Prairie Noodle Shop rides Edmonton's ramen revolution

A new Edmonton restaurant is getting in on the city's love affair with ramen, and it's just what the local restaurant scene has been craving, according to Edmonton AM Food reviewer Twyla Campbell.

Prairie Noodle Shop on 124th Street is the second ramen shop to open in Edmonton in the past month, and Campbell says it's already become a hot spot for the neighbourhood's noodle junkies.

"In two days of being open, they sold 600 bowls of ramen," said Campbell during a Friday morning interview with Edmonton AM radio host Mark Connolly.

"Lineups were out the door; they were slammed the night we went. The servers were having a hard time keeping up. By 8 p.m. they ran out of ramen, and had to turn people away.

"The ramen craze has officially begun."

The menu pays homage to the West with unconventional ramen ingredients, including corn and potatoes.

"This soup, this particular ramen is unlike any ramen I've ever had . . . they're using ingredients that we're known for."

Although traditional ramen is known for incorporating regional ingredients, some of the Alberta-inspired dishes were too much of a departure for Campbell. Of the four soups on the menu, she recommends the roasted barley chicken.

"I'm a pretty adventurous eater, but I could not get my head around the meat and potato ramen; and it's always hard for me to get fired up about vegetarian items."  

According to Campbell, no one should leave the restaurant without trying the pork buns (bao).

"They will be a life-changer. They absolutely rocked my world."

Campbell says it's absolutely a worth a trip down to Prairie Noodle, if you can beat the crowds.

You can hear Twyla's reviews on Edmonton AM every second Friday. You can also see more of her reviews on her blog, Weird Wild and Wonderful.