Noh Ramen: A Hidden Gem?

    With the popularity spike of ramen shops in downtown Vancouver, other restaurants in the lower mainland have had less opportunities to prove themselves. However, after evaluating ramen places from other areas, one place in Langley has captured my interest: Noh Ramen, a small, inconspicuous restaurant in the midst of Walnut Grove. From what I have heard, this town centre is infamously known to have mediocre or even awful restaurant, so seeing a ramen shop was like spotting a giant in a midget convention. Better yet, a warm dish during the unexpected March cold sounded mesmerizing. I ultimately wanted to find out if this Noh Ramen was mediocre like the rest of Walnut Grove or if it was a unappreciated gem. 

   

 

I started off with some salted edamame as an appetizer, a classic order at most ramen places. For $4.50, the quantity was plentiful. Unfortunately, the seasoning could be more consistent. Some pods were heavily concentrated in salt, whereas others not so much. Overall, the edamame was decent, 5.5/10 

    

    

Here is the main dish: miso ramen. Now the first thing to say: the portion sizes in this place are immaculate. A whole egg, 4 thick chashu slices, and a substantial amount of bamboo, green onions and corn are provides in a standard order for $16.99. However, my admiration only goes so far to the restaurant's quantity. The taste of the ramen is slightly mediocre. Firstly, although large in size, the chashu slices are quite dry and the only liquid I could feel in my mouth is the ramen broth; no meat juices were present. Secondly, the broth was nothing special. If anything, it was a little over-seasoned and was concentrated with so much grease that my colleague got digestive issues after consuming this dish. 6/10 for the miso ramen.

    Maybe there is a reason why most people go to downtown Vancouver for ramen. In sum, Noh Ramen is just like the other average, ubiquitous restaurants in Walnut Grove. Noh Ramen is not a hidden gem, but perhaps just hidden.