November 16, 2010

Never underestimate the power of a good bowl of soup.

"Spoons? Where we're going, we don't need spoons."

I've never been a big fan of ramen. (I can explain! ... Nope, actually, I can't.) I'm in love with spaghetti, but I've never really felt the same way about noodles in soup. That is until I ate at Ramen Bar.

After driving by the place numerous times on my way to work, I finally got the chance to try this little resto that gained itself the title of "the place where you can find the best ramen in the city" (according to numerous food blogs.)

The place was pretty empty since it was a weekday, but I am told that it fills up pretty fast during the weekends.  As you can see, the atmosphere is pretty cozy. Perfect for the comfort food that awaits you. The tables are positioned next to each other, though, so if you're dining as a group of three or fewer, be prepared to do some unintentional eavesdropping.

You can ask for house tea which can either be served hot or cold. We chose to order the cold version since we knew our ramen would arrive piping hot.  While you wait, you can give yourself a quick Japanese lesson by learning the names of the ingredients on the menu. After tasting their ramen, I bet you won't be able to pick a favorite ingredient.  All of them work so perfectly together. Mmmmm. I'm getting ahead of myself here.

R.B.S. #1 - Soy infused Tonkotsu ramen topped with tamago, naruto, nori, negi, chasyu, and kakuni
Now, for the good stuff. After reading numerous blogs about Ramen Bar, I knew that I had to try R.B.S. #1. After hearing all the songs of praise for this bowl, I must say I had pretty high expectations -- and boy, did this meet every single one of them. From the tamago (don't go looking for a yellow bar of egg) to the naruto (don't go looking for... Okay, I won't go there.) to the single piece of nori... Ahhh, it was just bliss. I have to say the tamago was something else. Their version of tamago is soft boiled egg marinated for 48 hours. 48 HOURS. It was worth every second, I tell ya.  The meat (pork, beef, and chicken) was heaven. Tough meat? Non-existent.


Super Chasyu Ramen - Soy infused Tonkotsu ramen topped with overflowing slices of chasyu and tamago
All the blogs that I read said that the chasyu just melts in your mouth. And you know what? IT REALLY DOES. I couldn't believe meat could be that soft. The Tonkotsu (pork bone soup boiled for twenty, yes TWENTY, hours) was so soothing, too. Once you lift that humongous bowl up to your lips, it'll be quite a challenge to put it back down. And have I mentioned their tamago? 48 hours? Oh maaan. This was another bowl of win.

I swear, at the start of our meal, all you could hear was "Oh my God..." "Mmmmm..." "Ahhhh..." and of course, *sluuuurp*... The only coherent statement I could form after about five minutes of non-stop eating was, "I'm happy." This was definitely comfort food at its best.

I wanted to try their one and only dessert on the menu, Tempura Ice Cream, but I was too full. No problem, though, because I'll definitely be going back. Soon, I hope.

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Ramen Bar can be found at the G/F of the Eastwood Mall in Libis, QC. They're open from 11am - 11pm, Mondays to Sundays.

4 comments:

  1. What a great review! I want to make time and check this place out. Maybe you can join us on our Ramen Bar food trip :D

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  2. Yay! Yes, please! I'll make sure I leave room for tempura ice cream. :D

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  3. MMmmmm Rameeenn... :) I've never tried it, but after reading this (and watching numerous anime shows kinda helped) I want a bowl now.And I mean NOW!
    :))

    Great review btw.:)

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  4. Thanks, CJ! Ramen Bar totally changed my opinion on ramen. :) Tell me what you think about it when you've tried it. Go get your bowl NOW! :))

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