REVIEW | Kenzo Ramen - Missisauga location fails to wow ramen fans

I was super excited when I found out Kenzo was opening a branch in Missisauga because there are no ramen restaurants there so far.   I would always have to stay downtown after work or trek down just to get a bowl.

The location itself is convenient in terms of getting there, since its right at Mavis and Burnhamthorpe but the plaza it’s in already has a Canada Computers so there isn’t a lot of parking. If you go when it’s busy you’ll probably end up parking pretty far or waiting a long time to get a parking spot.

We ordered the Tonkotsu Ramen ($10.95), which is the Hakata style pork bone soup ramen.  I first noticed when we ordered that they didn’t ask how we wanted our noodles like the other ramen restaurants we’ve tried (thin or thick).  It’s not a big deal but it would have been appreciated.   

The soup base wasn’t bad, it was flavourful and you could really taste the garlic. Even though I appreciate the garlic flavour, I would have preferred it to be chopped up a bit more so that I didn’t bite into it rather than chunk & pieces of garlic.

We also ordered the Tonkotsu miso ramen ($10.95), which is the Hakata style pork bone soup with a hint of miso flavour.  It has a piece of fish cake along with some bamboo shoots. Visually speaking, it didn’t look that great.  Taste wise, I felt it was a bit too salty.  If I had to choose between the two  ramen bowls we had, I would go for the regular Tonkotsu.

I usually order a side or two with a bowl of ramen, so we ordered the Gyoza ($450).  Like all the other ramen restaurants, you will have to wait 10 – 15 minutes while they make it fresh for you. The wrapper was very thin but I felt the seasoning in the meat was way too sweet.

Looks like I will be commuting back to Toronto for a bowl of ramen as I felt Kenzo did not really compare to the other restaurants that are available downtown. I guess if you are really craving ramen and you don’t want to commute, Kenzo Mississauga might be an option. 

The décor of the restaurant wasn’t that great and it felt like I was in a regular noodle house. Overall I didn’t get that Japanese experience that I felt at the other ramen restaurants. In addition to that, I guess the day we went their air conditioning wasn’t working.  Let’s just say it’s not enjoyable to eat a hot bowl of Ramen when it’s 30 degrees outside and there is no air conditioning in the restaurant, just a fan or two.