KINTON RAMEN 51 Baldwin, at Beverley, 647-748-8900, kintonramen.com. Rating: NNNNN
And you thought getting into Guu was difficult! This Baldwin Village spinoff of the relentlessly popular Church Street izakaya shifts the focus from tapas-like bar snacks to massive bowls of Japanese noodles, to the point of obsession. Little wonder lines form outside the 30-seat sweatbox half an hour before it opens. And be prepared to get stuffed: leaving anything other than an empty bowl is considered bad form. Bonus: mouthwash in the washrooms. You’ll need it! Best: to start, deep-fried boneless chicken wings in hot sauce fiery cabbage kimchee dense deep-fried tofu in Kewpie mayo the only mains, meal-in-one bowls of soup based on four “secret” layered broths – shio (salty), miso (soybean paste), shoyu (soy sauce) and spicy (lighter fluid) – swimming with astonishingly firm fresh noodles, caramelized roast pork shoulder or fatty belly and various toppings, including soft-boiled eggs steeped in sake, seaweed and raw grated garlic for the unconventional, ramen topped with Swiss cheese, frozen corn and Thai basil in miso broth spiked with butter.
Complete meals for $18 per person, including tax, tip and a lemonade. Average main $10.
Open for lunch daily 11:30 am to 3 pm. Dinner Sunday to Thursday 5 to 10:30 pm, Friday and Saturday 5 pm to midnight. No reservations. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement.