This one Vancouver restaurant is my first stop when I get off the plane to visit home
There is one Vancouver restaurant that stands out among the rest, and is my first stop when I get off the plane in my hometown. Local or tourist, if you want an unforgettable meal in the city — heed my advice.
I was born and raised in Vancouver, and for as long as I can remember, all I ever wanted in my angsty teen years was to get on a plane and never come back.
I'm now slowly coming to grips with the fact that while still angsty, I am no longer in high school. I am closer to 40 than 17. And I'm not ashamed to say I've googled "Kris Jenner facelift" during a dark night of the soul.
I split my time between Vancouver and Los Angeles, and ironically, now that I'm living the dream in a city that is clearly allergic to government-funded trash cans, all I ever wanna do is get on a plane and come back.
I have a Flair flight alert on my phone. My next $30 one-way is already booked. And when I do land, I know exactly what I'm doing and where I'm going.
Maruhachi Ra-Men
Price: 💸
Cuisine: Ramen
Address: 780 Bidwell, Vancouver, BC.
Why You Need To Go: As far as food and travel go, I'd say I've been fortunate. I've had sushi from Japan, pasta in Rome, and In-N-Out in an LA parking lot.
And while Juke Chicken absolutely gives Popeye's a run for its money, after giving it much thought, I realized there is only one restaurant in Vancouver that serves a dish I cannot get an even comparable version of anywhere.
And that is the ramen from Maruhachi.
What sets it apart isn't one thing — it's the result of small, deliberate decisions.
The broth
Traditional ramen stocks are pork-based. Rich and heavy. The first five sips are heaven. The next fifty after that make you swear off ramen forever (until the next time the craving strikes).
Maruhachi built its entire identity around tori paitan — a creamy, 100% pure chicken broth prepared fresh daily. I've seen ramen done with chicken broth before, but never like this. Unlike anywhere else I've tried, Maruhachi's tori paitan is thick, opaque, and silky. It clings to the noodles. It has body. But it's not overpowering. You get richness but not the post-ramen coma.
The aosa
Asoa is a Japanese sea lettuce – bright, mineral, and slightly sweet. At Maruhachi, it isn't ripped from a plastic package and dumped on top as an afterthought. It is prepared and treated. It incorporates seamlessly into the broth, tinting it green and giving it this subtle oceanic depth you can't quite name unless you've tasted it.
Recently, aosa has become more expensive to source. Harder to get. Which somehow makes it taste even better to me.
The Basic Ramen starts at $12.40 (creamy chicken broth, pork shoulder, green onions, egg noodles).
My order is the ramen, double egg, half noodles — and my pro tip is that I never finish the whole thing. I always leave myself wanting a little bit more.
Don't pick me up. I'll take a Yellow Cabi. Never Uber. I shop local — and I transit local too.
I love eating warm dishes on a barstool at the counter, alone. And if you're an aspiring Anthony Bourdain like myself, you know it's the only way to skip a long-a** waitlist.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
