The New Old Kenzo

On Friday afternoon, after work, I took Katie to the new Kenzo Ramen (owned & operated by the old Kenzo crew) on Dundas, just a little west of Bay St. I've been to the original Yonge/Steeles location on numerous occasions, but hadn't realized that the ownership changed last fall.

My colleague pointed out an article reviewing the new location in Thursday's edition of Now.

I wasn't that hungry, so I ordered a basic sho-yu ramen, and it was just as yummy as the uptown version. However, the highlight of the meal came after the meal proper.

I got to chatting with the owner, Daniel Park (yes, he's Korean) about his business and the economics of ramen. He explained that the reason there are so few ramen houses in Toronto is because it's horrendously expensive to make genuine ramen. Here's a summarized breakdown of some of the things he mentioned:

Ramen. Japanese Ramen, specifically Japanese Ramen as it is understood by Japanese people in Japan with respect to ingredients, manufacturing, taste and texture, is made in very few places in Canada - most establishments import it from Japan. There's actually only one place that makes ramen that Daniel knows of - his own kitchen. Five years ago, he invested in a ramen machine, so that he wouldn't have to import frozen ramen from Japan. This led to an 80% cost savings on ramen.

Soup base. Soup base is made from dried fish. Specifically, dried mackerel and/or 'flying fish.' Incidentally, won-ton soup is supposed to be made from the same stuff. In any case, dried fish also commands a premium price due to low availability and high demand. So, in an effort to keep bringing down that bottom line, he started making his own dried fish. He bought an industrial drying oven, buys the fish frozen, and dries it himself.

Lastly, he invited me on a tour of the kitchen and showed me the soup bases, ingredients, and ramen.

Pretty neat stuff. Check it out when you get a chance.

-d