Jinya Ramen Bar (Metrotown)

Met up with a friend on a rainy afternoon here. We dropped in shortly before Noon and it was maybe 1/3rd busy. Shortly after, the place was packed -- all tables and bar seating pretty much occupied.

As there were vegan options, I went vegan to try it out. DISCLAIMER: I am NOT vegan. Vegans, vegetarians, and other limited-diet people sort of have a beggars-can't-be-choosers position so they may rate the vegan fare here higher. I'm omnivorous so I'm probably more critical here.
My friend's spicy meatball ramen had a much tastier (and spicier) broth, so overall you will probably have a tastier time here than if you go vegetarian. After all, flavourful broth is one of the main things about ramen.

TIP: Be careful ordering drinks and extras as there's a lot of soup here. The bowl is sharply tapered so there *may* be a bit less soup than other ramen places, but probably not by much.

Price seems pretty steep but is only a couple dollars more than say, Fat Mao Noodles. Tea is $2. But you probably don't want to order a drink anyway since you want to save room to drink up your noodle broth.

Spicy Creamy Vegan Ramen ($16.80) vegetable broth, tofu, onion, spinach, crispy onion, garlic chips, garlic oil, chili oil, sesame seeds; served with thick noodles

When I saw "creamy" I thought the broth would be thicker and richer, but... no.
Maybe because it's a veggie broth, the whole thing was on the bland side and thankfully there were condiments at the table to rescue this dish.
The menu lists all sorts of flavourful ingredients but somehow it still manages to be on the blander side overall.
For a vegetarian dish it;s pretty pricey compared to their meatier offerings.
Pass on this and go vegetarian elsewhere.

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Life in the Lower Mainland (BC, Canada)

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