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| - It seems like the ramen joints in Vegas have all been well received and are quite popular. With over 2000 reviews on Yelp, I figured this place had to be pretty good.
Monta is located in a very busy plaza with limited parking spots - and since the storefront is pretty small itself, you can expect to either be cramped in the waiting area or standing outside waiting for a table. I came when the weather was still very cold, so a bunch of people were inside trying to avoid the frigid air. Even on a weekday night, the wait was around 45 minutes long. It seems like eating in parties of 2 or 4 are most convenient and larger parties will have to wait until everybody is here until they can be seated. There's a small bar section and several small tables that can be combined.
Menu is simple. They advertise which ramen bowls are their most popular; however, they have tonkotsu, shoyu, miso, and a black garlic oil ramen. Prices are actually on the very affordable side, with bowls costing around $7-8; however, there are very limited ingredients in the pre-set bowl. You can add additional toppings if you wish.
I was really curious about their kuro ramen with black garlic oil ($7.95). I added a flavored egg for $1.50 more but I was a little disappointed to see that the yolk was not as soft and yolky as I wanted it to be. But the bamboo shoots and pork chashu were on-point. I thought the broth was very flavorful and rich. Could actually taste the oil after several sips. I liked that the thin noodles were still kind of chewy, making each bite pleasant to eat. I would recommend this if you're not sure what to order and want to try something different.
Tonkotsu ramen ($6.95) did have a creamy and rich flavored broth. This was probably my favorite broth because of it was lighter than the black garlic oil. It was simple, but packed a punch in every bite. Thin noodles were also a part of this ramen.
Shoyu ramen ($6.95) was the least favorite among the three bowls. I don't think chicken broth is any good with ramen, and it reflected in this bowl. Very bland and lacked flavor; however, this bowl did have medium thick wavy noodles, which I liked.
We also ordered a regular pork belly bowl on the side to share. Very reminiscent of Yoshinoya's beef bowl, except this is made with pork belly. The pork belly was tasty and the sauce that the pork was cooked in seeped into the rice, giving it extra flavor. I can see why people recommended this appetizer. I would order this again if I could. Even eating the leftovers the next day, it was still tasty.
tl;dr - If you're a fan of ramen and like checking out new ramen joints, I suggest giving Monta a try. I don't think it was anything spectacular, but I can see why people like this place a lot. The bowls of ramen (besides the shoyu) were pretty solid. But because the area is so small and cramped, come early or be prepared for a wait.
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