LUNCH AT SHIKI MENYA - Bridgeland

Came here on a Monday on a random day off from work. I was doing a little urban hiking around the neighbourhood and surrounding areas and lost track of time. By the time I made it to the restaurant, it was already 11:30am. The restaurant opens at 11:00am, and it was already packed with the first seating. The sign up list was about a third full. Good thing it was nice out so I had no problem waiting outside on the bench. I think I only waited 15 minutes, and I was only one person.

Located on First Avenue NE beside Black Pig Bistro, this little restaurant is modern and quaint. I was seated at the counter and got to spy on the people making the side dishes. Something new was that they changed the menu slightly. They don't seem they have the rice bowls anymore. They did add two more sides - Kimchi tacos with Char Siu and Musubi Char Siu. They still have the Char Sui Taco with pineapple salsa on their menu. The tacos and musubi are 2 for $7. I was hungry after the long walk so I ordered a side and Ramen.

Musubi Char Sui $7

I wanted to order the pineapple salsa tacos but I was afraid they have avocado in the sauce. The restaurant was very loud so I didn't get to ask. Instead, I ordered the musubi char siu. Musubi is similar to orinigi (a popular Japanese rice ball snack). I have heard of Spam musubi in Hawaii so I was curious about these char siu ones. Surprisingly, my Ramen came before these, and I was watching them prepare it. These were delicious, but really hard to eat. They really piled everything up - rice, char siu, cabbage, japanese mayo, seven spice powder, and garlic chips. I got the seaweed around the rice and filling, but the seaweed was rather flimsy so most of the filling fell out when I went to pick it up to eat it. I eventually used my fork to eat them both :(. However, these are very tasty. The char siu was tender and flavourful, and the garlic chips gave it a little crunch. I would definitely order these again.

Miso Classic $12

By trying a Classic bowl of ramen, it allows me to really try the broth. I don't think their New School bowls gives you a lot of broth. The ramen was very good but a bit salty due to the miso. The noodles were very tender. I got two pieces of fatty char siu which melted in your mouth and half a hard boiled egg. The greens gave the dish a fresh taste. Overall, this is a nice bowl of ramen.

This is a nice restaurant that serves limited bowls of yummy ramen. The bad thing about this place is that it only opens during the lunch hour and close on Sundays. The service is quick, and everyone seem friendly. I would definitely recommend this place to everyone I know and would come back again and again.

Shiki Menya
827 1 Ave NE
403-454-2722