Rustic Ramen

Yum Yum Yum. I had my first real Ramen experience last night and I must say I was quite impressed! Apparently there was no better place to experience real traditional ramen in Vancouver than Kintaro noodle house on Denman Street, so I was off to a good start! We had been introduced to Kintaro by our lovely new friend Heather who used to be a regular stop-off, and was in the mood for a re-visit. When we arrived we were greeted loudly in traditional manner by all of the staff, and seated promptly at the bar. This was sheer luck as usually there would be a line-up outside, given the very small space inside. I am told that this is how a proper japanese ramen house should be, small and cramped, steamy and aromatic. The flavors filled the air and you could see people of all nationalities speaking no words to one another as they were so involved in slurping their way through the giant hot bowls of porky noodle broth. We scooted into our seats very excited about what was to come, and stared into the giant boiling pots of pork broth. It was the perfect treat for a cold wet night in Vancouver, like giving your tummy a big warm hug.

The menu at Kintaro is quite basic in that they haven't an extensive selection, what what they do - they do really damn good. Something else to also take into account is that they don't cater for vegetarians as all of their ramen dishes are based on a pork broth. You can choose from lean, or fatty pork and light medium or heavy broths. As a first-timer I found that the light and lean option was perfectly heavy enough for me, but I may have to step up my game next time in order to really experience the wonders of the pork fat flavors which give these dishes their true reputation. You also would never need to be ordering any sides with these bowls I found, they are extremely filling despite what you might expect at first. A satisfied thumbs up to Kintaro ramen, fast-paced get-in and get-out style food, and very skilled staff.

image courtesy of Ryan Weal, Beyond Robson.

Tip Top Top-Tip

Hello world, I am now the official beholder of an Umbrella Shop umbrella. I felt the need to post a quick word on just how amazing this umbrella is, as a newborn umbrella nerd by trade.

This bad boy has a curved wooden handle, a circular geometric blue purple and grey polly-cotton fabric that looks like splishy splashy rain droplets / puddles, aluminum lotus-shaped frame and carbon fiber ribs, and 1 meter in diameter when open giving plenty of coverage yet without decapitating passing pedestrians. But the best is yet to come, this Top-Tip umbrella is especially unique in the umbrella world as it is built with the shaft continuing beyond the top of the fabric, all the way to the end of the tip, rather than having a separate screw on tip on the top. This accompanied by a (removable) rubber cap on top makes it the perfect length and strength of umbrella to act also as a walking stick! Amazing. Now I won't feel bad for using umbrellas as canes anymore, this baby is the best of both worlds. It also comes with a nifty sleeve in matching fabric and a reversible reflective strip for nighttime walking. How considerate of those Finnish umbrella designers!

Sadly I can't find an image of this particular umbrella online. Will snap you a pic soon with more to come! :)

image courtesy of weheartit.com

Nice to meet you

Hello!

This is my new blog dedicated to all things Canada related for me to blab to you about whilst I'm living in Vancouver for the year. A new leaf and a new blog to match :)

I wanted to tie in the title with my Drunken Werewolf blog but with a Canadian style twist so The Mellow Moose it is. There were also thoughts and suggestions on The Peppered Squirrel, The Whimsical Whale and The Non-Chalant Eggplant but the moose won that battle.

I look forward to seeing what becomes of this space. Exciting! Stay tuned.