Three years ago, I became obsessed with tonkotsu ramen, a Japanese dish of noodles in a pork bone based broth. Tonkotsu broth is made by boiling pork bones (sometimes in combination with chicken) until the soup has rich and hearty pork flavour (see my recipe here). The broth should be milky and practically opaque in colour. Some people find tonkotsu broth too heavy, but that’s what I love about it. Ramen noodles come in various thicknesses and some restaurants will let you specify your desired texture (i.e. al dente or soft). Ramen toppings differ depending on where you go. My favorite toppings are soft boiled marinated eggs and thinly sliced pork jowl.
At the time that I first discovered ramen, the only ramen you could find in Toronto, ON was MSG laden and closer in resemblance to instant noodles than the real thing. So when I had the opportunity to travel to New York City and San Francisco, USA, I went in search of the best ramen they had to offer. I’ve only shared my review of my favourite ramen place in NYC, because I didn’t like any of the ramen places that I tried in San Francisco. San Francisco supposedly has some of the best and most authentic ramen in North America, so it’s possible that I simply failed to choose the right places.
Luckily, over the past year, we’ve seen an explosion of new ramen places in downtown Toronto. So, naturally, I ate my way through all of the promising ones. I ate so much ramen in such a short period of time, that I haven’t eaten it since I completed my ramen tour. But that just means that the next food obsession may begin. 😉 Keep your eyes open for my Donut Tour of Toronto. Why couldn’t I be obsessed with something healthy???
Cooking with Alison 