Japan might be around 5,035 miles away, but the culture is not very far from Cowtown.
About ten years ago, there was no place to have Ramen in Calgary, and that’s the main reason Muku opened.
Being the first Ramen place in Calgary, Muku, which means pure in Japanese, has almost a decade serving Calgarians different Ramen recipes to enjoy.
Moeka Otaki, who has been working in Muku for about a year, says she has had a good experience and enjoys it a lot.
“I enjoy talking about Ramen with customers,” Otaki says.
Otaki recommends trying their specialty: Tonkotsu ramen, which broth is made from pork bone and a soy-based sauce. The toppings included are chashu (lean pork slices), fresh green onion, young corn, and a slice of Japanese fish cake (naruto).
“It’s all natural pork bone,” says Otaki, remarking Muku doesn’t use any artificial flavours.
One of the most popular dishes is the Kuro-Ton, a Ramen dish that has garlic and oil added to the broth to give it more flavour.
Muku also serves Miso ramen, made of chicken and fish broth combined with their original miso paste, topped with chashu, fresh green onion, corn kernels, boiled bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, carrots, and dried seaweed.
Another recommended dish is Shoyu, made of simple soy-based sauce with chicken and fish broth mixed with pork, topped with bamboo shoots, fresh green onions, Japanese fish cake, dried seaweed and slices of chicken.
When it comes to drinks, green tea is the go-to drink at Muku.
When it comes to alcohol, Muku's drink menu includes Japanese beers such as Asahi (Japan’s most popular beer), Sapporo, Kokanee, hot sake, and cocktails like Ume Sour, a bubbly Japanese plum wine cocktail.
If you want something sweet, Muku offers Green Tea Mochi Ice Cream, covered in rice pastry and Pudding, a homemade custard flan.
“Most customers order ramen but sometimes they order rice,” Otaki says.
The most popular rice dish among customers is Sukiyaki, which is only $9.80
For those who’ve never tried Ramen before, Otaki recommends trying Muku’s specialty: Tonkotsu, and for those who are feeling a little risky, she recommends trying Koku-miso, which is Tonkotsu mixed with Miso soup.
For now, Muku doesn’t have any plan to expand their locations and will still be located at 326 14 St NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1Z7.
“Because this was the first Ramen place, everybody needs to try it here first,” Otaki says.