Restaurant Review: Kokoro Ramen on Victoria in Vancouver

The Location

I was quite sad when Arisu at 41st & Victoria disappeared but then I was thrilled to see that it was being replaced with Kokoro Ramen.

The Opening

It was fascinating to go walking by and see them prepping the restaurant including having a wood carver makes this bench for the front of the restaurant.

I waited and waited and then they finally had their soft opening… On the night of FanExpo! There was no way I could do both in one day.

My Visit

Again I waited and waited for the perfect moment which finally came…

My Company

My foodie friend Wayne came to visit and asked me out to lunch. Perfect!!!

The Restaurant

I love this location. It gets so much natural light and the staff were so lovely which did not surprise me.

Their Facebook page is so friendly and has shared the story of their restaurant as it was opening and now, as it adds new elements to its menu.

The Food

What to order! So many choices and combos… This was my first “real ramen” so I got the Kokoro Tonkotsu Shoyu which is pork broth, cashu, bamboo shoots, seaweed, green onion and onion.

Wayne got the Creamy Deluxe Chicken Ramen which I was excited to see added to the menu! It comes with chicken broth, bamboo shoots, cashu, pumpkin, broccoli, seaweed, corn and green peas.

I had heard they were having a promotion for their flavoured beverages so I got the lychee fruit pop. With the drink you get free katsu which was a total mystery to me.

You have to push the top down to release this ball and the bottle went POP! before pouring. So much fun and delicious.

My Kokoro Tonkotsu Shoyu was beautiful! Oh my goodness, look at that seaweed heart! If you have not had a soft poached egg in your soup, you have no lived. Divine.

The broth was so earthy and heart-warming. It reminded me of miso but also had the extreme super power to feed your soul. I instantly felt better. Amazing!

When Wayne’s Creamy Deluxe Chicken Ramen came I thought they also brought the free katsu. Little did I realize that I had stolen a piece of his fried chicken for his soup! How mortifying I did such a thing but we laughed about it. Wayne also found his soup quite delightful.

Then the ACTUAL free katsu arrived. Traditionally made with chicken, this cutlet was made with pork and served with a sriracha aioli. Delicious!

I wrote to Kokoro Ramen directly about their noodles. They do not currently make them in-house but they do get them from a Japanese ramen noodle company. I can attest to their eggy deliciousness! They want to make their own noodles in the future which is very exciting.

Foodie Conclusion

I hope Kokoro Ramen has a long and healthy foodie life at 5695 Victoria Drive. Now that I have been in there, tasted the fantastic food and been served by the lovely staff I can not wait to go back. The golden lights that hang in the window make this quite eating oasis in South Vancouver.

I give this foodie experience five out of five wooden spoons.