Arashi Ramen (Southcenter)

It goes without saying that being on vacation is pretty sweet.  Away from the worries of real life and of course, immersing oneself in another culture and/or city rocks too.  But let's be serious here, the food has to do with at least 50% of it!  However, it can be a curse too (yah I know, first world problems) as one can often over indulge.  Thank goodness we started off with some Japanese food in Nanaimo!  However, after a few heavier meals, we had to do something a bit lighter in Arashi Ramen.  Sure, ramen may not be the healthiest of foods, yet it is relatively less heavy than say, fish & chips...  Even that would be up for debate.

We started with an order of Takoyaki which appeared to be fried rather than prepared in a mold.  However, that wasn't a negative since they were crispy with a thin exterior wall.  Inside, the mix was soft and featured veggies (it was actually okay) and a large piece of chewy, yet tender tako.  We only wished they let up on the sauce as the whole thing became too tangy and sweet.

Originally, we were just going to order the full-sized version for the kiddies, but they presented us with the kid's menu which featured a small appie, a kid's sized ramen and a yogurt drink.  As such, my daughter went for the Shio Ramen with a side of Gyoza.  Not too heavy, the silky broth was porky with a balanced amount of saltiness.  The noodles were al dente while the gyoza were pretty typical, but could've use more elasticity (with the wrapper).  My son had the Shoyu Ramen with Chicken Karaage.  This was lighter in the sense it was less meaty with the definite taste of soy.  Again, the noodles were al dente while the ajitama egg was nicely runny and well-seasoned.  The chicken karaage was crispy while succulent.

Viv decided on the Spicy Miso to change it up a bit.  This was rather impactful with a rich deep saltiness accented by a good amount of spice.  It wasn't overwhelming though.  The chunks of chasu were rather lean, but still tender.  This ramen featured a thicker yellow noodle which was even firmer.  For myself, I had the Black Garlic which was the richest tasting of the bunch.  There was an aromatic Earthiness supplemented by the rich meaty broth.  Noodles were like the other bowls and the bean sprouts were still crunchy.  Fatty and soft, the chasu melted-in-my-mouth.  So how does the ramen compare to say, Vanoucver?  Well, we enjoyed our meal at Arashi where they definitely represented ramen well.

The Good:
- Respectable ramen
- Acceptable pricing

The Bad:
- Service was friendly enough, but they didn't check on us enough