Ramen Isshin — Restaurant in Ottawa

Humiliating!

People don’t go out to just eat; they go out to have that complete dining experience. I had a humiliating experience at this restaurant due to the disrespectful, rude and insensitive behavior of the manager.

As a vegetarian, I was served a dish that contained pork despite of ordering a veg dish. My instant compelling response was that I ran and threw up in the bathroom. I am a reasonable individual and It's understandable that the server misheard me, I gave her the benefit of doubt. I politely and respectfully brought this to her attention who very kindly informed me that she would need to speak to the manager. She was nice and understanding.

She got me the veg dish few minutes after I threw up in the bathroom. By that time, I found the dish unappetizing and no longer wanted to dine in and just go home. Despite there being no physical cause, psychosomatic ailments are very real to the sufferer.

I dint want to ruin the experience of my husband, so I patiently waited for him to finish his meal. Meanwhile, the manager listened to my situation. Now, this is where things go sideways, his response was tone deaf that reeked of insensitivity and disregard for customer sentiment. He proceeded to tell me that he was out of two bowls of Ramen and I needed to pay for it. I was taken aback, especially when I was being understanding that mistakes like these happen and was not expecting an apology. I just expected to be charged fairly and accurately. The manager was dismissive and highly unprofessional. I never berated the server or the manager. Nor did I ever launch into a tirade against the person who served the food for violating one of my ethical/religious principles.

He then abruptly cuts me off mid conversation and frustratingly informs me that he will no longer charge me for my meal. When I started speaking, he interrupts again and harshly says “thanks for coming” (AKA, just leave). He also sternly asked me to pay for my husband’s meal. In that moment, I felt belittled and humiliated. Not only was his behavior unacceptable, but it made me feel unwelcome. I did not appreciate the attitude and frankly speaking, one should not be in customer service as a manager with that temperament, not a good look on the restaurant.

He kept stressing that the server checked the order with me twice. When I scanned the menu, there was a separate veg section, I ordered “Veg Spicy Misu”. Apparently, there is a “Non-Veg Misu, which I had no way of knowing as this was my first time in the restaurant, but the manager did not care for it. I even told him that I showed my menu to the server while ordering (something I do every time I order food). A manager talking about a business loss over something like this was a clear indication that he had no regards for customer concerns, this only added to the frustration of the situation.

He was being unnecessarily argumentative while I kept my tone calm. It wasn’t about the money; as a customer, I expect to be treated with respect and courtesy, and this was not the case during my visit. It is unfortunate that such behavior can ruin an otherwise pleasant dining experience. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. I hope that the management takes this feedback seriously and the customers who read this make an informed decision about whether or not to visit...

It's about time that Ottawa has an authentic Japanese Ramen Shop! It's very welcoming that Ramen Isshin just sets up shop here in Ottawa!

I had Ramen and Appetizers at Ramen Isshin's other Toronto locations and they were tasty and marvelous dining and take out experiences.

As I visited this new Ottawa location, it was equally impressive and the food are made fresh, nice hot temperature (I luv my ramen pipping hot), they are consistent. Consistency in any restaurants are KEY and whether I have my ramen in the Toronto or Ottawa locations, Ramen Isshin provides that consistent excellent dining experience, service, food quality and taste.

I highly recommend you order its fresh pint of Sapparo or cold sake. In terms of appetizers, I really luv the chicken kaarage, aged fried tofu & tako wasabi.

If you like spicy ramen, the Red Dragon is a MUST ORDER. It has a very nice complexities of flavours, a good portion of food, the bean sprouts, egg, cha shu, the rich flavour, the TOTAL package.

Personally, my all-time favourite at Ramen Isshin is its white seasme shio with extra sweet corn and extra cha shu. The sweet corn mixed in the creamy broth, they are made in heaven. Luv the white sesame component that adds texture and flavour to the broth.

They also have good vegetarian options.

I would visit this Ottawa location again, and hopefully, it will be in the summer when it can open its front garage door. Imagine summer breeze, fresh air and enjoying a bowl of ramen while flushing down with an ice cold.

There are ample number of street parking + parking lots and parking centres along Bank Street, so you have options.

Ottawa people is so lucky to have Ramen Isshin in the community. It makes me happy when people gets to try Ramen Isshin at more areas when it expands and serving places that need a good bowl of...

I'm so confused by these positive reviews. We gave this location a chance after black-listing the Brossard Quebec location where we used to live, but the same issues are here.... one-note flavours, watery broth, poorly selected ingredients. I also know that things are made in advance and not made fresh because when I asked if they could do an okonomiyaki without the seafood they told me it came pre-mixed and couldn't be modified.

Ordered: Karaage (gristle as mentioned), a black garlic shoyu ramen for my spouse, and the red dragon ramen for me with an extra egg.

Black garlic shoyu ramen: Tasted like water with a smidge of sesame, cream, and either unpeeled garlic or jar garlic, the very distinct bitterness taste there. Distinct lack of soy flavour - use of dark soy would enhance it, or even regular soy sauce.

Red dragon ramen: No flavour at first, once I stirred it just a strong thai chili flavour that makes me suspect it's the same standard tonkotsu broth that they just tossed chilis in seconds before bringing it to me. There was a scoop of ground pork in it to try and enhance the flavour, but there's no substitute for a simmered bone stock when making tonkotsu.

The ajitama eggs were premade and served cold, okay for a home cook but disappointing in a restaurant.

I don't think I'm a snob or a foodie, just a home cook with opinions. My spouse and I eat more than we should, and will happily devour anything from fast food to hipstery stuff without complaint. Today, we didn't finish our meals, preferring to leave still hungry. That's only the second time we've ever done that in the years we've been together.

Positive: Polite staff. The kitchen chorusing arigato when people were leaving was a nice touch. Decor was subdued, welcoming, bright. The noodles themselves...