Food
Ring in the new year with ramen Searching for some of the best authentic noodles in Calgary Story & photos by DANNY LUONG dluong@cjournal.ca
J
ust to be clear, when we’re speaking about ramen here, we’re not talking about the instant variety noodles. What we’re talking about is an authentic Japanese experience that has been a part of Asian cuisine since the early 20th century according to Tetsu Okada in his novel The birth of Ramen. Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup dish. The noodles are made from wheat, served in a variety of different broths and topped with eclectic toppings including sliced pork (called chashu in Japanese), dried seaweed and green onions. It’s hard to define what authentic ramen really is, but you’ll know it when you taste it. I visited four Japanese owned-and-operated restaurants within the Calgary area that already had ratings on Urbanspoon in search of the ultimate steaming hot bowl of authentic ramen. And I was not disappointed.
Wa’s Japanese Restaurant (top right) 1721 Centre St. N., Calgary, AB 403-277-2077 Urbanspoon rating: 87% Ramen starting at $8 The portion I got from Wa’s Japanese Restaurant was smaller than those from the other restaurants visited for this review, but the small portion didn’t detract from the quality.
Once again, I was impressed with the level of professionalism from the chefs that was showcased in the cooking of the noodles. The spaghetti-sized noodles were a beautiful tan colour, not clumpy, nor were they too soft or hard. The broth packed a hearty pork taste, and that is where Wa’s ramen really shone. Topping selection was extremely sparse, with no add-on menu for further customization of your
beloved noodle bowl. The tonkotsu ramen comes with dried seaweed, corn, ginger and chashu. Here was where Wa’s ramen falters. The chashu was dry, even by chashu standards, and you are left with a sense of wanting. Wa’s ramen has a lot of potential, but it’s not quite there yet. Recommended if you’re hankering more for sushi than ramen, otherwise go elsewhere.
Menyatai (on left) 24 12 St. N.W., Calgary, AB 403- 263-3666 Urbanspoon rating: 81% Ramen starting at $11.95 The curry ramen at Menyatai proved to be an amazing dish. The noodles were perfectly cooked, and the broth was wonderful. It was spicy, but nothing that an average person who enjoys spice couldn’t handle. Menyatai’s accompaniments included one piece of chashu, green onions, corn and a soft-boiled egg. If I could compare Menyatai’s ramen bowls to a season, it would be spring. The ratio of vegetables to the rest of the components is not overwhelming nor does it mask the taste. It leaves you feeling refreshed instead of bloated after your meal. The chashu from Menyatai was one of the best pieces of pork I’ve ever had in my life. Too bad you only get one! Everything else was extremely flavourful. Highly recommended.
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JAN 2014
calgaryjournal.ca