Tatchan Noodles

It's been over 2 hours since I finished my Okinawa Soba at Tatchan and my belly is still very very happy.

It's been somewhat of a ritual to have a quick lunch with my dad to try out different places after our weekly grocery shopping. Today, I decided to try out Tatchan after confirming their opening hours on Instagram. I had come to the stand 6 months but I mis-read the opening hours so I was thinking about lunch the whole time during our grocery runs.

They opened for lunch today from 1200 to 1400. We arrived shortly after 1230 and waited for only 10-15 minutes for 2 seats. We both had the Okinawa Soba. The flavour of the soup base was balanced perfectly. The soba had a great consistency almost like ramen and I'm very glad that Okinawa soba is not made with buckwheat. It's a personal preference that I don't enjoy regular soba made with buckwheat. The pork belly was sinfully and heavenly tender with a salivating amount of fat.

It was a perfect lunch on a rainy day and I need to try the So-Ki Soba with soft pork bone next time!

Very interesting set up in Nanaimo St., Vancouver. Decided to try this on a sunny day and really loved the ambiance. It's reminiscent of Omoide Yokocho (Piss Alley) in Japan.

Food menu is simple. We took the recommended, most popular Okinawa Soba - chewy noodles made with wheat flour instead of buckwheat.

It's a two-men team but I suspect someone is cooking up the delicious pork belly inside the house. They are very friendly.

Will definitely be back more often.

I first learned about this Ramen stand through Instagram and had seen many similar stands during my time in Japan. These stands gained popularity due to their casual style, simple ordering process, quick service, and the delicious taste of their ramen, which sometimes rivals that of traditional restaurants. To my delight, a similar stand has now opened in the Vancouver Lower Mainland.

I had heard that this particular stand often has long lines, but on the day I decided to visit, luck was on my side - there was no line-up, and I could secure a seat right away. However, after about 10-20 minutes, a line began to form.

What we got - TaTchan combo Chicken broth, dried bonito, pork belly, pork softbone, green onion, black fungus, red ginger.
The soup was excellent. The chicken broth boasted a smooth texture, and the salt level was just right. The pork belly and pork soft bone practically melted in your mouth, and the noodles had the perfect firmness. While I've never experienced Okinawa soba in Japan, I found it to be quite delightful.

The service was good. The stand was situated outside of the Japanese school, and on the particular day I visited, it was very windy. Unfortunately, this made it uncomfortable to sit outside, and to add to the challenge, the tables were quite slippery. My ramen bowl slid off the table unexpectedly. I hope they consider making improvements to their tables or installing some kind of guard around the stand to prevent such incidents. Despite this mishap, overall, it was a very enjoyable experience.

Been meaning to try this place for ages now, but you need to follow them on Instagram @tatchannoodle to know when they're open for business.

Finally decided to drive out to east van (free residential street parking) and enjoy a hot bowl of ramen in the cold 7C weather of Vancouver today.

Overall, a pretty good experience. I love eating ramen in the cold and at a stall. There's just something really satisfying and Japanese about it.

This is the first time ever I actually enjoyed a bowl of chicken broth ramen as well. Normally, I'm a pork broth kinda girl. Noodles were good. Pork was tender. Soup was sweet, but good.

Only docking a star cause I wish we had actual bowls instead of the take out containers. And they don't serve hot water or tea. Thankfully I brought my own bottle of hot water. It was cold tonight.

Extremely delicious meal. Meat was tender and flavorful, noodles cooked perfectly and the broth was chef's kiss

The wait can be long as its pretty much a 1 man show, but holy, the soup was so good and the noodles were perfectly cooked.

On a cold rainy night, the combo with 2 different kinds of meat and chewy noodles inside a hot bowl soup hit the spot. The wait was not pleasant but worth it. We waited 30 mins in the rain to get takeout.

Soup had so much depth and umami flavour. The meat was soft and was cooked to perfection. Wish this food cart was a full scale restaurant to serve more people so that more people can enjoy just how good a bowl of noodles can be.

My Japanese friend said he hasn't tasted anything this good since Japan.

Steaming hot bowl of noodles, flavorful chicken broth with the depth of fishy bonito flavor. Pork belly and pork soft bones marinated and cooked tenderly. Really good noodles!