Kuma Ramen - Newmarket

3 years ago, this was the only ramen place in Newmarket. Now it's closing after 4 years, but other places will step into the gap this pioneer leaves. Tonkotsu yasai ramen was pretty good. The stock was a bit peppery. It had a lot of types of vegetables: cabbage, carrot, fungus, bean sprouts, green onion, bamboo mushroom. The chashu was tasty with a nice grilled flavour on one side. It could have better marbling be seared on the other side. Spicy tonkotsu miso ramen was pretty good. It wasn't that spicy (mild). Agedashi tofu was served too-hot inside, so we had to wait for it to cool down. It was silky tofu, lightly battered. The sauce was decent but it could have more bonito flakes. Ebi fry was good: crispy with a light batter, served with a slightly spicy sweet creamy sauce crunchy bits. Tantanmen was decent. The ground pork was pressed loosely into a meatball shape. The soup was also spicy, not just the meat. It was medium spicy. Lunch karaage was a good portion for lunch. It was decent: the dusting was not too thick. Portions here are pretty big.

I was in the area after going to the mall, searching for a spot to grab a bite for dinner. Kuma Ramen came up with good reviews on Yelp and Google so we decided to give this place a try. We went around 6 pm on a Saturday and wow, it was insanely busy. The place isn 't very big about seven tables for four but all the tables were taken, people were coming in for takeout orders, plus many people were asked to leave the phone numbers to be called back when seating would open up later. At first glance when we came in, the restaurant decor made this spot appear to be non traditional but the conclusion is that this is an authentic ramen spot, run by Japanese folks! When we were seated, we were automatically given menus it 's quite small and concise. After ordering, we were offered tea (which was pretty much warm to hot water, as it wasn 't very heavy in flavor). Around the 30 minute mark, the employee came over to clarify our order we think maybe they missed putting in our order or something along those lines, as she probably noticed it was strange that they hadn 't served us any food yet despite us ordering around the same time as another table behind us. We were given two canned drinks on the house, as an apology for the wait. I think we were eventually served food about 10 15 minutes later, with our EBI FRY being served first. This is essentially shrimp tempura but with a DELICIOUS tangy and slightly spicy sauce, topped with thinly fried potato sticks. This was absolutely amazing. Tender and flavorful, with great texture. This dish came with four decent sized shrimps. Amongst our group, we ordered two types of their ramen. The first was the TONKOTSU RAMEN, a classic. The broth was flavorful and rich, and though I did drink a boat load of broth, I wasn 't excessively thirsty after which speaks to its sodium levels. The ramen was cooked perfectly for good texture and there was a good amount of toppings to pair. The chashu were very long pieces with good thickness, but overall quite fatty in my opinion. It had a good char to the one side, I do wish they did both sides. Their egg (only one half) was perfectly soft boiled and runny. Another member of our table ordered the SPICY TONKOTSU MISO RAMEN which was surprisingly not that spicy compared to other places I 've tried but I am curious if they 're just catering to their neighborhood population. Overall, service was great. Despite it only being two people running a very busy floor, they were very attentive and friendly. Not to mention, a good eye on realizing our food was taking a long time before we even started feeling impatient.

Hailed as the best ramen in Newmarket by foodies on Yelp and Google reviews; I've always been curious about this place. But somehow, some way, the stars do not align. Either I was in the area on a day that they are closed or my son's baseball game extends beyond usual finishing times and they are near the end of their business hours. The chance finally came after a noon baseball game. How does it stack up with the best in the GTA? I'd say it's solid for Newmarket, but at best average from a GTA standard. I ordered a tonkotsu one and my son ordered a spicy tonkotsu one. I think the spice was able to mask some of the soup's deficiencies. Their soup is not bad, but I just don't find it rich enough to be classified as a really good ramen soup. What I liked about the ramen was they actually delivered a pretty solid char siu and they give you three honest big strips, unlike most places. They also use the flame gun on the char siu and fortunately they don't overdo it (if they overdo it, the flame gun is all you can taste). The most disappointing part of the ramen has got to be the noodle. The noodle feels generic and is lacking the necessary chew. Either they overcooked it or they may not actually be using legit ramen noodles. I think the place tries to give an honest effort, but the ramen is not up to my lofty standards.

It was my husband's first time in a ramen shop and we've driven past this place a couple of times before. I was so excited to bring my hubby here to try his first bowl of restaurant quality ramen! I brought him here for one of our date nights and wow. This place is very popular. The tables were perfectly distanced from other tables, very clean and still intimate for our date. I got the spicy tonkotsu miso ramen which was SUCH a classic and so delicious. Even more delicious with the chilli oil. I've demolished the whole thing. My hubby ordered the Nagassaki Champon which was HUGE. It is a bit more expensive than the other bowls but the bowl was larger packed with LOADS of seafood and was worth the price. He loved it. The seafood was fresh and tiger shrimp were huge. We also ordered the takoyaki and ebi fry. Both were absolutely delicious. The ebi fry is a dish everyone has to try. Fried shrimp tempura with crispy potato shreds all over and the sauce drizzled in it was just so darn good. The both of us were huffing and puffing at the end of our meal. Everything was so yummy. Cannot wait to come here again. Definitely will be our place to go to. Plus the service was amaaaazing. The lady was so quick and efficient even when it was busy! Happy eating fellow yelpers!

I think it's more a 3.5, above average. We ordered a tonkotsu and a tantanmen. Things I like: 1. Staff very friendly and prompt (we were like one of the two tables that night. 2. The ramen noodles are cooked well, Al dente, portion is big for the noodles 3. Soup based not too salty or oily and it's flavorful 4. Eggs are good and creamy 5. Cha Siu is pretty good, torched. But could be thicker 6. Cute vibe and clean 7. Take credit card Things that can be better: 1. The tonkotsu soup can be richer 2. Tantanmen maybe isn't the best choice because very little meat, though it comes with a whole egg. 3. Tonkotsu comes with half egg only If I have to choose, I may slightly lean towards the newly opened ippon ramen.