Motamachi Shokudo (Vancouver, Canada)

740 Denman Street

Vancouver, BC

Southern Californians and cold weather don't mix. It's like oil and water. To warm ourselves up, we decided to get some ramen. Vancouver has a very large population of Asians and as a result, Vancouver has tons of Asian restaurants to choose from. We heard good things about Motamachi Shokudo so we decided this was  the place to warm our bodies with some ramen.

Motamachi Shokudo is a small and narrow restaurant, but it has a nice design aesthetic to the restaurant. Wood and finished concrete cover most the walls and floors.

Nama-Shoyu Ramen (8.95)
We decided that we wanted to try out 2 different flavors of ramen. The shoyu ramen had a very clean tasting broth that was perked up by the veggies and the addition of an egg. The egg has a orange color yolk as opposed to the yellow ones that we are used to. This was a soft boiled organic and local egg from what we have been told.

New Generation Miso Ramen (9.45)
I am not exactly sure what makes this a new generation, but it was delicious. The broth was much more rich and fatty than the shoyu. I loved the addition of the corn to the ramen for an added sweetness and texture. 

I am not ramen expert, but overall we really enjoyed both our ramens at Motamachi Shokudo and would not hesitate to return on our future trips to Vancouver. Especially on a cold day!!

Japadog (Vancouver, Canada)

899 Burrard St

Vancouver, BC
http://www.japadog.com/en/

At first I was a little skeptical thinking, what's so special about these Japanese hot dogs? They can't be all that different from any other hot dog that we have had. Overhyped?? Wrong....

This little Japadog happened to be right on the corner of the hotel we were staying at, so it made it all the more convenient to sample these dogs. Fortunately for us, it was raining that day and as a result, this shortened the supposedly long lines considerably. 

The most popular of the dogs at Japadog would be the Kurobuta Terimayo. Kurobuta or Berkshire as Americans know it is the prized black pig. Similar to that Kobe Beef, Kurobuta is the best of the pig breeds. At $7.25, this better be a dang good dog. That is $7.25 with no drinks or chips, just the dog.

The Kurobuta Terimayo comes with Kurobuta hot dog, nori (seaweed) strips, and a teriyaki mayonnaise. We added a bit of the Wasabi mayo for a nicely added heat to the dog. The actual hot dog itself was juicy, flavorful and had a nice snap to it. I would say it's probably the best hot dog that I have eaten. The terimayo and wasabi mayo complement the hotdog and the nori strips add an extra dimension of flavor. This hot dog was delicious!!!

There was quite a bit of hype about the Japadog. Some saying it's just a hot dog and not worth the trip and some saying that it is all that and then some. I have to say that the hype is warranted. Although the hot dog is pricey for a hot dog, I would say it is definitely worth the trip to try it out.