Find It...

Muku Japanese Ramen

Usually when you think of Japanese food in Calgary, you immediately think of sushi. Muku Japanese Ramen, located in Kensington, will hopefully raise the profile of ramen, a dish that is wildly popular in Japan (and beyond), but hasn’t quite caught on in the same way in Calgary.

I enjoyed my recent visit to Muku. Taking up residency in the former Globefish location (which moved next door), the space is simple in its decor — no bells and whistles required. Echoing the room, or vice versa, the menu features a nominal offering of ramen, rice dishes and appetizers.

We started with tasty edamame ($3.95) and seaweed salad ($3.50) from the appetizer portion of the menu. The sesame sauce-seasoned seaweed was light and refreshing with a texture reminiscent of glass noodles.

For soup, diners can choose either a soy sauce base or miso base for their ramen. I opted for the ton-kotsu ramen ($8.95) with the soy sauce base. Loaded with barbecue pork, green onion, baby corn and ginger, the soup featured a lovely salty-sweet flavour and astonishingly tender sliced pork.

Something to note: you won’t find many dishes on the Muku menu that don’t feature pork, unless you’re going with one of the few veggie dishes or the stewed beef rice bowl ($9.95). You may want to choose another place to dine if you don’t dig on swine.

Thankfully my boyfriend loves pork. He chose the miso chashu wonton ramen soup ($13.95). Featuring a large portion of pork (five slices) and pork wontons, this soup was topped with a massive glob of miso paste and vegetables. He referred to the dish as a big bowl of happiness (as opposed to Patton Oswalt’s “KFC sadness bowl” – for those of you not in the know, please refer to YouTube immediately).

The essence of Muku is the simplicity of their menu. This straightforward approach is a welcome addition to the Calgary food scene, and along with neighbour Globefish Sushi, has created an interesting hub of Japanese dining on 14th Street N.W. With more than reasonable prices and a friendly staff, be sure to stop by when hunger strikes. Your tummy and your wallet will thank you.

Muku Japanese Ramen. 326, 14th St. N.W., 403-283-6555.