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Craving for ramen during this rainy day. My brother recommended this place so we tried it. I got the shio ramen with clear soup (you can get creamy soup as option). Noodles were cooked to perfection!!! It's not over cooked and it has that crisps to it :-). I love the chiashu! Clearly different than the other ramen places we've been to. Soup isn't salty eh I sometimes happen with restaurants when the place is packed. I love this place. We also ordered tempura on the side which comes in 6 was really good according to my daughter and husband. So here I am again recommending another place for people to try when they visit Victoria BC. Clean place, street parking or go to the next parking structure.
I ordered their staple bowl of shio ramen. The broth was creamy; the noodles, al dente. Sizeable portion of noodles -- definitely adequate. I added the combo mini chasyu don (as I missed having rice for a few days!), which made the meal more than plenty. All the flavours were tasty but not deep. I am curious how I would find the spicy version of the shio ramen. Friendly staff, including the kitchen staff, as I was seated at the counter with the wide view into the kitchen. It was a good dining experience and it certainly satisfied my ramen craving.
My boyfriend and I were looking for a good ramen place nearby and we found this one on yelp. I got the shoyu ramen and he got the miso ramen. The ramen was a solid 7/10. I enjoyed it overall but the soup concentration on the miso ramen was quite thick and very creamy. They had a an option to add extra noodles to the bowl, which is what my boyfriend decided to get because he likes more noodles in his soup. The ramen was also reasonably priced and not super expensive, which we liked. The service was also good and ever working their is very friendly and helpful. The inside of the restaurant is clean and it seems small when you first enter but as soon as you start walking further in, its a lot bigger than it looks. They have bar seating facing the kitchen and the window by the door as well as lots of large table seating throughout the rest of the restaurant. This was a good ramen place and I might be back with more friends to try different ramen bowls with!
Reasonably tasty, but fairly mediocre vegan ramen. I dined in for dinner on a Tuesday evening, having seen that they do a vegan ramen. It's a tomato ramen ($16.50 plus tax), something I had not seen done vegan before, so I was eager to try it. It comes with spinach noodles and a generous array of toppings: bamboo shoots, spinach, corn, tofu, a mushroom, bean sprouts, shredded carrot, and green onion. The broth was interesting -- quite tangy, almost sour, I guess sweet & sour, with appropriate saltiness. The broth was just OK and didn't have the depth or complexity I'd hoped for. At $16.50 for a vegan ramen, this is costlier than literally every other ramen place in Vancouver that does vegan ramens other than Jinya and Afuri (I know, I have a spreadsheet of them all!). So, all in all, decent spot for vegan ramen, but nothing special and fairly pricey.
OVERALL: 8/10. I'd probably come back here, since it's definitely deserving of a higher star rating (3-star too loowwwww), but it's definitely on the more pricey end - so I can understand any aversion to becoming a regular here (If I lived in Victoria, I'd come once or twice a month, tops). This place felt authentic, and the staff were friendly and prompt with their service - even if the aftermath (it took a while to even get the bill) did take a while longer than usual. Anyway, on to the rating! All quoted prices are in $CAD. 1) VARIETY/SELECTION: 9/10. on the "main dishes" side, there were 3 primary types of ramen (Miso - $14/$15, Shio - $13, Shoyu - $14), as well as the spicy equivalents, and then there was a tomato-based ramen, and three donburis to choose from (chasyu - $10, tuna - $16, ebi tempura - $9). You could make any of them a "combo" by adding a mini spring mix or a mini BBQ pork donburi ($2.99 for either), as well as add toppings like extra noodles ($1.50), extra 3pc pork ($3.50), softboiled egg, spinach, mushroom, bamboo shoot, etc. The appetizers were extremely expensive for what was offered. Major items included: Chicken Karaage ($9.50), Pork/Veggie Gyoza ($6), Shrimp Tempura ($7), Edamame ($5!!!! WTF!!!!), Tuna Tataki ($15), BBQ Beef Ribs ($13). 