Ramen x Remix, an artisanal Japanese ramen bar, brings big bowls of noodles and plenty of good music to the corner of Queen and Spadina.

The bright, airy, and minimalistic ramen bar is designed with cozy wooden booths, moody ambient lighting, and carefully selected dinnerware imported from Japan.  

It fuses traditional and modern elements, much like the restaurant menu does. 

Chef Christian Sun, a partner of the establishment, is responsible for much of the interiors, menu design, and dining experience. 

A big fan of ramen, Chef Sun says he has tried almost every spot in Toronto. While there are many excellent traditional Japanese ramen spots, he told blogTO there was an opportunity to do something different - incorporating tradition with innovation.  

"He (Sun) wanted to do something that was more imaginative, creative, while at the same time, showing respect to the traditional Japanese ramen," manager Scarlett Long shared.

The rotating seasonal menu utilizes various Japanese and French cooking techniques and offers a selection of appetizers and ramen in different styles of broth. 

To start, we tried the Chicken Karaage ($10), four pieces of fried chicken served with a smoked hot mayo. The coating is light and crispy, and the inside is hot, juicy and tender. 

The 5 piece Beef Gyoza ($9) is also worth your attention. Golden brown, this Japanese-style dumpling comes with a delicious yuzu dipping sauce. 

To drink, our server, Kevin Vu, crafted two cocktails he was testing for the grand opening menu. One featured yuzu paste and yogurt, and the other, plum paste and cranberry.

Both were unique in flavour and so good that I couldn't pick a favourite. 

In addition to ramen, Chef Sun has a particular appreciation for music. He's designed various playlists for the restaurant that coincide with different times of the day and, like the menu, will vary season by season. 

For ramen, Chef Sun recommended the Signature Ocean Shio Consommé ($19). Featuring the restaurant's homemade chicken broth, the bowl includes smoked chicken and pork chashu, clam meat, and a colourful assortment of onions.

The clear broth alone had an incredible depth of flavour, clearly having been cooked for hours.

"For our Ocean Shio ramen, we are using some techniques from French cuisine to extract the flavour of the seafood. But we keep the taste very authentic," Chef Sun explained. 

Each ramen order is customizable according to noodle type, noodle doneness, and level of salt. You also get one condiment included in your order. 

My favourite noodle was the classic, regular noodle, but the curly dragon noodle was also a fun, slightly thicker option. All of the noodles are made in-house daily. Elegantly plated, they sit in a perfect nest just below the broth. 

The clean presentation requires sharp precision from the chefs. I watched in the kitchen as they cooked the noodles in small batches, removing them from the hot water at the exact second they would be perfectly chewy.

They built the bowl, layer by layer, adding the ramen noodles towards the end before garnishing. The result is truly a work of art.

For the condiments, you can't go wrong with the chilli oil for some added heat or the black garlic oil for a little extra umami. 

If heat is really what you're craving though, try the Spicy Wok Magic Miso Soup ($20). As soon as you see the bright red broth, you know this bowl is going to pack a punch.

It has a spicy pork miso base, and its additional heat comes from an aromatic chilli oil and lots of Sichuan peppercorns. It comes with smoked pork chashu, fried veggies, and onions. The ramen is complex in flavour, the heat slowly building with every bite, with a mild tingling sensation as you eat.

For something more refreshing, the Signature Yuzu Scallop Shio Consommé ($22) was created with the summer months in mind.

Zesty and light, it features a perfectly plump torched scallop, clam meat, pork shrimp wonton, lemon, yuzu, and seasoned bamboo shoots, served in their signature clear chicken broth. 

My favourite ramen was the Truffle Shoyu Paitain ($21). Unlike the consommé, the paitain style of ramen is thick and creamy, with an almost white cloud-like appearance.

And although I’m sometimes weary of anything truffle being too overpowering, the black truffle sauce used in the ramen was subtle - creating a well-balanced, rich, and decadent bowl with a highly concentrated mushroom and soy flavour. 

"When it comes to ramen, we try to incorporate some of the wisdom and traditional techniques while also bringing some modern ideas. Especially right now in Japan - they have a lot of creation happening because there are over 40,000 ramen shops," Chef Sun told me. 

Ramen x Remix is located at 424 Queen Street West.