Fresh rolls and
hot noodles

Sushi Shöten and Ramen-Ya offer
satisfying takes on Japanese fast food

by MARK SLUTSKY

Recently, two new restaurants opened up within a stone’s throw (well, a very well-thrown stone) of each other, both serving their own particular spin on Japanese fast food. Though neither are particularly authentic or gourmet, they each have their own particular qualities that make them worth recommending for a quick and tasty lunch or dinner—one for the quality of the food, and the other for the novelty.

Sushi Shöten is but one of the many cheapo-looking sushi joints to pop up around Parc Avenue (and really, the whole city) in the past couple of years. I generally avoid these places with their over-sugared rice and refrigerated, pre-made rolls (though, to be fair, I’ve always had a soft spot for Kotori on the corner of St-Viateur, to which neither of those complaints apply). But I heard that Shöten was surprisingly good, which was enough, in this city of sushi mediocrity, to pique my interest.

You can tell that Shöten’s main trade is take-out; despite a large space, very little of it is dedicated to tables, and even those are the high kind, made for stools and to discourage hanging around. (Though the restaurant does boast a leather sofa.) They offer delivery too, although the word “offer” should be taken loosely, as frequently there’s no one on hand to do the deed and pick-up is the only option.

Everyone likes maki rolls, and everyone likes maki rolls with a bit of tempura inside, and that seems to be Shöten’s very premise. Though a selection of nigiri and sashimi is available, maki and futomaki seem to be the main attraction.

I liked the spicy tuna and salmon rolls ($6.50 and $5.95, respectively) and the seafood roll with crab and shrimp ($6.95). There are quite a few variations of rolls that are basically fish, tempura bits and mayonnaise with minor distinctions.

But hey, they’re all made fresh to order and in various value-tastic combinations, and the people are quite sweet, so it’s hard to dis Shöten for not being as high-toned as Kaizen or as idiosyncratic as Tri Express. It’s good, affordable fast food and that’s no small thing.

Ramen-Ya, which just opened on St-Laurent above Rachel, is distinguished by the fact that it’s pretty much the only place in Montreal where you can get the noodle soup that bears the restaurant’s name. Now, we’re not talking the 50-cent variety you get in dollar stores and Pharmaprix: this is real, savoury soup with fresh noodles and tasty ingredients, and it’s well worth trying.

Each soup features the choice of three kinds of broth (kind of a break with protocol, there, but what the hey): soy, miso or curry. The Tonkatsu-men ($8.75) features a deep-fried pork cutlet and the Chashu-men ($8.50) roast slices of pork; there are also grilled chicken and vegetarian options. I liked the Chashu-men: the broth was rich and satisfying and the pork was soft and fatty. The grilled chicken didn’t impress me as much; it had a faint, unpleasant taste of burnt oil.

If you feel like a more solid meal, you can get pretty much the same meats as are available in the soups on a bed of rice for $12.50, with the addition of a grilled eel option. I enjoyed the Tonkatsu-don, which, like its ramen brother, starred a deep-fried pork cutlet, but this time with an addictive Japanese curry sauce. Really, really tasty stuff.

For whatever it’s worth, Ramen-Ya’s menu also features a page of sushi maki, though I would advise you stick to the soup and rice dishes. It wasn’t terrible but none of the rolls I tried were worth the effort. Ramen-Ya may not be the most authentic ramen joint in the world, but what it does well is worth checking out. Like Shöten, you’ll walk out with a full belly and few regrets.