Nomiya - Average Japanese (Edmonton 30 in 30)

Ramen is winter's soul food. There is nothing better than a steaming bowl of hot broth, dense noodles and tasty toppings to drive away the nippy cold that is the Canadian winters. Thriving in the cold north we would see numerous Japanese ramen houses pop up, serving up bowls of life sustaining warmth as patrons lined up out the doors. Nomiya was one such restaurant in Edmonton and one that sustained me through the longest and coldest of Edmonton winters. It was without a doubt that I had to re-frequent Nomiya during my stay here in Edmonton.

The location is prime for any south Edmontonian. Found on the corner of 38th avenue and Calgary Trail, the small restaurant is tucked away in a large and popular strip mall. Even though the owners tucked as many booths and seating into the small space as possible, you would still find lines of would-be patrons coalescing outside the doors, waiting for their name to be called. Clearly their popularity has remained.

The menu is adept and features the basics of Japanese cuisine. Their star to fame is their ramens featuring a good variety of soups and bases. Of course you get the classic Tonkotsu, Shoyo, and Miso broths; but Nomiya also features an intriguing curry, seafood and Tan Tan broth. If ramen is not in the cards, diners can also choose from a variety of bento boxes, rolls and small Japanese appetizers. Overall a functional menu and one that should satisfy most looking for a quick Japanese meal.

Feeling famished after a long morning of work, I started with a Bento Box. I like the organization of their lunch boxes here as patrons have three categories to choose from: a main, a side and a maki roll. What Nomiya does well here is offer variety and with four to eight options per category, an almost unlimited permutation of bento boxes can be created.

For my side I chose the Century Tofu. The base is firm fresh tofu which is topped with century fermented egg, salmon roe and scallions. The flavour comes from the fermented eggs that have been marinated in soy; and the texture comes from the firm tofu with the smooth juicy salmon roe. While the century tofu is an acquired taste I did appreciate the subtlety of tastes here and admire Nomiya for offering such a polarizing but tasty side in their bento boxes.

A sign for any good Japanese restaurant is the freshness of their Sashimi. Unfortunately, Nomiya produces a mixed bag. With the bento boxes they offer two large pieces of Tuna, Salmon and one of Surf Clam. While I enjoyed the fatty and springy pieces of salmon, the tuna had a mushy texture and was devoid of any flavour, almost as if it was defrosted too quickly. The surf clam was entirely average with its meaty and chewy meat.

For my maki I went with Nigiri. Three pieces arrived consisting of Salmon, Red Snapper and Mackerel. These were much better with the fatty and large salmon being the most impressive of the bunch. The red snapper had its customary gentle sweetness and the mackerel the typical meaty-ness.

I would be remiss if I did not order a ramen as well. The Tonkotsu ramen features a milky broth surrounding a bevy of tender noodles and toppings including chashu pork, marinated bamboo, corn and seaweed. The rich, creamy and thick broth was key here as it showed a depth only found when brewing for hours and hours. The tender noodles were springy and robust enough to keep its texture in the broth and while I would have appreciated more toppings, the included ones were tasty and added a nice balance of fattiness (from the pork), sweetness (from the corn) and saltiness (from the bamboo).

Nomiya offers thoughtful and solid Japanese food and ramen that should do for anyone in the craving for such. While the quality of their fish was a little suspect, they do supply a tasty ramen and made it up with an authentic take on century tofu. You will not find fine Japanese food here but rather will find average Japanese cuisine at a good value.