2) FRESHNESS: 8/10. It seemed like the noodles and the broth were made fairly fresh, but the BBQ Pork Donburi that came with the ramen didn't taste as fresh, for some reason. The Karaage was piping hot, which was great, but it felt like it had been fried in the morning, not when we had ordered it. 3) VALUE FOR MONEY: 6.5/10. This place sets some prices at a super great range, and others at a totally weird "why did you make it this price". For one, why is Edamame $5 for a tiny bowl? You can get this free at most places... it's not that expensive. Karaage was way too expensive (should be closer to $7 or $6.50 based on the size given - see pictures), the tempura is too small for the price (I'd expect 3-4 pieces to cost no more than $5) The ramen dishes are all incredibly expensive ($13-$15), and the portion size is average to above average. The extra noodles are almost a requirement - for 10% more, you get double or triple the noodles. The ramen itself was decent quality (came with two pieces of chashu and one softboiled egg already); and the spice level of the spicy miso was #worth. Now if only the ramen was cheaper... (Like, $10-12; $15 is a little much if there aren't already more noodles in there) 4) SERVICE: 8/10. We were seated quickly after entering, at the back, since my grandmother had wanted soup to help cope with her cold (it was cold outside too, so we wanted to not be near the front). The food came 20 minutes after ordering; everything was quite fresh, tasted great; most of our needs were attended to promptly. The service was a bit spotty - there were instances where I had to ask a couple of times to get my grandmother some hot water. Further, they never came by to refill the empty (lukewarm/cold?) water that we had on the table, even when the crowd died down after 1pm. 5) CONSISTENCY / FIRST IMPRESSION: 8.5/10. This place seemed authentic, and I loved the Japanese ramen-house atmosphere. The service was somewhat spotty - we were first seated before we were informed that we had to move tables because they "wanted to reserve the larger tables at the back for larger parties, in case one showed up" (none did), but we were able to order and eat fairly quickly as we had to leave for the Vancouver ferry afterwards.
I had the shoyu ramen with the cloudy soup and of course at least for me ramen is not complete without deep fried gyoza. It was for lunch and it was cold and rainy so it totally hit the spot. Sorry if you were hoping for pics of the food. What can I say? I was hungry.
=== 1. VERDICT/VALUE The downtown eatery seems to have a sister location in Hillside Centre - whoohoo! The same authenticity brought to you by Japanese entrepreneurs is available here, complete with Japanese decor and NHK broadcasts on TV :). Good option when you're hankering for warm noodles in soup. === 2. FOOD The quality is just as good as that found in the downtown location, except shio ramen is not available here. I've tried the shoe and miso ramen here and it's delish as it is downtown. The $3.50 add-on sukiyaki beef on rice is good; I just wish it were bigger :) === 3. SERVICE It's all self-serve for the most part - you're encouraged to to use a large-screen kiosk to order everything, including any customizations. The service of the food itself is relatively quick, polite, and can be in English or Japanese. While you can normally bring your dishes to the collection stations, the stone bowls from Menbow requires you to return your tray to Menbow directly. === 4. ENVIRONMENT The Hillside Centre food court offers you a lot of space for groups of any size, with or without baby strollers or wheelchairs to dine in a bright, open, relatively-modern decor. Parking is a breeze too, given the spacious parking lot outside for the mall/. read more
11 months ago
3 years ago
Food is good. Service was efficient and prompt. Typical noodle bar ambiance. Prices are reasonable. What I liked: Larger bowls. They don't skimp with the roast pork or ramen egg and other items. Overall a great bowl of ramen. What could be improved. Less salt. It's too salty and I even ordered the "light" low salt version. Sad, but I couldn't drink the broth because it was too salty. read more
2 years ago
Craving for ramen during this rainy day. My brother recommended this place so we tried it. I got the shio ramen with clear soup (you can get creamy soup as option). Noodles were cooked to perfection!!! It's not over cooked and it has that crisps to it :-). I love the chiashu! Clearly different than the other ramen places we've been to. Soup isn't salty eh I sometimes happen with restaurants when the place is packed. I love this place. We also ordered tempura on the side which comes in 6 was really good according to my daughter and husband. So here I am again recommending another place for people to try when they visit Victoria BC. Clean place, street parking or go to the next parking structure. read more
3 years ago
I ordered their staple bowl of shio ramen. The broth was creamy; the noodles, al dente. Sizeable portion of noodles -- definitely adequate. I added the combo mini chasyu don (as I missed having rice for a few days!), which made the meal more than plenty. All the flavours were tasty but not deep. I am curious how I would find the spicy version of the shio ramen. Friendly staff, including the kitchen staff, as I was seated at the counter with the wide view into the kitchen. It was a good dining experience and it certainly satisfied my ramen craving. read more
