MY OVERALL SCORE: 4.1/5

NANCY’S SCORE: 4.3/5

JUSTIN’S SCORE: 3.3/5

BRENTON’S SCORE: 4/5

ORDERED:

• Tan-tan ramen ($13.50)
• Tonkotsu with black garlic oil ramen ($13)
• Miso ramen ($13.50)

This place is one of Edmonton’s hidden gems! It is by far the best and most authentic ramen we have in Edmonton and known for their long line-ups for their limited quantity (Update: They have now reopened and have restructured to become Menya Yuzen! Can’t wait to go back and try their Gyokai Ramen.)

Presentation:                    4.6/5

The beautiful colours in the broth to the carefully placed garnishes made the ramen look as good as it tasted!

Nancy: 4.5. Brenton: 4. Justin: 4.5.

Health:                                  4/5

Unfortunately… and as usual, ramen isn’t the best for vegetarian or vegan options. And unfortunately I never rate ramen high on health due to the fatty content in the broths, but that’s also what makes it oh-so-yummy! Yuzen does make chicken and pork broth from scratch so that’s a plus! I also believe they make their own noodles.

Nancy: 4. Brenton: 4. Justin: 3.5.

Atmosphere/location:     3/5

Ahh!! I forgot to take a picture of the inside. I think it’s now renovated. But at the time when I went, I wouldn’t say this place sets much of any particular mood. It’s just your average sit-down place, with a small glass display in the corner that tried to advertise some things to sell. It can fit probably 20 some people inside.

I guess the biggest bummer part is that it’s so far out. But it is nice that there’s lots of parking available! If it’s in summer, there’s usually a nice big farmers’ market nearby you can go attend after eating at Yuzen!

Nancy: 4.5. Brenton: 3. Justin: 3.

Cost:                                     4.5/5

For what you’re getting, I definitely say the price is good! The quantity is perfect for me for a good level of full 🙂

Nancy: 4. Brenton: 4. Justin: 4.5.

Taste:                                  4.7/5 

There are very few places that I can finish the whole bowl of ramen with its noodles. So this is definitely one of the top spots I go to get ramen in Edmonton.

Nancy: 5. Brenton: 5. Justin: 4.5.

I’m really picky about noodles, but LOOK AT THIS. Curly, bit chewy, but cuts nicely when chewed. :3 Since it’s Saturday, they’re serving thin noodles.

Tan-tan Ramen: CAREFUL, contains nuts! In many places where I try tantan, there’s something about the dish where the flavour is quite overpowering: after a couple bites and sips I feel really heavy and I don’t have an appetite to finish it. Some places make the broth pretty thick too. Or perhaps it might be the ratio of sesame they use in their recipe.

Although I didn’t order this dish, just from a couple tastes of the broth, I feel like the black garlic oil was a nice enough contrast for me to not be overwhelmed by the sesame flavour!

Not all places put nuts in this dish, but it is quite common, so make sure you ask your server first. Many people think the dish itself is made with peanuts, but the taste is actually sesame paste with some chili-pepper!

Tonkotsu with Black Garlic Oil: I’m a BIG fan of black garlic. Besides when we are making it and it stinks up the whole house… but out of all places, I find Yuzen is able to get the taste right! The broth for this is goldddd. Creamy, and you can tell the broth has been boiled for a long time with the bone, fats and collagen. Combine it with extra fatty, melt-in-your-mouth cha siu. and BAM. Goodness in a bowl. Would be perfect for cold winter seasons.

Miso Ramen: This dish is more light if you don’t prefer the creamy broth ramen. I wanted to ask if they are using Shinsu miso (yellow miso) which would be often be made with fermented soybeans and barley. It’s not as strong as red miso, but the flavour is still very present. Overall very yummy!

What more do you need?! Our smiling and content faces says it all in how much we loved it.

Service:                               4/5
Not much to say but your average service and it wasn’t a too long of a wait time for the food! The servers were cute and nice though hehe.

Nancy: 4.5. Brenton: 4. Justin: 4.5.

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Must. Post. MORE.

See yah!

Mish.