Finding myself in Kits on a rainy evening I was happy to find Benkei and a solid bowl of MSG free ramen was defiantly in order. One of the noodle bowls I haven’t tried at Benkei Noodle shop is the spicy akaoni miso ramen, it’s got similar flavors to Tan Tan Men that I’ve had at similar ramen places so I was eager to give Benkei’s a try.

I started with there chashu rice bowl, for $2.50 it was the cheapest chashu bowl I’ve had at any ramen place but it was also the worst, the pork tasted OK but the rice portion of the dish just tasted like rice and soy and it was also really cold.  This was a first and a last time ordering this from here and will stick to the shrimp or pork gyoza because they rock.

The main star of my visit was this-the akioni spicy miso ramen for $8.95, on the menu it’s described like this: “Mixed with various kinds of spices, this spicy-miso is a favorite for many. The addition of garlic oil creates a much richer flavor. The burning sensation followed by the soothing delicious taste is going to make you come back for more”.  Like I said above-I was really eager to try this to see how there’s stacks up against Sanpachi’s and Hokkaido Ramen Santouka version of this dish.  I was really impressed with the look and smell of this bowl ramen when it was put down in front of me, you could smell the spice coming from the dish!, the noodles were cooked so they still had some bite to them and the veggies on top were a great touch.  With this bowl of soup and the other versions I’ve had ground pork is used as the protein and not slices of pork and the garlic chili oil on top added a great spicy kick and there is chili flakes in the broth.  The one stand out for this dish is the fact sesame isn’t a predominant flavor and the reason I like the dish is for that flavor so it was kind of a let down.  If you’re looking for a spicy bowl of noodles this dish is for you but if you’re looking for something similar to Tan Tan Men then this dish isn’t for you.