Fresh off a series of successful pop-ups at Kinka Izakaya, Kinton, the wildly popular Toronto ramen pioneer, has finally set up shop in permanent brick-and-mortar digs in downtown Montreal. The Japanese soup peddler, originally an offshoot of Vancouver's Guu izakaya, but now under the aegis of the Kinka Family restaurant group, took Toronto by storm in 2012 with noodles custom-made from Alberta flour, collagen-rich broths, and Japanese-imported kitchen gizmos and knowhow. Kinton now operates five ramen restaurants in Toronto, all managed by Nobuaki "Aki" Urata, who learned the ramen trade in Japan as a teenager, before moving to Canada. Urata went on to graduate from George Brown College, and worked at Vancouver's influential Kintaro for seven years. Montreal's ramen scene has seen marked improvements of late. The official arrival of Kinton Ramen ups the ante considerably. Enjoy the photo gallery.
Status: Kinton Ramen, 1211 Bishop, (438) 387-6187, now open Monday to Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.