Restaurant Review: Shiki Menya
Location: 824 1 Avenue NE
Website: https://shiki-menya.myshopify.com/
I had heard about this place in passing over the years and it’s always been in the back of my mind. When COVID shutdowns happened in and around March, a coworker of mine mentioned ramen kits, but having had no idea where this place was or how I was supposed to get it home, I let the idea die.
The thing you need to know about Shiki is that they only make a limited number of bowls of ramen each day, so you could be queued up for hours just to find out that it’s sold out. I both love and hate this. The idea of missing out by just that much is so discouraging and perhaps that’s why I never really bothered to make an effort to come here. However, it’s such a novel idea to continue to be open only until your stock runs out…literally, sometimes.
Well, on a warm, sunny Saturday afternoon, I found myself queuing up outside this restaurant with my boyfriend. We didn’t have to wait long, probably partly due to COVID and probably partly due to the fact that we were having such nice weather. It might’ve been around 15 minutes, but I didn’t really notice, as I was passing time lost in conversation, so it seemed really quick that we were let into the restaurant. We were seated at the end of the bar, which was perfect watching the chefs prepare our food. As I’ve mentioned in previous reviews, I love open concept kitchens because it allows me to watch and see exactly when my food is coming, but also as someone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen and loves to cook, it’s a chance for me to watch and learn a few things of my own.
From what I learned from Mackenzie, the Chili Goma is one of their signature dishes. I was also told the Tonkotsu Black was pretty good. Usually when I’m eating out with Alex at Shinjuku, this is her go to order and I’m not one to deny that a well made pork bone broth isn’t very good. Since I was pretty sure I was just going to steal Mackenzie’s broth, I decided to go for the Tonkotsu. We also got an order of the Chicken Karaage with Shichimi Mayo to share because why wouldn’t we; it’s Chicken Karaage.
Firstly, before I launch into the food, I just want to say, the neon green of the menu really messed with my eyes and I’m not sure if they would’ve made the same choice for a printed menu as they did on their online menu, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they did. They have a very specific aesthetic and I can’t exactly describe it, but you’ll know the minute you step into this place. The music is fairly loud, but I’ve been told that it’s been toned down from what it was like in their previous location. Some might describe the music as being a little weird or not fitting in with the whole ambiance of the place, but I’d have to disagree. I love the overall quaintness of the place. It’s got character, and I really appreciate that.
Now, back to the food. The Chili Goma contains nuts and is made up of Tokyo negi (Japanese long onion), spicy pork and veggies, chili oil, sesame broth, and peanuts. The broth is well flavoured as it uses the pork bone broth as its base, but it is the layering of the sesame and chili oil that gives it the depth. I was actually really impressed and excited to see that they used wood ear mushrooms, albeit, chopped very finely. Though it was good, it really wasn’t very spicy, though a part of me wonders if it would’ve gotten progressively spicier if I had continued eating that.
The Tonkotsu Black is the same pork bone broth, a 20+ hour broth, but the depth in this comes from black garlic. I love garlic. Anyone who knows me well can attest to this. There is literally no such thing as too much garlic, I promise you that. The Tonkotsu Black consists of Tokyo negi, tamago, menma (house seasoned bamboo), wakame (seaweed), garlic oil, garlic bomb, and char siu. Me being me, the first thing I did was stick my chopstick into the garlic bomb and lick it. Let me tell you, the garlickiness of that…WOW! This made me excited because I figured with a garlic taste so strong, it couldn’t possibly get lost in all the other flavours of the bowl, could it? Yes, it could. The minute I mixed it into the dish, it was gone. I couldn’t taste it anymore, but was visually reminded that it was there, which was somewhat disappointing. When I originally read “tamago” my brain went, “sweet omelet”. I can promise you, that this is not that. It is a medium boiled egg. Just half, but that’s usually how it is. I find this preferable to the hard or soft boiled egg, the latter which is what features in ramens. I was pleasantly surprised by the menma. Usually I’m not a fan of bamboo shoots because it has a very strong canned taste, but this was not the case with these. The texture and flavour of the menma was unlike anything I had ever experienced and I don’t really know how to describe it except that there is a crunchy springiness to it. Also, to clarify, I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this in my other reviews, but wakame is seaweed, but not like the seaweed salad you’d expect from like sushi places. It’s softer with a subtle taste of the sea. While this was good, it isn’t the best Tonkotsu I’ve had. The broth didn’t quite have the right level of umami that I have come to expect from pork bone broths, which was pretty disappointing. That is not to say this dish wasn’t good, but it definitely left me wanting. Of the additions, the char siu was my favourite. There was a slight charred taste, showing that that grill lines on the meat weren’t just for show. Now, we get to the most important part: the noodles. The noodles are made in house, which is super impressive to me. I don’t actually know how many restaurants make their ramen noodles in house. Though they are not like the ramen noodles I’m used to, they’re still incredible. There is a slight chew to them (not quite al dente, but they’ve definitely got bounce). Even Mackenzie said that these noodles are different from the ones he usually has here. Not sure different how, but perhaps I’ll have the chance to find out what he means myself.
Last to come was the karaage. Fresh from the fryer. The minute our server set down the dish I wanted to shove a piece in my mouth. I’m not sure if he noticed that, but he did warn us that it was very hot and that we might want to give it a minute. I’ve never been very patient when it comes to food and given that I have gotten used to eating and drinking lava, I really didn’t give it too much thought. Still, I waited a few minutes before taking a piece. By this time, I’m not sure if it had cooled down significantly or if I just can withstand some pretty high temperatures, but when I bit into it, yeah, it was hot, but not so unbearably so that I had to spit it back out. I am so happy we ordered this. This is probably the best Chicken Karaage I’ve ever had. Karaage is typically made with chicken thigh, so it’s juicy and moist, but I’ve literally never had it like this. Next time I want to try it with the house tartar or negi ponzu.
This place is definitely good and very unique and I wouldn’t mind coming back as there are a couple of things I’d love to try on the menu, I’m not sure if these flavour profiles will be able to keep on satisfying me. The variety of ramen they have on their menu is pretty standard (number wise), but they’re all things I’ve never seen and unfortunately there isn’t one that really stands out to me. Based on this experience, I’d give this place a 4/5.
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