Out & About #102 | Kinton Ramen 1 + Kekou Gelato

Kinton has long been known as Toronto's number 1 ramen restaurant. While I myself am not nearly as familiar with the popular Japanese noodle dish as with bubble tea (also known as my seriously unhealthy addiction), I wasn't about to turn down a chance to visit one very warm evening.

The ramen shop has four locations, sequentially named Kinton Ramen 1, 2, 3, or 4 based on the order in which the store opened. Reviewers seemed to express a slight preference to the dining experience at the first location on Baldwin, so it was ultimately decided that that particular location would be visited.

A streetcar coveniently runs down Spadina, into Chinatown; after a short walk through a residential district that was much over capacity, as observed by the garbage bins between the small, closely-packed houses spilling onto the sidewalk, we caught sight of Kinton Ramen 1.

The entire store exterior bore a simplistic, boxy design. Void of colourful markings or patterns, it would have been easy to stroll by had we not seen their sign. The glass walls are a nice touch, in my opinion, as it allows passerbys to get a glimpse of the deliciousness happening inside. At the same time, though, I can imagine that it could also be quite annoying at times when sunlight is abundant.

An interesting aspect was their completely customizable ramen menu: one could choose their soup base, type of meat (Chicken or Pork, Pork Shoulder or Pork Belly, etc.), noodle thickness, as well as whether any additional toppings would be added.

Pictured below is the Spicy Garlic Pork Ramen with an additional egg, Age Gyoza (fried dumplings), Chicken Karaage, and the Tokyo Hiyashi Cold Ramen with the addition of Pork Shoulder.
As always, the full album can be found HERE, under the "What I See" -> "Food" section! 

The bathroom was located at the bottom of a flight of dark ash-grey stairs - while the hallway was lit just enough as so one could find their way to the door, the inside was almost completely pitch black with the exception of a soft glow from the mirror.
The inside of the one-person stall was definitely another concept worth mentioning - a mirror had been outlined in the shape of Kinton's trademark pig logo, with the restaurant's name also printed at the bottom right corner of the opaque section of the mirror.

Unfortunately, their dishes did not prove themselves to be as good as they were hyped up to be.
Though the Spicy Garlic Pork Ramen did indeed taste garlic-y, while maintaining a mild yet exotic spiciness, it was also on the blander - but greasier - side. The egg, however, was an amazing sight to lay eyes on - firm on the outside, a semi-firm yolk lining on the inside, and a gold, runny centre.

The takoyaki, which is not featured in this post but can be viewed in the album linked above, was on the soggy side and didn't contain the prominent octopus pieces that we would have preferred to taste. Age Gyoza, another dish that had sounded quite good on the menu, was unexpectedly greasy and, to our disappointment, consisted of a scarce amount of filling. The Original Karaage, the last side dish we ordered, was a pleasant surprise - fried just to the point where the outside would be crispy and crunchy but the inside would remain soft, juicy, and flavourful. Unfortunately, after a few bites, the verdict was still the same - their dishes were just too oily. As opposed to the creamy spicy mayo-like sauce on both the dumplings and karaage, it would have been much nicer if they came with a more tangy sauce to cut through the excess grease.

The Tokyo Hiyashi Cold Ramen was essentially Japan's version of a cold, vegetarian bibimbap: Toppings were placed upon the noodles in a scattered, sectioned method varying by colour. The noodles were identical to that of the Spicy Garlic Pork Ramen, but were much firmer (not so great for those with weak teeth like myself), and were placed at the bottom of the bowl in a pool of what seemed like a vinegar-based salad dressing.

The appetizers / side dishes were extremely pricey, given the portion that we were given. The ramen bowls were considerably large, but we both agreed the price was still unjustified given their value. It was concluded that Hakata Shoryuken not only produced better Garlic Ramen and impeccable Pan-Fried Gyoza, it was more interesting to sit at the bar as customer interaction was definitely enhanced.
That is not to say that the service was lacking here - it was good despite the evening rush, but the chef did not crack a smile at any of the customers at the bar even once.

At this point in time, chances of returning are quite slim. But that's simply due to our preferences.


Kinton did not offer desserts, so we made our way down the street to Kekou Gelato.

Kekou Gelato is known for creating their own flavours in-house, and also for conjuring up the most unique ones.
Unlike a standard gelato shop, were the flavours are piled high in exposed metal containers and topped with relevant ingredients, Kekou had their formulas hidden in metal canisters submerged in a freezer. The reason behind this was probably since their concoctions were more prone to melting due to a lack of high fat-content dairy that is usually present in other shops.

After a long sampling trip, we finally decided on the following flavours: Green Tea Whiskey, Hong Kong Milk Tea, and Vietnamese Coffee. Even while pressed into the same plastic container, each gelato was distinct and absolutely yummy. It may be quite difficult to return to this small gelato shop, but I will definitely revisit to try out their other flavours if I'm ever in the area again! (Plus, the girl that helped me scoop up my order was so friendly and patient!)

I shall now conclude this post with two random snaps captured on the way back.

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