Hako Noodle Bar located inside Carbonic Coffee at the corner Dundas St. W. and Manning Ave is a noodle stall serving up abura soba (soupless ramen). This hidden noodle counter shares a space with the coffee shop where you can grab coffee as well as soupless ramen at the same time. Hako is fully accessible where you have to order from the staff themselves. They are open from Wed to Sun and offer dine in, take out, or delivery options (they are on delivery apps).
Menu wise, there are 6 types of abura soba to choose from and 2 rice bowls. They also have skewers (beef, chicken cartilage, or lamb) as well as sides like curry rice, minced pork rice, edamame, miso soup, etc. In terms of the abura soba, they have your classic flavour, shoyu chicken, beef sukiyaki, deluxe (both chashu and chicken), abura-age (veggie option), as well as a tan tan abura soba. The idea of abura soba is to mix and slurp your noodles. In terms of the rice bowls, they have a beef sukiyaki or curry chicken rice bowl.
I visited Hako Noodle Bar on a Wed around 11:30am. I had actually gone to grab a coffee but then was curious about the noodle bar at the back. I ended up ordering an original abura soba ($16.50) which included chashu, ajitama egg, bamboo shoot, nori, wood ear mushroom, and green onion. I decided to have my ramen to dine in and staff were nice and friendly to bring me my noodles which took around 5-8 min to make. She also provided me with some chili oil and white vinegar to add to my noodles as well, letting me know that I should mix up the ingredients before eating.
Food wise, the abura soba tasted great! The noodles were cooked perfectly. The flavour of the ramen isn't as too strong but the portions are perfect for lunch. The chili oil and white vinegar added some extra flavour to the dish. The ajitama egg was runny in the centre where the chashu was tasty as well. Overall, a great bowl of abura soba in the Trinity Bellwoods area!
Overall, a neat little hidden noodle bar located inside a coffee shop. Friendly service, tasty noodles, and a casual space - would return to try more items! read more