A broken clock forever tells you what time it broke. And Eater Vancouver, for a while at least, told us what time they stopped blogging. It was September 5, 2014, at 5:21am (or thereabouts) when they posted their final post on Vancouver’s Top 10 Try Before You Die Ramen. What good fortune for me! My first trip to Vancouver was that November, and now I had everything I needed from Eater thank you very much.

My first stop after the border crossing was Motomachi, number six on Eater’s list and famous for their charcoal ramen. The black broth is more than a novelty. The charcoal gives it a mineral-y, slightly gritty quality. Feeling under the weather on a cloudy Vancouver day? This is the restorative broth you need– like drinking a delicious Brita filter.

Okay, I probably wouldn’t eat it every day (I mean look at it), but Motomachi is well worth a visit. If you need a a palate cleanser, bring some light to the darkness. Fortunately for all of us, Eater Vancouver has since come back to life.