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| - The first thing I noticed when I entered Ikemen was the moist wooden stench that filled the entire restaurant. It smelled and felt damp in there, like the entire restaurant was once flooded and then after the incident, they just left the restaurant as is. It was not an appetizing smell.
The unique feature of the ramen here compared to the other well-known ramen shops in Calgary is that Ikemen bowls are chicken broth based instead of the usual pork broth that Calgarians are used to. Although interesting to try, I still prefer the pork broth over the chicken broth, as there is more flavour. I had the Shio ramen and opted for the additional spice with their yuzu-gosho paste. The yuzu-gosho paste wasn't spicy at all, nor did it add any flavour. The kale didn't fit in with the ramen. However, I must give credit where it's due - their sous-vide egg was amazing. It was my favourite part of the ramen bowl. I probably should've ordered a side of the egg without the ramen.
Despite the fact that the ramen wasn't the best, what saved the food experience was the Unagi Poutine and the Tako Carpaccio. The unagi pieces were generously portioned and the gravy mixed with Japanese mayo was what made the dish. The tako carpaccio was an appetizing starter that I would highly recommend. The ginger (albeit faint) yuzu dressing was very refreshing and complimented the octopus slices very well.
Our server was very attentive, but might have been TOO attentive. When I asked him what he recommends as the restaurant's popular dish, he named almost everything on the menu. As a result, I relied on Yelp comments to help make my decisions (Thanks Yelp!). Throughout the night, he was always there the second a dish went empty. He even started to clean up my friend's bowl while I was still eating. This is a big no-no for me! When servers start to clean up the table while someone else is still finishing their entree, it gives off the impression that they are rushing me to leave. I felt like the server had no ill intention, but it was just something that removed from my experience here.
I'm glad I tried this place out, but I don't know how often I'll be back as there are other ramen favourites I have in this city. I would come back for the appetizer, but not so sure about the ramen.
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