Kitchen Bliss

The words “I’m happy” slipped out after my first mouthfuls of ramen. Not thoughtful analysis of taste or texture – just a happy feeling eating yummy food.

Since May 2019, owner Jeongan Pack (he tells people to call him John) has been making diners happy with his team that includes his wife Min, and family. Moving to Hamilton from the west coast, and after a period in the world of sushi, this is his first restaurant, building on his ramen training in Japan.

Noodle/broth dishes exist in many cultures and in Japan they are called ramen – a soup usually eaten steaming hot and slurped up – often quickly - with chopsticks (or a porcelain soup spoon). The roots of ramen in Japan date back to Chinese migrants at the turn of the 20th century. Today ramen is so central to Japanese food culture that there are ramen bloggers, magazines, and TV shows. Ramen restaurants have been awarded Michelin stars and have become the subject of books and academic study.

While North Americans still buy dried noodle / instant ramen packets, these pale in comparison to freshly prepared noodles and rich broths. With chefs like David Chang (Momofuku) and Ivan Orkin (Ivan Ramen) helping to lead the way, ramen has been taking North America by storm.

The Shiro menu comes with pictures and detailed descriptions. There are six ramen selections to choose from. They follow the rules - combining a “tare” (seasoning), broth, noodles and toppings, but modern ramen invites innovation and Shiro demonstrates this by having a Vegan Ramen. This should surprise you since classic ramen is a richly flavoured meat broth, made usually from pork and chicken bones (at Shiro, cooked for at least 9 hours).

The noodles are made onsite daily, and cooked to perfection in individual baskets. In the case of our Miso Ramen (which made me happy), the toppings were ground pork, boiled egg, scallions, bean sprouts, cabbage, onion, carrots, and menma (delicious pickled bamboo shoots).

My current obsession with miso affected our menu choice, but don’t ignore the other choices. Tonkotsu (pork) and Torikotsu (chicken) ramen are the classics. Some use Chashu (roasted pork/pork belly) as a topping. Jiro Ramen uses thick noodles and Fuji Ramen is topped with lots of meat, including chicken karaage.

Next on the menu were noodle-only dishes called Mazesoba (with pork, beef, shrimp, or scallop). With a base of thicker, wider Okinawa-style noodles, these all looked and sounded fabulous. Few menu items are listed as spicy, but if spicy is your preference, you can pump up the heat.

Of the two rice (gohang) dishes, we tried Chicken Teriyaki Gohang - tender fried boneless chicken thighs with Teriyaki sauce on top of steamed rice, with ginger and scallion. I could eat that any/every day, and while one could be content with just these two items, we pushed on to broaden the experience.

Who could resist the delicate half-moon dumplings called Gyoza (gee-o-zuh) – made on-site, by hand? The filling of ground pork mixed with ginger, garlic, soy sauce, scallion, and vegetables was a hit not only with us. They sell out often.

The Soy Chicken Karaage was another chance to enjoy crispy fried chicken with a different sweet sauce. Be adventurous and try the Takoyaki. With Katsuobushi (aka bonito flakes) dancing on top, six fried balls, each containing octopus bits (tako), combine nicely with the batter and toppings.

Room for dessert? When it’s Mochi Ice Cream– yes! Various flavours of ice cream are encased in a thin layer of sticky rice cake that’s a refreshing finish to the meal.

We thought we were done, but became taste testers of Dango - sweet rice dumplings. These sometimes come in colours, but we were served white dangos on a skewer covered with a tasty black sesame seed sauce. Jeongan said he’s unsure if he will make this a permanent menu item since he gets mixed reviews – we were among those who’d order that next time.

Extras on the menu include vegan noodles, seaweed and kimchi. Watch for Ramen Combo specials. Shiro Ramen is licensed serving beer. The setting for this meal is a bright space with hand painted décor depicting scenes from the Ramen Museum in Yokohama - another testament to ramen’s popularity in Japan. Imagine a museum for one food, offering shopping, dining, courses and history. As their website says “There are at least 30 or more distinct, regional ramen in Japan, and comparing the different tastes adds to the fascination of ramen.”

Asked about what’s next, Jeongan said he is thinking of opening a downtown location. He sees interest growing and is tickled when younger Asian diners convince their parents to try his ramen. They admit to being initially skeptical that he can recapture their memories of great ramen – but he’s always successful.

What you’ll pay: Tokyo Yasai Miso Ramen $13.50; Chicken Teriyaki Gohang $9.99; Gyoza (6 pieces) $8.50; Takoyaki $8.50; Chicken Karaage $8.50; Mochi $1.50 Wheelchair access: Yes

[Click to read the review as it appeared online in the Hamilton Spectator - with interior/exterior photos.]