LUNCH AT IKEMEN RAMEN BAR - Kensington

I usually don't go out to eat both days on the weekend unless I'm meeting up with friends or my sister. So, eating ramen two days straight is either a luxury or gluttony. I haven't decided yet. I came down to Kensington to continue on my quest for hot chocolates (yyc hot chocolate fest). I had a nice walkabout around Kensington and realized that I didn't have to wait long for Ikemen to open for lunch (12 noon). There were a few people waiting by the door before the restaurant open. I was really surprise how fast this restaurant fills up. Lots of people were waiting for a table not even an hour in since opening. Since I was all by my lonesome self, I got seated at the window bar in front which was great because I got to people watch. But at the same time, I didn't get to enjoy the decor, atmosphere, or see if there was any specials on the chalk board. It felt kinda weird to have your back to the restaurant way up front by the waiting area. However, the server didn't forget about me and checked to see how I was doing regularly.

Chicken Chips $4

I was surprise that you get a lot of chips and no dips. After eating a few, I realized that you don't really need any dip. These chips are deep fried chicken skin, and I got these since I was craving something crunchy to go along with my ramen. They were seasoned perfectly with salt and pepper. There were also deep fried garlic with the chips so you little bits of that to add flavor.

Miso Ramen $11.95

I have to say that this is my favorite ramen so far compared to all the other ramens I had. I don't know if it has something to do with the broth being chicken. The miso broth was perfectly flavoured and not too salty which is a big plus. I was surprise to see chicken char siu on their ramen menu. In Chinese, or at least in Cantonese, 'char siu' is translated as fork roast(burn) and is done with long strips of seasoned boneless pork. I think Ikemen did a very nice interpretation of chicken char siu. I got two pieces. It looked like they rolled the chicken up tightly and roasted it with the same seasoning they use for the pork. Overall, they give you three pieces of char siu, 2 lean chicken pieces and one long fatty pork piece. The noodles were perfectly cooked to my liking - soft. The ramen also include a very soft sous-vide boiled egg, large cabbage pieces, a piece of kale, and garlic chips. I didn't really understand the piece of kale with the ramen - maybe to replace the seaweed? This bowl of ramen filled me up nicely that I didn't get my second hot chocolate later on.

Ikemen is an open concept restaurant from what I can see peeking in. Surprisingly, they are open everyday and come early to avoid lunch rush. I definitely recommend this place for its food and service. I will be back with my ramen-craving friend for sure.

Ikemen Ramen Bar
217 10 St NW
403-452-2148