By Sherman Chan,
Special to The Post

The first location outside of Japan, this Hokkaido chain specializes in Asahikawa-style ramen where their pork-based broth is topped with a layer of lard.

We had the signature Dragon's Dewdrop or shoyu ramen (synonymous with Hokkaido). The soup featured a layer of fat on top that kept the broth hot and added an aromatic silkiness. We could taste the shoyu, but it was not as pronounced as the natural taste of the broth. We also had the White Dragon or shio ramen which was extremely impactful while not being overly heavy (despite the layer of fat).

The Supreme Dragon or miso ramen exhibited the most depth and umaminess due to the red miso paste. It was richly flavourful due to the fermented nature of the miso. The noodles in all of the bowls were medium-thickness and perfectly al dente. The large slice of chashu was lean and chewy. There was also soft-yolk egg, wood ear mushroom, bamboo shoots, nori and green onion. I got the Deluxe Truffle Ramen with truffle salt (in the broth), sliced black truffle and rare roast beef. The truffle essence was slight while the broth was pretty salty. The roast beef was excellent being thick cut and tender with a roasted meatiness.  I preferred the regular shio ramen.

The Dashimaki Tamago and Gyoza were made-to-order; the tamago was neatly layered. It was done a bit overdone but was still fluffy and lightly sweet. It was looked good and was prepared carefully. The gyoza had a thin skin that retained some elasticity while being tender. The pork filling was equal in ratio to the diced cabbage, making it was light. Overall, we enjoyed the ramen at Taka.  The broth was impactful, natural-tasting and full-bodied without being too heavy.

Ramen Takanotsume

841 Bidwell Street, Vancouver, BC

The Good:

• Full-flavored broth

• Reasonably-priced except for the truffle ramen

The Bad:

• Not a fan of the lean pork

Sherman Chan is the #1 ranked food blogger on the Vancouver portal of Urbanspoon.com. Read more of his reviews at www.shermansfoodadventures.com.