Although actress Maitreyi Ramakrishnan gets to live in the glitz and the glam of a luxurious Hollywood lifestyle, she also loves hanging out in her hoodie and sweatpants, driving around the Greater Toronto Area looking for good food. Her recent collaboration with Oji Seichi, a Toronto ramen restaurant located in East Chinatown gave her the opportunity to highlight both lifestyles in one project which they call Ramen-Krishnan. For a limited time, Oji Seichi is serving ramen and a soft serve ice cream that blends and celebrates the flavours of Oji Seichi’s Japanese roots and Maitreyi’s Tamil roots. We got a chance to try the ramen and ice cream first so read on for our review, to learn how this collaboration came to life and how you can try it for yourself.
Jamal Omar, @jamalamaj and @ojiseichi
Maitreyi’s support for small Canadian businesses
At a recent event to celebrate the launch of Maitreyi and Oji Seichi’s collaboration, Maitreyi told the group that she is a Missasauga girl at heart and because of that, she loves repping and supporting local businesses. “As an actor, I know that I’m nothing without my crew and all the people behind the scenes helping me up,” Maitreyi says. “For small businesses, how are they going to be able to thrive and get to other people and touch other hearts the way they’ve touched mine if I don’t help in the ways that I can? Everyone has to just do their part and that’s how you get community. That’s how you let people shine.”
By collaborating with Oji Seichi, Maitreyi is supporting a local restaurant that she sincerely enjoys. In an interview with Flavour Network in July 2023, Maitreyi mentioned that Oji Seichi was one of her favourite restaurants to visit whenever she is in Toronto. “I always shoutout Oji Sechi, they’re a ramen place in Toronto,” Maitreyi told us. “They have their own in-house chilli oil that they make. I just love their noodles, they’re my favourite ramen of all time, in my life of 21 years.”
Related: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan’s Favourite Places to Eat in Toronto
Maitreyi discovered Oji Seichi through her cousin Megala who runs a foodie Instagram (@megalaishungry). Maitreyi kept visiting the East Chinatown restaurant and became a loyal regular. Eventually, Oji Seichi co-owner Wilson Duong approached Maitreyi and asked if she would be interested in working on some kind of project with the restaurant. She was in and the Ramen-Krishnan collaboration came to life.
Jamal Omar, @jamalamaj and @ojiseichi
How Ramen-Krishnan came together
“I can’t cook guys… I can’t cook. I’m not a chef,” Maitreyi joked when asked about the process of creating the ramen for this collaboration. But as a Tamil-Canadian she knew she wanted to blend Tamil flavours with Japanese flavours and that came to life thanks to her mom and Oji Seichi’s chef Mitch Bates. “Making sure [the flavours] made sense [together], that was all my mom and Chef Mitch,” she says. Wilson adds that “Maitreyi’s mom dropped off some spices over for Chef Mitch and they worked together along the way to… make sure it’s authentic, obviously, but also making sure that it’s inclusive [so] everybody can enjoy it.”
Maitreyi’s ramen is a chicken and crab paruppu miso ramen. Paruppu is a lentil-based curry which Maitryi says is one of her favourites, and blended with the miso flavours, it is absolutely incredible. Toppings include chicken, crab and mushrooms along with an egg, bean sprouts and green onions. The broth is creamy and slightly spicy but not overwhelming, and the crab is so soft it melts in your mouth. The chicken has a charred flavour which contrasts perfectly with the broth. Overall the blend of East and South Asian flavours was something we’d never experienced before and it was incredible.
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Jamal Omar, @jamalamaj and @ojiseichi
Maitreyi also helped collaborate on a soft-serve ice cream for Oji Seichi. It is a vanilla soft serve topped with mango and cheeni murruku cookie (which is a coconut-based sugar cookie). It is creamy, fruity and has a beautiful crunch thanks to the cookie. The fresh mango makes it oh-so refreshing, and the soft serve itself is sweet and creamy but not overwhelming. It ticks every box that you would want for a dessert!
In addition to the ramen and soft serve, Maitreyi also designed some exclusive merch for the collaboration (Matreyi is wearing the hoodie in the image above). The long-sleeve tee, hoodie, tote bag and pin include artwork she drew herself of how the ramen combines Japanese and Tamil influences. Maitreyi wanted to support the community even further so a portion of the proceeds from the merchandise sale is going to the Ontario Native Woman’s Association non-profit organization that celebrates and honours the safety and healing of Indigenous women and girls.
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Jamal Omar, @jamalamaj and @ojiseichi
How to try Maitreyi’s ramen and buy the merch
Maitreyi’s chicken and crab paruppu miso ramen and soft serve is available at Oji Seichi, located at 354 Broadview Avenue in Toronto. It is only available until the beginning of March so make sure to stop by soon to try out this delicious collab. The Maitreyi Ramakrishnan x Oji Seichi merchandise is available in-store at Oji Seichi or on their website. Prices vary from $12 for a pin to $105 for a hoodie. (We can confirm that the merch is so cute and so comfy!) This is a collaboration you won’t want to miss.