4 little pieces of tofu, but overall, the Vegetarian ramen bowl was quite delightful and I did enjoy it. If there were more bamboo shoots, that’d be better, too. Overall, cost-wise, Kamen is fairly priced; however, I believe there needs to be more options for beef and chicken and not just chashu pork & the eggs should be soy-marinated to add more flavour. I will be ordering from here again, though, in the future!

[UPDATE - DEC 2024 - 3rd time dining in] I was excited to try the Black Garlic Tonkotsu as many people said it was good and a popular pick, but unfortunately, the broth is still lacking a lot of umami and you can barely taste the black garlic oil. The broth needs more refining.

[UPDATE - JAN 2025] I usually order Tekkamen for take-out, but on Jan 29, 2025, I ordered take-out pickup and I found hair in the noodles, so that was unpleasant which is why I’m deducting 1 star off. The Tekkamen is still good though and probably the best dish at this place, but again, ramen broths here need more fine tuning. I like that they give a variety of...

(Visited for the first time on Friday, August 22/25 around 845PM)

Being a self proclaimed ramen connaisseur of course one of my best friends had to turn me onto this place.

The service, the atmosphere, everything was great. Nice and clean, staff were fantasfic, no complaints.

Where I had to drop a Star was pricing and I found my broth a bit too salty.

The Takoyaki was FANTASTIC - probably some of the most authentic takoyaki I've had at a ramen restaurant after coming back from Japan. The problem was six pieces cost $14.50 - which is probablh the most I've ever paid at a restaurant not including the Takoyaki takeout place that just opened in Markham? I understand they're made to order in house but that is a bit steep. As much as I enjoyed it I don't think I could order it again at that price.

I ordered the Tan Tan Men at Level 1 Spice with Pork and this was delicious~ if this was Level 1 I cant imagine the other levels. Spice was definitely on point!

Where this soup lost it a little bit for me was the random cabbage and other random green veggie in there for colour? Didn't like that. But also towards the end the broth sort of got a bit salty....

It was exceptionally flavorful and I'd still order it again but I'd just make people warry of that.

Also the egg was slightly overcooked for a ramen egg but that's just me being nitpicky.

Definitely want to try the Black Garlic Tonkotsu next. I'd still highly recommend this place if you like ramen. Definitely worth a...