Kenzo Ramen,

University Plaza, Waterloo

Kenzo Ramen is considered to be a hotspot in the local University Plaza by University of Waterloo. This small restaurant is almost always packed during rush hours, keeping hungry folks waiting at their doors. Not to worry - their table turnaround times are quite fast as many students just want a quick soupy bite.

Although this is a ramen joint I decided to get a rice dish today while Phong got the most classic ramen bowl on the menu.

Katsudon ($10.95):

Breaded pork cutlet and veggies on rice. I liked that they offered a small side of miso soup and salad. The soup tasted like any generic miso paste, but it was definitely too salty for my taste. The salad had a refreshing citrus flavour (this was a nice contrast to usual thousand island dressing) but I wish they added more than 2 leaves of cabbage/1 cherry tomato. The rice bowl had some really nice flavour and I appreciated the amount of vegetables they put on top. I was very disappointed with the pork cutlet… the (limp) batter to meat ratio was 2:1. The layer of meat was literally the same thickness as one side of batter (wish I took a photo of this). For this price they definitely cheaped out on the food by filling the bowl with rice and veggies.

Large Tonkotsu ($13.95):

Ramen noodles in a pork bone soup with soy-marinated egg and pork slices. The broth today was quite delicious and well-seasoned. The egg was also cooked nicely (soft yolk) and the meat was soft. Overall a good bowl of noodles, but nothing that stood out.

Overall:

A lot of the portions on this menu are very small compared to their prices. If you like to eat large meals, this is not the place for you. There are many cheaper options in the plaza if you’re looking to just fill your stomach. There is also nothing amazing about the place that warrants their pricing, although they are (arguably) the best ramen place in this vicinity… though there aren’t many options to begin with. Today (Monday evening) the restaurant was quite empty, but the service was awfully slow as we weren’t given menus until a good conversation or two in. After being here a couple times, they definitely have a habit of putting too much salt in their food. If you’re interested in trying this place out, definitely do it but you probably won’t be coming back.

Rating: 3.2/5 lemons