Nom Nom Noodle — Restaurant in Bloomington

I've had some great ramen all over the country, some experiences are obviously better than others. Such is the life of a foodie; never quite satiated until you have that ONE that keeps you coming back.

I eat all forms of ramen/eastern noodle street dishes at home and out and about. A good ramen shop is something bloomington-normal sorely needs as, true to form, most of the food here is extremely average. Pop-Up Chicken was a standout as an excellent fried chicken shop and with a reputation like that I had pretty high expectations for the owners to maintain the same love and care with my all time favorite food.

Unfortunately, 3 stars is the best I can do. Lacking any true staples of traditional ramen beyond the aesthetic, I was severely disappointed when my bowl was presented to me.

We have the soft boiled egg, however it wasn't marinated in the soy-mirin mixture that gives it its distinct flavor in traditional ramen.

We had the pork belly, which in of itself is an alright stand-in for traditional char-siu, however this wasn't seasoned with anything beyond salt; we didn't even get any char or markings indicating it saw any appliance beyond a deep-fryer or an oven. Both are equally depressing. The salt was a welcome addition to an otherwise bland dish, although the texture was chewy and not soft and crunchy the way you'd expect it to be based on appearances and previous experience.

The noodles were just a flat-out bummer, it was clearly some form of premade top-noodle-esque noodle that lacked any real characteristics found in scratch-made noodles like a good bite or distinctly warm and egg-heavy flavor. Ramen, like sushi, relies as much on its grain as it does its proteins for cohesion of flavors.

Last, we have the broth. Oh, the broth. The quintessential piece of a ramen bowl beyond the noodles. Lose the toppings and a great bowl of ramen can still consist of nothing but noodles and broth. Traditionally, the liquid in a great bowl of ramen consists of 3 parts:

First, the broth; a long, slow cooked stock seasoned with aromatics, veggies, and roasted bones or its a simple dashi (bonito flake stock) infused with bonus flavors like pork or aromatics as the base for miso ramen.

Second, an aromatic infused oil - usually some combo of garlic/chilis/scallions.

Third, a hyper-concentrated salt delivery package lovingly called a tare. A tare consists of mirin, sugar, shoyu (aged) soy sauce, and other variants depending on the chef.

The broth I received was both bland and lacked any real body - a true testament to an obvious lack of care or respect. It simply tasted like meat. Nothing more, nothing less. If there was a tare, there wasn't enough used to impart either the coloring or salt that it should have and I couldn't detect it. The aromatic oil was lost in the grease of the pork belly and definitely needed more love on low heat for an extra hour.

The one thing this place did right was the amount of spice - full spice was exactly what i was after but the holdover nashville hot seasoning from the owner's previous experience was not the greatest way to attain that and it detracted from an already average bowl of ramen. Needless to say, the perfect heat was not enough to ever make me try again. I will continue waiting and hoping I don't have to drive the hour to Champaign for a great bowl of ramen.

Til then, I weep.

3/5...

5 Stars for Nom Nom Noodle! A Must-Visit Ramen Spot

Finding a good ramen spot in a city with limited Asian cuisine options can be a challenge, but Nom Nom Noodle exceeds all expectations. Despite the absence of Asian staff, they manage to deliver authentically delicious dishes that would impress even the most discerning ramen aficionados. I had the pleasure of trying their birria ramen along with grilled potstickers, and both dishes were standout choices. The noodles were made and cooked to perfection, offering just the right texture, and the potstickers were delightfully crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside.

Being from Houston, a city known for its plethora of ramen and birria joints, I did not set my expectations too high. Yet, Nom Nom Noodle pleasantly surprised me. Their food quality and flavors are on par with some of the best I have experienced back home.

The location of Nom Nom Noodle is as unique as its food. Situated alongside a Veterans For War facility, the place is both interesting and immaculate. The cafeteria-style service is efficient and does not detract from the dining experience at all, allowing the focus to remain squarely on their exceptional food.

If you are in the area and craving some top-notch ramen, I highly recommend visiting Nom Nom Noodle. It is a gem that proves great food can come from the most unexpected places.

This version elaborates on your experience and the quality of the dishes to provide a fuller picture of what makes Nom Nom...

Excited to discover somewhere in BloNo that has ramen and banh mi! I've only had the banh mi so far, but will be back to try other items. Overall, the food was wonderfully flavorful but unbalanced. I got the ground pork banh mi, and the sauce on it was exceptional, but there were several areas where it could improve. First, instead of just loading ground pork into the sandwich, it would be easier to eat if it was compressed into little flat meatballs or something (those could also be grilled to give some char on the outside). There was also double the amount of pork needed for a sandwich (I had half of it fall out and then basically ate another sandwich's worth of just pork), and the bottom of the sandwich was swimming in pork grease. Cutting down the amount of pork, shaping it, and using a leaner ground pork and/or binding it would likely solve these issues. Additionally, shredding the cucumber instead of slicing it into rounds would provide more pickle volume throughout the sandwich, making for a more consistently delicious bite. The bread tasted deliciously homemade, and I'm excited to try their ramen once it gets cooler here in the fall (soooo glad they have a vegetarian option!) Overall...