Calgary ramen Archives - Eat Your Broccoli!

March 25, 2016

Umami Noodle Bar

I had a craving for ramen. It is a craving if I always want ramen? I dropped by Umami Noodle Bar to try their wares. First thing I noticed. The stroller parked in the foyer. As a MoM (Mother of multiples) family friendly restaurants now interest me.

The aroma of full bodied ramen broth was wafting through the air enticing me like Pavlov’s dog. The space was small, but not crowded for a midweek lunch. The server was very friendly and helpful. I like that.

The ramen arrived in short order with a head of steaming broth. The broth was rich and had a full flavour. Noodles were chewy firm; the way I like them. The chashu buns I ordered to go. I reheated them as a snack later and they tasted pretty good. I think I will return.

June 17, 2015

Ikemen Ramen Bar

It feels like it has been ages since I’ve been down to Kensington. Oh, it’s probably been just over a month now, but since then several new places have opened. One that I have been eager to try is Ikemen Ramen Bar. It has been open for about three weeks now. They were still putting the stickers on the windows.

I love ramen. Traditional, fusion, and even my homemade attempts. All good. Ikemen has sprung up where the old Tandoori Hut used to be. They have a small selection of traditional and fusion ramen. We started with the age dashi tofu and gyoza. I had the green curry seafood ramen and my sister-in-law the dynamite roll. The tofu was simmered in a delicious broth. Our server asked us to to describe the dish as she had not yet tried it. I said the broth was rich with overtones of dashi and bonito. With the bonito flakes blowing in the breeze.

I really enjoyed my ramen. The green curry was a tad on the medium spicy side, but full of flavour. They could have been more generous with the seafood, as it came with a whole shrimp, mussel and a couple of scallops. SIL had the dynamite roll which was beautifully presented. For dessert, we shared the organic corn ice cream which was on their daily special board. It tasted of sweet corn and vanilla. An interesting combination. Worth a return trip!

August 13, 2014

Goro + Gun

I went to Goro + Gun a while ago. Just a little behind on my blogging. Located in the former West Restaurant and Bar location, it is definitely the largest ramen serving restaurant in Calgary. It’s not exclusively ramen; there are other Japanese influenced Asian dishes on the menu.

Hubby and I started with the okonomiyaki. It is a traditional Japanese savoury pancake. I quite liked the taste and concept. There was pork belly topped with ginger, bonito flakes, mayo, and teriyaki style sauce over a fried green cabbage batter. It was a fairly substantial appetizer and something that I have not tried before.

I went with the Miso ramen for my main. The noodles are what I would expect with ramen; yellow, slightly curly with a chewy texture. The broth was tasty and more like creamy tonkotsu if compared to Shiki Menya’s. I liked the added flavour of the black garlic oil.

Hubby and I shared the dessert which was a black sesame creme brulee. It was served with what tasted like a rice cracker on the side and topped with what seemed to be deep fried crispy noodle. It was a very interesting and unique dessert. I love the richness of black sesame, which works well in this case.

OKONOMIYAKI green cabbage, green onion, pork belly — OKONOMIYAKI
green cabbage, green onion, pork belly

MISO RAMEN bbq pork, kikurage mushrooms, red ginger, green onions, shio — MISO RAMEN
bbq pork, kikurage mushrooms, red ginger, green onions, miso