Nomu Ramen — Restaurant in Northfield Township

(Tl;dr at the bottom) My husband and I came across Nomu looking for something new to try that had both food and (decent) cocktail selection in the suburbs. The city has amazing choices, but nothing beats a meal closer to home. When I think of ramen local here, to me - you are directly competing with Ramen Shin-Chan, Chicago Ramen, and Ramen Misoya. Ramen is in the name (and Nomu's storefront logo), so there is an expectation there. BUT as I sat down, I noticed the chopsticks say "Nomu Ramen & Izakaya." We have not experienced the many izakaya of the suburbs, but the expectation boils down to - bar food. This is not a knock on the place, it's an expectation based on establishments in Japan.

I would say that Nomu is exactly that - an izakaya that serves ramen and izakaya food (small plates, think tapas-ish). The vibe is clean, casual and the bar is attractive with a moderate liquor selection, and their own liquors have a shelf as well, which are the bases for most of their drinks. They do have a couple Japanese whisky selections (Nikka, Hibiki, Hakushu 12) but today we focused on the cocktail menu, which had the benefit of grand opening special pricing along with the food. We enjoyed the atmosphere and will be back to try whisky at the bar!

That's a lot of words to not even review the food yet. But the expectation part is important, because the ramen was... okay? We got the tonkotsu shio (pork, sea salt) and tori paitan (chicken). Out of the two, we enjoyed the tori paitan more because the broth tasted fuller bodied than the tonkotsu. That is not a typo. My default "like" is usually tonkotsu. Pork broth is typically richer tasting and chicken based ramen tends to be "lighter," but it depends on the establishment. The slices of pork chashu in the shio had a deeper flavor and sear than the broth itself (!), but the broth was on the right track. The chicken breast was tender, and all the noodles had an appropriate firmness/bite, which is always enjoyable. Next time, we will try the tonkotsu shoyu (soy sauce) to see if it's better, but the first thing on the menu is the shio, so...

Izakaya plates we had: Chicken karaage - small portion for menu price ($7)? Juicy thigh meat is good, though. Bacon okonomiyaki - texture and taste on point, nice sharing portion, and I was tempted to get another. Will get again next time. Need more okonomiyaki places! Agedashi tofu - two big pieces in a broth with red pepper(?) on top. They made it count. Honestly, I'm accustomed to getting these at a sushi buffet, but menu pricing ($5) is what I would expect to see for this at another place. Fair.

Is there a character cap on reviews? The drinks: Zesty Yuzu Highball - I love that this came in a big, glass mug. Refreshing, not boozy, but that is expected. Curious what the ratios are. Tokyo Timeless - balanced, reminiscent of an old fashioned. Nomu "Spicy" blackberry margarita - fresh margarita, although I didn't detect much spice. I don't eat much spicy daily, but can tolerate it. Niwashi (The Gardener) - refreshing, more mint forward, similar to a mojito. Espresso foam martini - smooth, balanced, coffee is present vs just boozy. Nomu bourbon on the rocks - since it's used in a bunch of drinks, was curious on the profile. Tastes similar to Glenlivet which my husband enjoys more than me, but I found this to be slightly lighter than that. Strong taste.

Tl;dr - Ramen was okay, menu price is lower than average. -Small plates we had tasted pretty good; portion to menu price more expensive maybe. -Cocktails were generally balanced, tasty. Menu prices are reasonable. We had a great time and the service was excellent and inviting. We will be back to try different ramen, the donburi (rice/meat bowls) and have okonomiyaki and drink again! (edited to re-add photos and hopefully the captions...

Hooray for good and affordable ramen! I love ramen but I swear, the ramen we have in the suburbs just doesn't fit my taste buds. I always end up having to make a trek to the city. My husband and I went to Nomu yesterday for their soft opening and we were thoroughly impressed! The gyoza wrapper was so so good and crispy. I can only speak on the wrapper since I don't eat pork, so I didn't eat the filling. I ordered the spicy chicken ramen and omg so creamy and flavorful. I should've added egg. I didn't really read the menu so I didn't realize what did and didn't come with the dish. I had half of my husband's egg, which did come with his ramen and it was honestly the most perfectly cooked and flavorful egg. I added corn and tofu to my ramen, which I was glad I added because the ramen seems to kind of a "build what you want" rather than being fully loaded from the start. I actually prefer it that way because I HATE when I pay a ton of money for a loaded dish then ask to omit a topping and add another one instead only to get charged for the topping even though I was hoping for a substitution. The ramen also came with pickled radish, kimchi, and rice. My husband was ecstatic when he saw the rice because his biggest grief with Asian noodle restaurants is that when you're done with the noodles, all the broth goes to waste. This way, when you're done with the noodles, you get to mix the broth with rice and do a round 2. It's a new restaurant so you'll have to be patient since I'm sure there's growing pains, but overall, I'm thrilled with this place. I will definitely be back. My only additional thoughts and advice is to add bamboo shoots and mayu oil to the menu, pleaseeeeee! Those two items are my must haves in ramen. I'm beggingggg! Also, location of the restaurant is a little hidden, so don't be discouraged, it's tucked away to the side of the building where SGD. Easily can be found with some effort...

My husband and I tried the premium omakase here, and we were pleasantly surprised! We've been to a few omakase restaurants before, and honestly, I didn’t have high expectations going in—I even thought I might need to order a hot entrée afterward. But this place completely changed that.

Unlike other omakase experiences we've had, this one followed a kaiseki concept, a traditional Japanese multi-course meal. First off, I have to mention the sushi rice—it was amazing! It might seem funny to highlight the rice first, but it’s such a fundamental part of sushi, and they truly nailed it. The texture, seasoning, and temperature were all perfect.

They welcomed us with a bellini and a non-alcoholic drink for me. While I found the drinks a little too sweet to pair with sushi, I really liked the second one—I'm pretty sure it was yuzu soda.

The fish is flown in from Japan, and you can really taste the freshness. Our favorite nigiri was the shima aji. The steamed egg with caviar was incredibly comforting, and the cucumber salad was light and refreshing. The short rib was flavorful, though a bit dry. And the pear sorbet at the end? So, so good!

There was plenty of food—we were totally satisfied without needing to order anything extra. Overall, it was a great experience, and I would absolutely recommend this place. We’ll...