Ramen Taka has officially opened it’s second location in Aberdeen Centre. You’ll find their restaurant on the second floor near the other restaurants on the west side of Aberdeen Centre.

The space is decent size with a long table at the centre of it. While you’re waiting, you can colour in your ramen.

I was invited to check them out before they opened officially, so we got a couple things to try.

We started off with the Zangi (chicken karaage), Kakuni (pork belly) and takoyaki. The chicken karaage had a good breading to it, but the chicken on the inside was a little dry. I also felt like the breading was a little undercooked.

The Kakuni is braised pork belly in a au jus-like sauce served with half an egg and some horseradish. I liked the pork belly a lot, it was meaty without being too salty and the horseradish helped cut the fat from the belly.

The takoyaki are generously sized and served piping hot. The inside is soft but the exterior is nice and crisp which makes for a good balance.

We tried two of the ramens: the Paitan Supreme Dragon and Supreme Dragon.

The Paitan Supreme Dragon is created with creamy white tonkotsu broth. The Supreme dragon is made with miso. The flavour of the broth overall is creamy without being too heavy and salty.

The noodles were perfectly cooked with still a bit of snap to them. The slices of cha siu were a good size and had a nice roasted flavour to them. We added corn to make the dish a bit more sweeter in taste.

The Supreme Dragon is similar – made with miso broth. The broth overall is sweet, salty and slightly tangy, which is an interesting flavour that I’ve never experienced in a ramen before. It might not be for everyone, but I like the different mix of flavours which work well with the roasted cha siu.

Finally we finished off with dessert – ice cream! Matcha to be exact with some sweet red bean paste. It was the perfect way to finish off the meal – and good to share between two people.

I’m glad to see a solid ramen option open up in Aberdeen Centre, I feel like the area needs a good one!

For more information, check out their website here: https://ramentaka.ca/menu/

Please note that I was invited by the restaurant to try their food and my meal was paid for, however all opinions are my own.