A new ramen monster is happily wreaking havoc in Vancouver's downtown core.

Breaking away from ramen ground zero at Denman and Robson, the Godzilla-themed Ramen Gojiro had its official opening on March 3 at the SkyTrain-accessible location of 501 Dunsmuir Street (on the Richards Street corner).

Menya Kouji Group, which runs Chinatown's Ramen Butcher as well as over 150 ramen restaurants in Japan, is the parent company.

What set this place apart from other ramen shops in Vancouver is that it specializes in Gatsuri-style or jiro ramen, which uses thicker noodles along with generous servings of bean sprouts.

The Ramen Gojiro menu currently concentrates on two main types of ramen (featuring a pork-chicken broth) with four variations: basic, basic bakamori (which offers extra noodles and toppings), spicy, and spicy bakamori (more everything). There's also tsukemen (cold dipping noodles in a hot broth).

All bowls come with a choice of either chashu or karaage (pork or deep-fried chicken). Prices range from $9.95 to $13.95.

Side orders of karaage, gyoza, and Japanese fried rice are also available.

The name, a reference to jiro ramen, plays on the Japanese name for Godzilla, which is Gojira. Undoubtedly, this is one beast that ramen-lovers will be pleased to welcome to our city.