Sumo Ramen, 1007 Boul. St-Laurent

A new ramen restaurant opened in Chinatown last week, following in the footsteps of Ramen-Ya (also on St-Laurent, but just a couple of kms north). The name of the restaurant is Sumo Ramen and took place in what used to be a skate shop.

One of the owners is Anthony, a stylish Cantonese-speaking 30-something. He originally rented the space, and for siz months, did not know what to do with it. When his friend came back from living in Japan for several years, they decided together to start ther ramen business.

The friend who I went with said that the place reminded him of what restaurants in Asia look like, a far cry from stuck-in-60s Chinese restaurant of the old Chinatown.

2008-09 has seen the arrival of an impressive number of new restaurants in Chintown, one trendier than the other. It started with Little Sheep and things moved on with Hanashima (a Japanese-style fondue restaurant), and two new bakeries, Harmonie and Callia. I also saw a Sichuan-style restaurant and another "spicy" joint.