Nikkei Ramen-Ya

“A dreary day here and the cure is a visit to Nikkei Ramen! It was hoppin busy and was running like clockwork. We sat at the bar and watched 2 people working so smoothly and quickly. Everyone was friendly and helpful- our bowls were warm, savoury, rich and slurp worthy. The pulled pork in mine had so many layers of flavour that I can’t even name them. Ajitama egg added the perfect balance of richness along with a pat of butter. Watching the assembly line of the cooks was really interesting and added to our overall experience. We felt full and nourished as we left and it was a great reminder to us, just how lucky we are to have this place in our downtown.”

“Such a great ramen spot! It was cool that you could order on a digital screen at the front, pick your spot, and then they’d call out your number when yours was ready. The broth was some of the best ramen broth we’ve tried. A little on the pricier side, but worth it in our opinion :) would recommend”

“Was visiting Courtenay from Victoria and decided to get Nikkei Ramen-ya. There’s a lot to like - but there was some I didn’t like. I am firstly happy to find more ramen shops offering things more authentically. The broth is unreal. You can taste it was their labour of love. Noodles are a good texture and stood out. The Ajitsuke was way too runny - it could have been this particular batch but it’s what was used in my ramen. The chasu was too lean, so combined with it being sliced so thin, it honestly just tasted like ham. Again, it could have been this particular batch. I imagine serving so much ramen, it’s hard to maintain the quality of that perfect egg and chashu in such a large scale. The homemade kimchi was really disappointing because it was way past the fermented stage that should be served. When it reaches to the point where it gets this sour and this mushy - it’s too much. Portion is a sensitive topic to restaurants in general, but only have a few small cut overly fermented and the majority of the bowl being the kimchi sauce (juice) wasn’t the best experience. Contrary to some opinions, the self ordering kiosk is wonderful - and it’s the way it’s done in Japan. I think I would prefer if once paid, like in Japan, the food would actually be served to us at our table. Having someone call out the number, and getting up to move our own bowls of hot ramen wasn’t what I was expecting. So a mix of good and bad on our first experience. For anyone in Courtenay, you can find authentic tasting ramen here - when you come down to Victoria, visit “Arashi” for another authentic approach to Ramen.”

“Best ramen I've ever had in Canada, 100% comparable to Japan. Tried the miso ramen (with lots of fun accouterments) and the shoyu ramen. The miso had a deep rich broth with perfectly balanced complexity. The shoyu had a nice clear, strong, seafood flavored broth (much lighter than the miso. Both unique and delicious). The ramen noodles were perfectly al dente and the meat was fresh and tender in both Can't wait to try all the soups!”

“There is no question that the food is very good, but it is also very expensive for the size of the portions. I ordered noodles that were gluten-free with pork and broth. It was very tasty but not very big and cost me $28. The two people in line before me who ordered on the computer they have set up Left after they saw what the meal was going to cost them, $84 for two people for lunch. I think they would do better if they backed off on the prices a bit or gave bigger portions. If you've got the money though it's very good.”