Read my Metro Calgary Lunch Rush column or continue reading for the expanded review.
Muku Japanese Noodle House is not the only Calgary restaurant that serves ramen, but it is the only one that specializes in the curly, wheat-flour noodle soup. I like ramen, and seem to have no luck, or worse luck when it comes to finding that perfect bowl.
There is a limited appetizer and non-soup menu which includes dumplings and rice bowls. We started with the muku salad: spicy miso-flavoured ground pork on greens ($6.95). The sweet pork didn’t do it for me, but we enjoyed the light, citrus dressing.
Pork, greens and two kinds of corn. Interesting....
There are three soup-bases from which to choose, such as a miso-based chicken broth, soy-based chicken broth (shoyu) and a soy-based pork broth (tonkotsu). Read More
Greasy, but close enough.
Ramen redemption!
This restaurant came from my foodie friend Joanne, just in the nick of time. After my Wagamama ramen fiasco, I needed a real, cheap and hopefully authentic fix of the dense noodle.
The solution came at Eat Tokyo in Soho, a traditional Japanese restaurant that also serves sushi, tempura, katsu and more. The restaurant is tiny, seating maybe 20 patrons max. Read More
Chili squid with sweet sauce.
We came to Wagamama in the same way that one does when meeting a friend’s friend or someone they “have heard so much about!” that is to say, we came with much anticipation.
Wagamama is a pan-asian, higher-end, quick service restaurant that started in Bloomsbury, London in 1992. It has now grown to 66 restaurants in the UK and 38 internationally. The franchise has won accolades like Zagat readers’ “official superbrand” in 2007 and 2008, along with the Retailer’s Retail Awards as one of London’s most popular restaurants for 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009. Read More
