Tenton

So lucky to find this hidden gem in Ambleside, this will be my new go to place in west van! The vibe is great, aesthetic and not too loud.

The food is delicious and not too pricy either. We got there at 8 and out by 9pm. They either extended their hours or they continue to serve customers coming in between 8-9 anyways because a few other groups arrived after us for dine in and take out as well.

Both dishes were bomb! The cold soba blew me away becasue it was refreshingly cold and the chew to the noodle is 10/10. The pork katsu losses its crisp sitting in the broth which is too bad but the cheese is still delicious nonetheless. Can't wait to be back again.

This restaurant has the perfect cozy and relaxed dinning environment, not too loud and very clean, it's a great place to enjoy food with friends or family. The service was kind and attentive with orders, and when the food arrived it was delicious!

If there's one thing Japan has that we don't have it's soba noodle restaurants. I love soba noodles but I rarely ever see it on restaurant menus here, and I certainly don't ever see any restaurants that are dedicated to serving soba noodles. We have so many ramen noodle restaurants here but not a single restaurant I know of that specializes in soba noodles. The best one can usually hope for around here, is to see the words "Zaru soba" written on a menu.

Shortly after coming back from an amazing trip to Japan, we visited one of our favourites, Tenton Ramen n Tonkatsu. We were handed a Seasonal Menu with some new items on it, and when I saw that one of the new items was "Cold Soba Noodle" I immediately thought, "That's Zaru Soba!" Missing my Japanese soba noodles, I decided to skip over the usual ramen or tonkatsu that I would normally order at Tenton and give the "Cold Soba Noodle" a try. (Hot soba is also available but I opted for the cold soba noodle)

Zaru soba is usually served with a dipping sauce but this soba noodle was already sitting in sauce when it was served to me. I would have preferred the sauce on the side, the way it's usually served. The noodle still tasted pretty good but I have to say that the portion was sparse, especially for the price that was being charged. This dish was $16, and there was barely any noodle in my bowl. At $16 and for the meagre amount that was served, it's definitely not something I would order again.

The rest of the family stuck with standard noodle dishes and their food was well done as usual. I will go back to ordering ramen or tonkatsu at this restaurant, and get my soba noodle fix elsewhere.

Still a favourite restaurant of mine; just not for soba noodles!

Service: Good
Parking: Free parking on the street
Location: 1731 Marine Dr., West Vancouver, BC

This place was so busy we had to wait outside. Reservations highly recommended here, especially for weekend dinner. The line of people waiting for a table was constant. We waited about 30 minutes and people were still waiting when we left.

I get why people come here. There are not many options for those in west van if they want ramen and/or tonkatsu. Sushi yes, but not ramen and tonkatsu. They have this market cornered.

The ramen was ok. Not terrible but nothing like my favorites (those from Japan - Marutama and Santouka). The karaage was also nothing like ramen gojiro or Gaoh. Broth was ok. I liked how they would bring a tray of condiments when requested for chili flakes. 3 types of spices and garlic chips.

The tonkatsu was also average. Nothing like the places which specialized in them.

If you are particular about your ramen and tonkatsu, dine here with no or low expectations. There, I've done the legwork.

Service was poor due to there being only 2 servers running around a full house, plus managing take out orders.

Solid but pricey ramen with a nice vegetarian option that can be made vegan by subbing their regular egg noodles for gluten-free noodles.

We stopped in for lunch on a Sunday having seen that they had a veggie ramen ($19), available regular or spicy. We each got the spicy version and subbed the standard egg noodles for gluten free noodles (another $2) to make it vegan. You can also make a combo by adding 5 pcs of veggie gyoza (deep fried it turns out) for another $6.50, not the greatest deal but we did it anyway. The food came out very quickly.

The gyoza was fine but I much prefer regular pan-fried gyoza to deep fried. The ramen was rich and creamy due to the soymilk-based broth and the very garlicky character (lots of garlic oil and crispy roasted garlic pieces all throughout the broth). It wasn't remotely spicy despite us ordering that option. For toppings, you get a generous portion of deep fried tofu, plus a single piece of broccoli, cabbage, some nori, bean sprouts, corn, kikurage, and green onions. The gluten-free noodles were OK but far inferior to standard ramen wheat noodles. It's quite the rich meal with that heavy broth and deep fried tofu. We were both stuffed by the end of our bowls.

Very friendly service and a pleasant environment. I'm thankful that they can cater to vegans; I just wish they had a better noodle option that didn't cost extra, making the vegan option by far the most expensive option on the menu, which is very annoying -- it should be the opposite. Solid spot overall.

Lovely service and excellent food; what more can you ask for

Everything on the menu looked so delicious and they also had some seasonal specials. They specialize in katsu and ramen and I love that they have a katsu-ramen combo for the best of both worlds. The prices are very reasonable and the food tasted great.

The staff were super attentive and noticeable right from the start when they offered tea and water (usually I find other places only give you one option unless you request it). They also came to check on us very often but let us eat in peace.

I also just loved the little cat chopsticks holders! So cute!

This place was excellent. It seemed like an undiscovered gem as it wasn't very busy at the time that I went. Our waitress was very sweet and extremely attentive. We had a large party of nine, and they were easily able to accommodate us. Most everyone ordered either ramen or the spicy curry katsu.

Although the curry was not as spicy, as I would have liked, it was nonetheless delicious. We also had Japanese beer which went perfectly with our meal. This is definitely a place that I would recommend when you're in the West Vancouver area. The vibes were very cute and I loved the cat Chopstick holders.

My friend really enjoyed his ramen. I'd say... it's ok. I wished there was more option to add more broth.

I enjoyed the location, high ceiling and minimal design. Staff was helpful and food came out more than warm.

Street parking available

Amazing hidden gem in west Vancouver. So highly recommended! Ramen is light but perfect, not super heavy or overly salty. Chicken Karaage is the best I have ever had!

=== 1. VERDICT/VALUE
4.5 stars: it's not the cheapest by far in the Greater Vancouver area, but when you're in West Vancouver and you have a hankering for Japanese ramen / tonkatsu, Tenton is well worth the price of admission with good food and service!

=== 2. FOOD
- Miso Ramen ($14.00): comes with chars also; the broth is not overly salty, surprisingly!

- Chashu Ramen ($14.50): more chashu than the Miso Ramen - good choice!

- Chicken Kaarage ($7.50): who knew honey and soy sauce (?) could team up for greatness?!

- Hire Katsu ($17.50): yes, deep-fried pork can be this good!

- Katsu Don ($16.50): deep-fried pork, egg, and shrimp should get together more often!

- Agedashi Tofu ($7.00): a pleasant hint of sweetness on the skin!

=== 3. SERVICE
The service has been consistently great in-person and on the phone, certainly in English and presumably in Japanese (as spoken in the kitchen).

=== 4. ENVIRONMENT
If someone were to offer a lesson in "good simplicity", it might be someone from Tenton. It's clean, white, and simple - just a bunch of chairs and tables for small/medium groups on a wooden floor with a table outside. Wheelchairs and baby strollers fit just fine. Parking is hit or miss - it's all street parking out front and depending on the time of day, you've got rock star parking, or you're parking somewhere far down on Marine Drive!