Motomachi Shokudo

Motomachi Shokudo is a Japanese-owned ramen restaurant located on Denman Street.

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They have a very descriptive menus, which are placed in front of each seating area. The menu mentions that all of Motomachi's food are MSG-free, which is always good to know. This made me wonder if other ramen restaurants in the neighborhood use MSG. I have never gotten extremely thirsty after having ramen in Vancouver, so I don't think many of the ramen restaurants I've been to use a lot of MSG.



The menu has a good shot of the restaurant's interior. I do think the place looks more spaceous in the photo than it actually is. Maybe it was because the restaurant was packed with people when I was there.


Nama Shoyu Ramen

My friend ordered the Nama Shoyu Ramen. I liked the way they presented the ramen. The flower on the side was pleasant to have. Look at how the bowl is loaded with veggies! My friend really liked the broth, and the meat (pork) inside was very tender and flavourful. 



Spicy Miso Ramen

I always like to have my ramen a little spicy, so I ordered the Spicy Miso Ramen with organic chicken. When I ordered, the waitress told me that my ramen does not come with any eggs, so I ordered one on the side. I guess a lot of people had gotten disappointed when their ramen came out with no eggs! I would've been disappointed too.

Although it's not very visible in the photo, mine came with a flower as well! The egg came as well, and the egg was very delicious. The middle of the yolk was gooey and not fully cooked, which I liked. As with the Shoyu Ramen, my ramen was loaded with veggies. I really like that. You don't find this much vegetables in most bowls of ramen served in Vancouver! I love lotus roots, and was happy find some in my bowl. The organic chicken was okay. It was tender, but I personally liked the pork, which had more flavour, in the Shoyu Ramen more.

One thing I noticed was how oily the broth was. Both my friend and I could taste sesame oil, and a lot of it in our bowls. Although it adds to the flavour of the broth, there was too much of it in it for my liking. 

Overall, I liked Motomachi Shokudo. Although the broth was a oily, I liked the deep flavour of the broth, and the chewiness of the ramen. I liked how the broth wasn't too fatty. As I have mentioned above, the ramen bowls have a lot of veggies as well. I could tell that the restaurant makes effort to be health conscious (for example, the amount of vegetables, no use of MSG, and organic ingredients), which I appreciate. I wouldn't mind visiting again!