1. Nudoru Ramen Bar (I)
Overall score: 3.8/5
Ordered:
-Nudoru bunger ($9.00 for 2)
-Make your own noodles ($13.00)
We were off to Whyte and decided to try out this ramen place people were raving about! I’m in love with the noodles… thick, house-made noodles that cling together to hold up the soup! Just lovely. D’:
Presentation: 3.5/5
Overall, the presentation of the food is average. I was really tempted to move around how they placed the individual ingredients inside the bowl before taking the picture haha. I wish there was some pop of colour or something for the dishes.
Health: 4/5
Reminds me of my mom’s cooking! There are some places that I went to before where the soup is very oily, and the buns leaves a film of oil around your mouth. But not here, just the way I like it! It wasn’t too salty either.
I heard the noodles and buns etcetera are made in-house! This is exciting, because it means ingredients can be made fresh, without buying from other places where they tend to add in preservatives.
They do have a vegetarian option.
Atmosphere/location: 4.5/5
It is near the new escape room 出xit, and located conveniently on Whyte ave (very accessible). Right when you walk inside, there’s a beautiful dragon painted on the wall, Japanese tea whisk-inspired lights.
It is spacious, relaxing and open, and the seating is good for 2-4 people. I’m pretty sure they can push together the tables if you had more people.
Cost: 3.5/5
The cost is pretty comparable to other places that sell ramen as well. It was a filling meal with just the two items we got. In terms of the ingredients, I believe that with the in-house made noodles and buns I think the price is pretty good. I know how much effort it takes to make those. (><)”
Taste: 3.7/5
–Nudoru bunger: The pork belly tastes just like what my mom makes; it is more on the boiled and soft side. The main flavours I found came from the sweet miso paste scraped on the bottom of the bun, and the lovely pears that paired (hehe) nicely with it. I don’t think I would’ve been able to take as many bites without the pears as the concentrated miso taste would’ve been a bit strong for me. So make sure you taste a full bite!
I feel like they missed the grilled scallions for our buns though… I think that would help add some other depth to the flavour. The bun is nice and pillowly, and doesn’t leave a film of the bread stuck on the roof of your mouth (not sure if you guys experienced that before).
–Spicy miso ramen: I have to say this is one of the best noodles I’ve had in a while in Edmonton ramen places. It is the thick and wavy kind that has a yellowish hue. The noodles kind of cling together to hold the soup (which is awesome, especially to capture the miso bits), so each bite has flavour! The noodles is definitely my favourite part, just a really nice texture!
The individual components I got was: nori, soft-boiled egg, pork belly and cabbage. There was 2 pieces of nori, and a marinated soft-boiled egg (in soy sauce I believe). I did wish they gave a bit more cabbage, it was a very thin layer of it on the top of my soup. The pork belly was okay, it was the same boiled one as the one in the bun, but I felt like it didn’t really stand out at all in the ramen dish.
I find individual components in the ramen just as important as the broth and noodles itself, and I felt that if they had a seared or crunchier, maybe even more marinated pork belly it would add some different textures in the overall dish.
The broth was good and piping hot :), I tried a bit of the shoyu one, and I’m glad that you can actually differentiate between the broths. It is more of a kotteri (rich) broth with the miso in it, and I was surprised how they used chopped up chili peppers for the heat rather than most places that would use a powder or chili paste.
I noticed in some other pictures that they had the long japanese soup ladle before, but we got a long spoon (it was more awkward feeling in my hands).
Service: 4/5
They had friendly service. Not much to say haha. Maybe could be bit more organized or attentive? We didn’t have napkins or the pencil for marking etc… and we had to keep asking for the items individually. But other than that it was good~
EEEEEE that’s the first post, have a lot to improve but it’s just me thoughts~
mishinnoms 