Zubu Foodhall is a branch of the Zubu franchise that focuses on tapas and snacks more so than their ramen dishes. Zubu Foodhall is located in the Mount Pleasant area and is hidden in a factory looking building. The interior of the restaurant was spacious with large bar tables and community seating for bigger parties.
The menu at Zubu Foodhall is a little different than the other Zubu locations. The menu here is simple a couple of ramens, curry dishes and a $5 menu! They also have specialty drinks with specials throughout the week. We decided to try two of their $5 items and 2 ramens. I wish I could have said that the $5 were “happy hour” priced portions of their regular menu items but they are just smaller portions.
At Zubu FoodHall, you order and pay for your food before you sit down at your seat. Similar to ordering at a food court style location. When your food is ready, they bring it over to your table on a tray. It was a little confusing that some of the items were in disposable containers and others were in bowls. I would have preferred all reusable since we were dining in.
Ajitama potato salad
We were looking forward to trying out this potato salad to see what unique Japanese style twists they added to it. Unfortunately, it was basic potato salad with a few pieces of fried garlic and a soft boiled egg on top. We expected more and were left disappointed.
Takoyaki
This came with 3 takoyaki balls. Takoyaki are Japanese octopus pancake balls that are topped with a savory sauce, Japanese mayo, and bonito flakes. The takoyaki was slightly crispy on the outside as though they were deep fried from frozen instead of being made on the traditional style takoyaki pan. Each piece of takoyaki had a piece of octopus in it and the sauce on top tied everything together with an umami bow. I rate it a 3 because of value and there wasn’t anything too special about them.
Tonkotsu ramen
The ramen broth at Zubu is not customizable in that you are unable to choose if you would like it “regular” or “rich.” The broth itself is not very creamy or rich so it’s not a very heavy soup which I appreciated. I’m not a huge fan of thin ramen noodles since I miss the chew but Grayson likes them so he didn’t mind it. He did say that there were less noodles proportionally to other ramen spots at the same price point ($15) a bowl. The two chashu slices on top were generous with a balance between fatty and lean portions throughout. Everything in the bowl came together nicely and was perfect for a chilly day.
Mazesoba
This is one of our favourite dishes any ramen spot we go. The maze soba is topped with chopped chashu, green onions, white onoins, wood ear mushrooms and their specialty spicy sauce. Compared to their ramen soup noodles, their maze soba comes with a lot more noodles and toppings in my opinion. If you’re feeling hungry, I’d pick this one over their other ramen dishes. The spicy sauce that comes with this has the perfect amount of heat to it and you don’t need a lot to go a long way so be careful if you can’t handle the heat!
The Zubu franchise has spread quickly throughout the Metro Vancouver area. It’s worth a try if you are a fan of bar style ramen spots. They have a large variety of drinks and this location has large tables so it’s perfect for catching up with friends.