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 (Japanese style marble pop - $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 (Battered octopus fried to perfection. Topped with bonito flakes, okonomiyaki sauce, Japanese QP mayo, and shredded nori - $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 (A favourite among many Japanese locals! The tonkotsu based soup is seasoned with homemade shio (sea salt) flavour - giving this ramen a well balanced flavour of pork and a light creamy broth. Topped with 1/2 ramen egg - $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 read more