My boyfriend and I were looking for a good ramen place nearby and we found this one on yelp. I got the shoyu ramen and he got the miso ramen. The ramen was a solid 7/10. I enjoyed it overall but the soup concentration on the miso ramen was quite thick and very creamy. They had a an option to add extra noodles to the bowl, which is what my boyfriend decided to get because he likes more noodles in his soup. The ramen was also reasonably priced and not super expensive, which we liked. The service was also good and ever working their is very friendly and helpful. The inside of the restaurant is clean and it seems small when you first enter but as soon as you start walking further in, its a lot bigger than it looks. They have bar seating facing the kitchen and the window by the door as well as lots of large table seating throughout the rest of the restaurant. This was a good ramen place and I might be back with more friends to try different ramen bowls with! read more
Reasonably tasty, but fairly mediocre vegan ramen. I dined in for dinner on a Tuesday evening, having seen that they do a vegan ramen. It's a tomato ramen ($16.50 plus tax), something I had not seen done vegan before, so I was eager to try it. It comes with spinach noodles and a generous array of toppings: bamboo shoots, spinach, corn, tofu, a mushroom, bean sprouts, shredded carrot, and green onion. The broth was interesting -- quite tangy, almost sour, I guess sweet & sour, with appropriate saltiness. The broth was just OK and didn't have the depth or complexity I'd hoped for. At $16.50 for a vegan ramen, this is costlier than literally every other ramen place in Vancouver that does vegan ramens other than Jinya and Afuri (I know, I have a spreadsheet of them all!). So, all in all, decent spot for vegan ramen, but nothing special and fairly pricey. read more
3 years ago
3 years ago
2 years ago
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8 years ago
OVERALL: 8/10. I'd probably come back here, since it's definitely deserving of a higher star rating (3-star too loowwwww), but it's definitely on the more pricey end - so I can understand any aversion to becoming a regular here (If I lived in Victoria, I'd come once or twice a month, tops). This place felt authentic, and the staff were friendly and prompt with their service - even if the aftermath (it took a while to even get the bill) did take a while longer than usual. Anyway, on to the rating! All quoted prices are in $CAD. 1) VARIETY/SELECTION: 9/10. on the "main dishes" side, there were 3 primary types of ramen (Miso - $14/$15, Shio - $13, Shoyu - $14), as well as the spicy equivalents, and then there was a tomato-based ramen, and three donburis to choose from (chasyu - $10, tuna - $16, ebi tempura - $9). You could make any of them a "combo" by adding a mini spring mix or a mini BBQ pork donburi ($2.99 for either), as well as add toppings like extra noodles ($1.50), extra 3pc pork ($3.50), softboiled egg, spinach, mushroom, bamboo shoot, etc. The appetizers were extremely expensive for what was offered. Major items included: Chicken Karaage ($9.50), Pork/Veggie Gyoza ($6), Shrimp Tempura ($7), Edamame ($5!!!! WTF!!!!), Tuna Tataki ($15), BBQ Beef Ribs ($13). 2) FRESHNESS: 8/10. It seemed like the noodles and the broth were made fairly fresh, but the BBQ Pork Donburi that came with the ramen didn't taste as fresh, for some reason. The Karaage was piping hot, which was great, but it felt like it had been fried in the morning, not when we had ordered it. 3) VALUE FOR MONEY: 6.5/10. This place sets some prices at a super great range, and others at a totally weird "why did you make it this price". For one, why is Edamame $5 for a tiny bowl? You can get this free at most places... it's not that expensive. Karaage was way too expensive (should be closer to $7 or $6.50 based on the size given - see pictures), the tempura is too small for the price (I'd expect 3-4 pieces to cost no more than $5) The ramen dishes are all incredibly expensive ($13-$15), and the portion size is average to above average. The extra noodles are almost a requirement - for 10% more, you get double or triple the noodles. The ramen itself was decent quality (came with two pieces of chashu and one softboiled egg already); and the spice level of the spicy miso was #worth. Now if only the ramen was cheaper... (Like, $10-12; $15 is a little much if there aren't already more noodles in there) 4) SERVICE: 8/10. We were seated quickly after entering, at the back, since my grandmother had wanted soup to help cope with her cold (it was