Hello ramen lovers! A new Ramen Koika location has popped up on Robson street where the Hapa Izakaya used to be. Grayson and I went to the Davie location a couple years back so I was interested to see what’s changed since then. Something I noticed right away about the Ramen Koika Robson location was that it was much bigger on the inside so the seating was not as cramped as the Davie location.
Ramen Koika Robson interior
Rae and I came to Ramen Koika Robson after school one day because she’s never been there before. As a matter of fact, I learned that she doesn’t actually eat ramen very often. I told her that I would be in the same boat if it weren’t for Grayson’s love of ramen.
One of the great things about Ramen Koika is that they make the noodles fresh in house! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to ramen restaurants that use pre-packaged ramen!
Food menu
The menu was pretty much the same as the one we had on my first visit at the Davie location a few years ago with the exception of the matcha zaru soba. This was no longer on the menu. although it could be because it’s not cold ramen season yet.
Something they do offer though is customization. I always like when ramen restaurants offer this because then I can have it the way I want it. They offer different broths (spicy, mild, non-spicy), noodle sizes (thin or regular), texture (soft or hard) and cuts of pork (lean or fatty).
At the table they offer a few sauces to choose from to use on your ramen or gyoza. They have vinegar, soy sauce, chili oil and togarashi flakes for all your seasoning needs.
Veggie triple black garlic ramen
Rae decided to go with the veggie triple black garlic ramen ($12.50). I know it sounds pretty intense. This bowl came with tofu, a seasoned egg, bean sprouts, spinach, bamboo shoots, green onions, seaweed and triple black garlic oil. This came with thin ramen noodles instead of the regular ones.
I thought that the fact that it was called “triple black garlic” sounded intense but the broth was actually quite light in flavor. Rae liked that this bowl actually came with proteins (tofu and egg) because there are so many times where we go to ramen places and the vegetarian option only offers a few measly vegetables. So needless to say, she enjoyed her bowl of ramen.
They also have a meat version of this where they have cha-shu in it instead of the tofu at the same price point.
Chicken tamago ramen
I decided to go with the chicken tamago ramen ($10.50) because I love my seasoned eggs. This came with thin ramen, bamboo shoots, green onions, and 2 seasoned eggs.
Now these seasoned eggs were SEASONED. you could taste the soy and the spices that were infused into the edge of the egg before it was sliced open. The white was soft and bouncy in texture while the yolk remained golden and gooey. I’ve never had a ramen like this before and I would come back just for the egg.
I decided to get the spicy version of this and didn’t expect much because usually spicy ramen isn’t too spicy for me. Plus when it came to the table, there was the tiniest dollop of hot sauce in the middle. Well, let me tell you, I should not have underestimated the power of the little blob because it was spiccyy! So much so that the second I mixed it in, my soup went from a pale yellow to an orangy-red! It was so spicy but so good at the same time I couldn’t stop!
So in a nut shell…
Would I go again? Yeup
How was the service? Well, my glass was constantly being filled so it was good too.
How was the price point? The serving was smaller than most places at this price but it was worth it for the quality of food I got