Restaurant Review: Nomiya
NOMIYA 3803 Calgary Trail | nomiyarestaurant.com Instagram: @nomiyayeg | Twitter: @NomiyaJapan Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew
Over the past decade ramen has exploded in Edmonton (and everywhere else) and there is one restaurant that spearheaded the movement when it comes to this city: Nomiya. Opening their original location in 2011 (there are now three), I am fairly certain that they were among the first to bring ramen to Edmonton. In fact, I'm pretty sure this is the first place where I ever tried real ramen myself. Since then many other ramen restaurants have opened their doors but we certainly have Nomiya to thank for trailblazing the way. Edmonton Journal named them Best Ramen Restaurant 2021 and I was very much looking forward to paying them a visit once again. You'll find the OG location in the Calgary Trail South area, basically a long, multi-block strip of shopping plazas sandwiched between Calgary Trail and Gateway Boulevard. It's a very popular stretch that contains plenty of shopping and a small handful of "actually good" restaurants, Nomiya being one of them. Back when I first visited the restaurant was much smaller, but since then they have taken over the unit next door, doubling the restaurant's size. The decor is still beautifully authentic, using red and black as classic accents. I loved the striking use of torii (Japanese gates) throughout the space. The original side of the restaurant feels more finished and more decorated, whereas the addition side seems to have less of an identity and is more or less just tables in a room. It's cohesive enough though. I like that there's also an option to be seated at the sushi bar for a more one-on-one experience with the sushi chef. I'd love to try that! I had made a reservation in advance because it never hurts to have one. The various servers who helped us were all very friendly and happy to answer any of our questions. Nomiya specializes in ramen, tapas, and sushi, so it's a bit of a choose-your-own-adventure type of experience. You could go the ramen route and dine on huge bowls of soup. Or you could go the sushi route and sample a variety of different items. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. However, I would venture to say that Nomiya is a ramen restaurant, first and foremost. The drink menu usually includes several fun special cocktails but I was in the mood to keep things simple and went for a Ramune ($5.50), a very classic non-alcoholic beverage choice.
Four different flavours are offered and I chose the lychee one this time. If you've ever tried one of these before you know that it's a whole activity. The drink comes with a plastic plunger that you use to jam a marble (yes, a marble) down into the neck of the bottle, thus opening the top for consumption. I'm not sure if this is the most efficient way for a bottled beverage to work but it sure is the most fun. The marble rattles around while you drink and you spend most of the time plotting how you'll get it out of there. I liked the flavour a lot. It tasted like carbonated lychee and was very enjoyable. There are many appetizers to choose from and I found one of my favourites, right from the streets of Osaka: Takoyaki ($6.95)!
All of the food arrived very quickly and these were no exception. The dish included four takoyaki balls, complete with dancing bonito on top. I noted the use of okonomiyaki sauce, however there is no actual okonomiyaki on the menu! They should do those! (It's a savoury pancake that originates from Osaka.) Usually cooked in a special molded pan, I wouldn't be surprised if Nomiya has one for the preparation of their takoyaki. The perfect little spheres were golden with a nice soft bite to them, just like the ones that I had in Japan. Within the batter are bits of chopped octopus, which were nicely tender. These things are fun to eat and the toppings complete the whole flavour experience. On this visit, my intent was to lean mainly to the ramen side, since I do believe that this is where Nomiya shines. There are nine different types to choose from, all using different flavour profiles and preparations. Each one uses a base of tonkotsu broth made over many hours from a special recipe. I was delighted to find my personal favourite style on the menu; Shio Ramen ($13.75). This type of ramen has solidified itself as my ramen of choice and not all places offer it. I was very happy to see that Nomiya is serving it and I couldn't wait to give their version a try!
At first glace, I was pleased. This shio ramen looked the part. It mainly comes down to the milky broth, slices of chashu (Japanese braised pork belly) and my personal favourite, the ajitama (the marinated egg). Armed with my chopsticks and ladle-like spoon, I was ready to get my slurp on! First, I tasted the broth, which was quite wonderful. A shio broth is salt based and this one skillfully managed to capture the salt seasoning without being too overpowering. Next I had to try the noodles, which they make in-house. They had a perfect bite to them, were not at all sticky, and were an excellent base. Really, as long as the broth and noodles are on point the rest is just a bonus. The chashu made me happy because I really enjoyed the thin slices. They were easy to eat, full of flavour, and weren't too fatty. The ajitama was great too, delightfully marinated and perfectly soft-boiled - I only wish that I got to have the other half! The rest of the toppings worked together, creating a nice mixture of textures and flavours; from the sweet corn to the nori. There was honestly nothing that I didn't like about this ramen. I still might say that the shio ramen at Santouka is my all-time fave but this one is a solid alternative. Lastly, I was drawn to the mini donburi, known as the perfect ramen pairing. If you're choosing to do a ramen-centric dinner, these are a great way to round out the meal a bit more so that you get more than just soup. The Kani Ikura Don ($5.25) sounded incredible and I had to try it.
Served on rice, these little bowls are an ideal side dish. Like a little jewel box, this bowl of rice looked beautiful and tasted even better. I absolutely loved this! The combination of crab, ikura (red caviar) and mayo created an ultra creamy, luxurious mixture that tasted heavenly. It was sweet and salty, with bursts of flavour from the caviar. Plus there was a great textural crunch from the tempura. This rice bowl felt unique and special. I loved it so much and might even say that it was my favourite dish overall. I would be amiss if I didn't mention how incredible the kids menu is at Nomiya. They offer a Kid's Bento, where kids get to create their perfect bento feast! I loved all of the selections available, from choosing a type of hoso maki, a choice of two nigiri sushi pieces, a side dish, and a main dish. It's incredible value and I love the way that it allows kids to make choices for themselves and explore food. There's a lot more that I want to try on the Nomiya menu. I need to get into some of their more entrée style dishes, especially since they have a few different offerings of saba (mackerel), one of my favourite fish. The teishoku set dinners look very exciting. All of this is to say: I must return soon. Edmonton has a lot of restaurants that "started it all" and Nomiya is one of them. They opened at a time when food was becoming truly interesting in our city and the culinary scene was beginning to come into its own. By opening our eyes to ramen they paved the way for many more ramen restaurants after them. It's nice to see that they are still forging ahead, and are still offering an excellent dining experience which includes some of the best Japanese food in the city.