cold outside too, so we wanted to not be near the front). The food came 20 minutes after ordering; everything was quite fresh, tasted great; most of our needs were attended to promptly. The service was a bit spotty - there were instances where I had to ask a couple of times to get my grandmother some hot water. Further, they never came by to refill the empty (lukewarm/cold?) water that we had on the table, even when the crowd died down after 1pm. 5) CONSISTENCY / FIRST IMPRESSION: 8.5/10. This place seemed authentic, and I loved the Japanese ramen-house atmosphere. The service was somewhat spotty - we were first seated before we were informed that we had to move tables because they "wanted to reserve the larger tables at the back for larger parties, in case one showed up" (none did), but we were able to order and eat fairly quickly as we had to leave for the Vancouver ferry afterwards. read more
4 years ago
4 years ago
I had the shoyu ramen with the cloudy soup and of course at least for me ramen is not complete without deep fried gyoza. It was for lunch and it was cold and rainy so it totally hit the spot. Sorry if you were hoping for pics of the food. What can I say? I was hungry. read more
2 years ago
5 years ago
5 years ago
3 years ago
Black garlic ramen was incredible!!! Best I've ever had! We saw some not so great reviews but the photos looked great so we tried it. Hands down incredible read more
2 years ago
4 years ago
3 years ago
3 years ago
8 years ago
Love everything here. Everything. The service is friendly and efficient. Ramen is amazing. Ribs are tender and juicy. Take out is fast and they separate the stock from the rest of the dish. I drive from Nanaimo to Victoria just to eat here. read more
4 years ago
To be honest, the food itself is 4 stars. The only reason why I'm giving it a 3 is because the prices were so ridiculously high, it beats downtown Vancouver in some aspects. I haven't had ramen for a long, long time. Aside from the fact that most half decent ramen places don't cater to vegetarians, I've just been pushing it to the back of my mind. When I saw that this place served a veggie option, I could only go for it. The noodles were bouncy and chewy- delicious. The "broth" on the other hand... Well, let's just say it was less broth and more a savory, tomato puree. It wasn't bad by any stretch but it just seemed like something was missing. The toppings were delicious, and I loved the fried tofu. In the end I paid over $16 after tax and tip for the ramen and an egg... I mean, it was good, but the prices really aren't justified. read more
4 years ago
A cute place in downtown Victoria to have a sating meal. There's only one vegan option in the Ramen menu but it is quite tasty. It contains the perfect amount and combination of veggies and noodles. The veggie gyoza are also delectable. The Sake is worth trying served in the delicate ochoko, it gives quite an authentic feeling while trying out the Japenese drink. read more
Great location and clean spot with lots of ramen options. It's getting warm so I went for the no-broth ramen. Very flavourful warm noodles with leafy greens, soft boiled egg, pork belly and gomae. Too salty for me personally and like some other comments have mentioned, a bit pricey. Overall good and great service! read more
8 years ago
I had high hopes based on the 4 star rating that this establishment has. However, I was left quite disappointed. I should state that this review is based on the vegetarian option ramen. The menu said it was tomato based. I could barely eat half of it. The taste was very bland like a watered down can of condensed tomato soup. The toppings were canned corn, soggy spinach, mushrooms, and mushy tofu. I also ordered a tempura shrimp starter. It was a generous portion, but I felt the batter was quite thick to the tempura I am used to. I would not recommend coming here if you are vegetarian or vegan. read more
4 years ago
3 years ago
8 years ago
We saw their flyer at the visitor center and decided to check it out . The food is amazing. read more
9 years ago
So good. The noodles are just perfect and the spicy miso was just hot enough to give me the sniffles. Bowls are huge - I couldn't finish my broth but you bet I ate every noodle. The atmosphere was pretty relaxed. Quite a few people there for before noon on a Sunday. My kid shared an adult portion but got his own plastic bowl and kid chopsticks. Maybe a little pricey but 10/10 would eat here again. read more
7 years ago
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More info about Menbow Ramen Bar
1018 Blanshard Street
Victoria, BC V8W 2H5
Canada
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(250) 477-3883
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https://menbowramenbar.com
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