Restaurant Review: Menya Mori
MENYA MORI
10350 124th Street | menyamori.com Instagram: @menya.mori
Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew
Menya Mori (formerly known as Kasey Ramen) has quickly become an Edmonton success story in the past six years. What began as a pandemic project in 2020 is now a fully formed ramen restaurant that is consistently packed with this city's noodle loyalists. To say that Chef Allen Gao is obsessed with ramen is an understatement (as evidenced by his continued trips to Japan to study the craft). He began selling ramen kits on Instagram for people to make at home - I bought several of these and during the bleak lockdown days of the pandemic they brought a lot of joy and something fun to create at home. These kits were different... Because they were actually good. Kasey Ramen started doing pop-ups here and there, dipping the proverbial toe into the restaurant waters. In 2023 EDify magazine named them as one of the best new restaurants in the city (they did not have a storefront) and at the EDify Best Restaurants 2023 event I myself chose their Tonkotsu Shio Ramen as the number one best item to eat of the entire night, calling it "INCREDIBLE" and "just as good as ramen that I've eaten in Japan." I also stated that "Kasey Ramen is super hot right now and somewhat elusive, so I was not surprised to see that this booth had the longest line at the event. I ate two bowls because it was perfect." So. Things were off to a promising start. And then in 2024 it finally happened, Menya Mori opened it's doors as a fully realized restaurant, now with a new name, prepared to serve and celebrate the expertly crafted ramen bowls that everyone had come to love. The Edmonton Food Faves We Crave 2022 list named them as Favourite Dish followed by their 2024 list featuring them as a Favourite Noodles pick. Today, Menya Mori is going strong as one of the very top ramen spots in the city. They still sell ramen kits that you can take home. They also put on awesome events and you'll find Allen offering up collabs with some of the coolest businesses and chefs in the city (and beyond). I have no idea how it took me so long to set foot in the restaurant but it was finally time to visit for myself! I got myself to Westmount early on a Saturday evening. I knew that I wanted to arrive before 5pm because I had a feeling that seating would become increasingly elusive and no reservations are taken. Finding a parking spot on 124th Street shouldn't be too difficult but you will have to pay for it. I could smell the tantalizing aromas of broth wafting through the air before I even descended the stairs to Menya Mori's subterranean location. Entering the space, it truly felt like I could have been stepping into a secret little ramen spot in Tokyo. Dark, distressed wood. A wall of perfectly-curated items from Japan. Bench seating. And a counter area for a front row seat to where all of the magic takes place. There aren't that many seats available and when I arrived only two tables were unoccupied. Both disappeared instantly and a line to get in formed and never went away. Arriving as early as I did was a good plan! One thing about ramen is that the turnover is quite quick - the bowls arrive in rapid-fire succession and customers tend to slurp down their ramen and clear out. So even if you are stuck waiting it likely won't be for too long. The menu is small and this is by design. Each item gets the care that it deserves without overloading the system. The servers are friendly and efficient, aiding in keeping the gears constantly turning. I even spotted Allen himself a few times, busily bustling about. As far as beverages there are a few beers to choose from as well as pop and sake. I wasn't in the mood for any of it, looking to focus strictly on the ramen task at hand. However, I was surprised to find a small "Snacks" part of the menu with two items on it. Zangi ($6.00) would be a great way to start.
A small dish containing three morsels of chicken showed up which we doused with the accompanying lemon slice. It didn't look like much but biting into this well-seasoned piece of chicken revealed a juicy fried perfection. There isn't much more to desire from a bite of fried chicken other than a crispy outside and a tender inside. This dish provided exactly that. Ramen is what you come to Menya Mori for and there are five bowls to choose from on the menu. Four of them are always available and one of them, the Gentei (limited edition), is a feature that rotates. Everyone knows that with ramen (or any noodle soup, for that matter) the broth is where the magic lies. A solid broth leads to an incredible bowl. Menya Mori makes every part of their ramen from scratch, including the noodles, broth, and all of the toppings. They don't believe in shortcuts and it's evident in every bowl that they produce. There's a ramen mad scientist (it's Allen) in the kitchen and his craft has been dialed in. Since it was my first official restaurant visit I had to order the Tokyo Style Shoyu Ramen ($23.00 for Tokusei), their signature bowl. At first when I saw two prices for each ramen I assumed that it meant that there are two bowl sizes but this was not the case. "Tokusei" means special and in ramen terms that equates to a bowl that comes loaded with extra luxury toppings. So yes. Give me that please!
The ramen arrived faster than seemed possible and was presented with a precision of toppings laid out with simplistic artistry. Their shoyu ramen uses a clear chintan broth that is simmered for over eight hours below boiling point. This long, gentle simmer concentrates the flavours from the bones and aromatics. The result is an ultra-clean yet complex broth that doesn't need to rely on any strong additional flavour components to stand on its own. This broth is a triumph that you will be able to picture yourself dreaming about and craving for a long time. The noodles were an ideal size and shape for me, not too thick and not too thin. The right length to slurp easily and not at all sticky. And the toppings were a masterclass mixture of textures and flavours. We're talking about pork belly chashu (braised pork), shio koji chicken (incredibly tender and juicy!), pan-seared duck breast (cooked to perfection and tender), black pepper pork, menma (seasoned and fermented bamboo shoots), and of course an ajitama (a perfectly soft-boiled, soy-marinated egg with a jammy inside). And a sheet of nori. It was evident that each component was painstaking prepared and considered in its own right. Putting them all together creates a symphony of flavours that can stand up next to the best ramen bowls in Japan. The effort and attention to detail is such a clear priority. Armed with a spoon in one hand and chopsticks in the other, I went to work and reveled in every bite. Make note that there are NO takeout containers at Menya Mori so you will either need to finish all of your food or bring your own! And guess what? There's a dessert! Purin ($5.00) is a Japanese custard and I had to try the version at Menya Mori.
On my visit the flavour was vanilla with a salted caramel topping. Served in a super simple cup, this dessert was low-key amazing. The custard was eggy in a delicious way - kind of like a tapioca pudding without the pearls. The salted caramel was a wonderful match that added a desirable salty-sweet flavour. After a big bowl of soup I can think of no better sweet treat!
Menya Mori has already done an exceptional job of making a name for themselves in Edmonton. It's an incredible tale of a dream that became a reality, all because what they had to offer was just so damn good. There is plenty of ramen to be found in our city and lots of it is pretty decent but Menya Mori continues to set the bar. ありがとう！
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