GMEN AT STEVESTON RAMEN SHOP

Great Food, Great Service

Sometimes it’s rainy weather that brings customers to Gmen At Steveston Ramen Shop on a quest for a bowl of comforting warm noodles. Other times, it’s the seaside air that lures people to the restaurant’s patio to enjoy ramen and other signature Japanese dishes while appreciating a view of Steveston Harbour across the street.

Tinn Chan, Takeru Kosuda and Minoru Suzuki opened the Steveston location in 2017. The partners got their start in the 1990s with Gyoza King on Robson Street in Vancouver.

Tinn says, “Minoru created some good ramen recipes and we thought, that’s tasty enough to serve our customers. We named the new menu item G(yozaKing)-men (men means noodle in Japanese).

He adds, “There was also a popular Japanese detective TV series back in the 1970s named G-men (government men). We all love that series. At Gmen’s first location on Sexsmith Road in Richmond, we had the show playing endlessly on our TV.”

Eventually, the restaurant relocated to Alexandra Road where it continues to operate.

Minoru had always wanted to have a shop close to the water. We saw the listing, viewed the space, and knew we’d found our second Gmen location.

“Once we started working in Steveston, we discovered this community is very warm. The people are so nice to each other. I can feel the Canadian spirit like the old days when I first came to Vancouver,” Tinn says.

What do the partners love most about the community? “Of course, it’s the people! Secondly, it’s viewing the sunset from our patio.”

Inside and outside the business you will spot collector motorcycles from Minoru’s personal collection. Tinn remarks, “If you love bikes, you will know those are rare items. One was showcased at a motorcycle show in Portland a few years ago.”

Ordering is made easy with oversized menus

featuring photographs of selections posted on the exterior of the building and indoors.

It’s no secret parking can be challenging to find in Steveston; Gmen has a paid lot behind the restaurant.

Gmen's ramen dishes are made from original recipes. The Steveston restaurant offers more varieties and a lighter soup-based broth while the Alexandra Road location offers only heavy pork bone-based broth.

Whether you are new to eating ramen or a connoisseur, Gmen’s menu appeals to many tastes.

In addition to dishes that include meat, Gmen offers vegetarian ramen, kale noodle and some other vegetarian options. They try to use as many local ingredients as possible although some must be imported from Japan.

Tinn says, “One of our most unique ingredients is sea kelp (konbu). We use a lot of it for cooking.”

What dishes does he recommend to guests who haven’t dined at Gmen?

“I like our Shoyu Ramen and Shio Ramen so much. It takes lots of work to make our own shoyu base and shio (salt) base while most ramen shops are using instant soup base seasoning.”

He adds, “If you like spicy dishes, I suggest trying our RCMP (Red Chili Miso Pepper) Ramen or Spicy Chicken Ramen — that’s spicy chicken broth ramen topped with fried chicken. Many people are familiar with Japanese Miso (bean paste), and Miso Ramen is our best seller. Another customer favourite is TanTan Men, a spicy peanut butter and sesame thick broth ramen. It’s addictive! We also offer Vietnamese pho infused TLC (Tomato, Lime & Cilantro) Ramen. It’s great for summer, too.”

Although one may not associate French fries with a ramen restaurant, Gmen’s BC (butter and cheese) fries are very popular.

Usually, ramen shops serve cold noodles in the summer, and we do too. Come in and see what we have planned.

Another summertime treat Gmen serves up is house made soft ice cream. “The only problem is our machine has broken, so we are looking for help. If anyone knows how to repair it, please come see us. We will offer you free ice cream all summer!”

The friendly servers Kiki, Leo, Hiromi, Nathan, Michael, and Yamato know many of Gmen’s regular customers and call out their names when they walk through the door.

The three partners are extremely grateful for their loyal patrons. “Last winter, we had many local customers walk down to pick up their takeout orders, only to discover we were closed due to the snowstorm. The next day we saw many sad faces as they came to tell us how hungry they had been.”

What is the secret of Gmen’s success? Tinn concludes, “I think it’s everything combined. Good food, good staff, a good vibe, and a good community. When we see customers love our food and service that’s the biggest reward.”

Gmen At Steveston Ramen Shop

3711 Bayview Street

Richmond, BC V7E 3B6

Phone 604-275-4636

www.gmenatsteveston.com