In November and December of 2015, two new ramen restaurants opened up in Edmonton. Kazoku was first, followed by Prairie Noodle. I had to try both of these new places as I love ramen and eat lots of it every time I've been to Tokyo. Ramen is basically soup, noodles, and toppings. It is cheap, easy, fast food that could be quickly prepared and quickly eaten. It has become more glamorous these days with chefs and such making it, but it is still one of these things that a hole in the wall can do really well as it isn't exotic (if you know the time consuming prep process to make it).
One of the most important things about ramen is the soup part. To me, the soup needs to grab the attention of your taste buds on its own as it is what warms the soul. I've had ramen with broth like this savoury nectar of the gods in Tokyo. The odd time, I've had really good broth here too in Calgary or Edmonton, but most of the time it is just passable or pretty good. The noodles have to be firm, maybe a little chewy, and definitely not soggy. The toppings, with roasted pork of some sort must be tender and flavourful with lots of umami, and the ramen eggs need yolks that are still soft or a little runny. If you have these things, you have an awesome bowl of noodles. So, onto the restaurants.
Kazoku Ramen
Kazoku is a nice little restaurant way out on Stony Plain Road near West Edmonton Mall. It is a little far for me to go for a ramen fix, unless I'm in the area. The restaurant has free parking which is nice, and has a nicely done interior with the Ramen Rex focus wall. I was there with a large group and we ordered the tonkotsu ramen, the shoyu ramen, and the Kazoku Special Ramen. We also ordered the katsu curry, some tempura, and an order of gyoza.
The service was okay, and the food was pretty good overall, but we did have a few hiccups on our visit. I'm not sure I like the tempura as much since the batter reminded me more of Chinese deep frying for chicken balls or shrimp rather than a tempura batter. The broccoli batter was still not completely cooked in the middle, but they quickly fried up a fresh one for us. The tonkatsu curry was pretty good, with the curry being tasty with a nicely fried up pork cutlet, and a fluffy egg omelet underneath it; all on top of the rice - very filling.
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| Assorted tempura |
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| gyoza |
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| katsu curry with a fluffy omelet underneath the cutlet. |
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| Tonkotsu Ramen. You have lots of the traditional things for ramen happening here with naruto, soft boiled egg, the pork belly, green onions, dried seaweed, and pickled bamboo shoots. |
The ramen soups were pretty good and I was pretty satisfied with my meal. The couple of us who ordered the Tonkotsu ramen enjoyed it the most, with the soup being thicker, more robustly flavoured, and saltier. The Kazoku Ramen was a lighter, thinner tonkotsu broth, but the person who had it said they would have the regular tonkotsu next time as the flavour was more intense. The gyoza weren't piping hot when we got them, but they were good with lots of garlic like I like it for Japanese gyoza. The roast pork belly was pretty tender and tasty, but one edge (the outside edge was on the tougher side and probably should have been trimmed off).
Overall, I'd try them again for sure and I'll have the tonkotsu or the katsu curry! It's always great to have another ramen eatery around.
Prairie Noodle
Boy, this place can be hard to get into as it is so busy. They've even sold out of their various types of ramen on particular days. I'm sure the crowds will eventually die down, but they sure were off to a great start after a great social media campaign with popup restaurants and all that. This was the place I was really eager to try after some local food bloggers raved about it. The first time I went it was like a 45 minute wait, and we had to pass on it, but the second time, I walked in the door to get a seat after they had just opened for the day. There were already more than half a dozen customers in front of me.
Sitting down at the counter I could see them preparing all the food and you can tell they have an eye for detail here. The restaurant is small, but has a nice modern decorated theme to it. I like the fact that they have coat hooks under the bar, like in Japan to hang a bag or your jacket. They are not doing traditional ramen, and I like the fact that they are doing something different with locally sourced ingredients.
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| Pork Ramen - nicely presented with a good portion size. |
I ordered the Pork Ramen here as pork and ramen are like fish and chips for being two peas in a pod. I also want to see what their take on a classic combination was. When the ramen arrived it was very nicely presented with the shredded roast pork, the pork belly, and the crispy pork skin. I tasted the broth first and it was light with a flavourful undertone, but it didn't knock my socks off or anything. The soup was good, but it really shone when I had it with a mouthful of the shredded pork to provide that big kick of umami. The noodles were nicely done by being firm and chewy and went well with the soup. The pork belly was tender and tasty with the umeboshi egg surprising me with its tartness (but there is pickling involved) The egg was done nicely though. Overall, it was a pretty good bowl of noodles. I'll try the chicken ramen next time, and the miso ramen (with cheese - so it should have lots of flavour) after that. I didn't have room for appetizers, but the ones I saw pass by looked pretty good.
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| Crispy pork skin on top of the egg in the middle. Lots of green onion and roasted corn. |
I'll definitely be back to try more of their ramen with the local/regional touch, which is something that is a plus everyone.
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