Menya Itto: Tsukemen and ramen in Vancouver
Menya Itto is a Japanese ramen restaurant that opened last year in downtown Vancouver, branding itself as “The Ramen Emperor & King of Tsukemen”. Tsukemen is a ramen dish where noodles are eaten after being dipped in a separate bowl of soup or broth.
My boyfriend loves tsukemen, and we were invited by Menya Itto to try their seasonal lobster tsukemen and chicken broth ramen.
Interior
The restaurant is located on Robson Street (great location) and the interior is very pretty and calming. It resembles a little bit like Tendon Kohaku with the light coloured wooden paneling and a traditional Japanese style.
They can seat quite a large number of people comfortably even though the space is not that large. They have bar seating, a communal big table and booth seating beside the bar seats. As a table of 2 adults, we were seated comfortably in the booth area.
Food
Lobster tsukemen ($21-28)
Currently, they have a seasonal menu item called the lobster tsukemen. You can order a half size lobster for $20.95 or a full size lobster for $27.95. We order the full size lobster so we can both have a half of a tail.
The thick noodles are separated in a bowl. You are supposed to eat it by dipping it into the broth bowl, which is full of pure lobster broth with scallions, green onions and bamboo shoots. My boyfriend added a side order of chicken meatballs (you can see it in the photo above), which is not included in the regular lobster tsukemen set.
We really loved the lobster broth because it is so rich with lobster flavour. It tastes almost like a lobster bisque soup! The thick noodles coat this broth and it tastes full of umami. Even though there isn’t really any other meats with this aside from the lobster tail, it is very savoury with seafood flavours.
+ Risotto ($5)
If you order the lobster tsukemen, you have a choice to add on a risotto at the end of your meal for $4.95. They take your leftover lobster broth and mix it with rice, and then sprinkle cheese and torch it.
We didn’t have that much lobster broth left over, so I feel like they actually added a bit more broth in order to make the risotto. This risotto is obviously not like an actual Italian risotto pasta because it is cooked completely differently. It feels more like a chazuke except they use the lobster broth instead of tea.
The parts with the torched cheese are yummier than the rest. I prefer eating the broth with the noodles instead of the rice.
Tori paitan ramen ($14-16)
I order the Tori Paitan ramen, which is supposed to rival Marutama’s signature chicken broth ramen that I love so much. You can order the classic, which comes with 2 slices of chicken thigh for $13.95, or the chasu version, which comes with 3 types of chasu – pork belly, pork shoulder and chicken for $15.95. I order the chasu version and add an egg so you can see the 3 different types of chasu in my photo above.
This ramen uses a thick and creamy chicken broth with scallions and their thin noodles made inhouse. I really prefer thin noodles in my ramen so I was happy to see that. I found their broth to be light and creamy, not greasy at all so certainly similar level to Marutama’s chicken ramen. I really liked the 3 different types of chasu as it made this dish a bit more unique as well. Personally, I don’t really like chicken thigh so I was happy they have a chasu option.
Final thoughts
Loewe’s rating: โญโญโญโญ
We had a very enjoyable dinner at Menya Itto. The lobster tsukemen is a must order because it was so delicious and full of lobster flavour. Originally, I thought it was going to just be lobster tail meat with their regular tsukemen dipping sauce (which is more fish broth based), but it wasn’t and they used a lobster broth instead. I’m not sure how long it will stay on their menu for since it is a seasonal item.
As for the risotto, I think it is a lot of fun and a great way to eat up the leftover broth. I think for a first time, you should try it (especially if you are a big eater). But I usually find myself full after a bowl of ramen so I probably wouldn’t order the risotto after.
As for the Tori paitan ramen, I’m happy to say that it’s made its way to my top 3 chicken ramens in Vancouver. The broth and the 3 different chasu is what guaranteed its ranking in my books, and also that they use thin noodles. I see myself ordering this again in the future because it is lighter and not as rich as the tsukemen we tried, so it’s more of a repeat order.
Service was excellent, as expected of a Japanese restaurant. Our server, Kaho, was super nice and explained everything to us when we were looking at the menu.
I think for Menya Itto to call itself the King of Tsukemen is a fair assessment. My boyfriend loves tsukemen and we have tried different tsukemen options (there’s not that many in Vancouver), and we thought the quality of the food was quite high. Especially since it’s been a year now since they opened, I feel like their quality is more consistent now, so we will be back for more tsukemen in the future!
Sincerely, Loewe