Ramen Eight — Restaurant in Parksville

I'd consider it more of a 2, but felt compelled to give it a 1 based on the high rating it has (there must be a lot of paid-for ratings mixed in...). It was dead quiet, and our food took well over 30 minutes (appetizer then two bowls of ramen). The server seemed very new to the job -- requests for onions on the side were completely missed, and she didn't seem aware of it (confused by the two other tables/5 other customers?). The ramen was bland - the broth had some reasonable flavour, but it was comparable to instant ramen from Costco, and there was little richness to it, like you get from good Ramen spots. The noodles were weird - they didn't seem like instant noodles that had been cooked, but at the same time, they seemed stale (I guess I'm not enough of a foodie to precisely describe it). The "vegetables" were hardly cooked and seemed like they came out of frozen vegetable mix - inch long green beans, peas, random kernels of corn that sunk to the bottom, green peas, tiny slivers of broccoli... Careful when you order - to make it proper Ramen (like you'd expect at the price of $20 a bowl), you're going to have to add on a lot, and the add-ons are priced at a premium. If you can't tell, I won't be back, and I'd recommend others go on to the next stop. Maybe they were having a bad day, but this...

I just went with my family. It rated far better then anything outside of Japan I have had and even better then a few places I ate at in Japan. I have been to most of the top ramen spots in Vancouver multiple times. In my wife’s miso ramen the miso flavour was top notch and I could taste the pork in my son's tonkotsu ramen. Because they went for my first two choices I went for the chefs choice, the yuzu ramen with a tamago. I’ll be honest I was a little nervous. The citrus flavour was subtle but unmissable and and added a lightness to the clear broth that made the last bite as delightful as the first. The corn in it was frozen I am pretty sure but it was cooked just enough and very sweet with a nice snap. I need to go back and ask if they make the noodles and if not, what brand they use because they were prefect. A thinner noodle than most places but so perfect. They had a great chewiness to them while being fully cooked and they didn’t get soggy at the end like some do. Every once in a while I would get a piece of the yuzu zest and a burst of flavour from it would happen in the best way possible. The tamago was nicely seasoned and the soy and mirin hadn’t touched the yolk yet so it was still as close to soft as you can get and not be liquid.

10/10 I...

Tonkatsu ramen was absolutely delicious. Some of the most satisfying I’ve ever had. If I had to nitpick, the egg was unusually salty and the broth was a bit more salty than rich/full-bodied. But overall, I absolutely enjoyed the dish.

I would definitely order extra protein. The extra amount seemed just right. Regular would feel inadequate.

The children liked their kids chicken ramen as well.

Prices are low vs what we’re used to but the portions are smaller as well.

However, I would not recommend this place for families (unless empty) or if you’re in a hurry. We were two families with 8 people, and it took ~30min to get all our ramen. When we arrived, there were only two patrons there who already got their orders. To the restaurant’s credit, they got the kids ramen out first way before...