Nikkei Ramen-Ya
320 5th Street V9N 1K1 Courtenay, BC, Canada

Iteration to iteration, our Shoyu broth is our most refined. We continue to make small moves with this and other flavours in pursuit of ramen perfection. #kodawari #shoyuramen #chintan

Fun summer job? Supporting your family? Career oriented and want to grow with us? We have something for everyone as we ramp up for Summer 2021 and beyond. Drop off a resume during business hours or email [email protected] - interviews are taking place now! #hiring #summerjob #career #livingwage #benefits #ramen @downtowncourtenay

If you were browsing our online menu this morning you may have come across this NEW FLAVOUR: Yuzuzuke Karaage Paitan: Silky chicken Paitan broth flavoured with shoyu and refreshing house-made citrus preserves, topped with a full portion of juicy, crunchy karaage, shredded cabbage, green onions, and aosa seaweed. Extra-snappy Hakata-style noodle. It’s been a few months in the making (pickles take time). #toripaitan #ramen #karaage #citrus #yuzu @downtowncourtenay

It must be spring because Lemon Ramen snuck back onto our menu today. Simple and refreshing, ours was inspired by a conversation I had with my Japanese cousin whose favorite flavour of ramen happens to be - lemon! (I didn’t even know it was a thing until he told me) #lemonramen #ramen #noodles @downtowncourtenay

Since Gekikara Karaage Miso Paitan has been absent from the menu for a few weeks, I had to eat one for lunch so I could take some pics to announce its return. It’s a tough job... #ramen #paitan #karaage #friedchicken #spicy #crunchy #creamy #savoury @downtowncourtenay

Well heck, that most illegitimate of restaurant review sites (aggregator of other legit sites’ reviews) has once again recognized us for a job well done in 2020 (albeit a demotion to #2 from #1 in 2019). Thanks Restaurant Guru. Goes without saying that 2020 has indeed been a challenge and, being in the very hard-hit hospitality industry, we have had to hustle extra, extra, extra hard to keep our doors open throughout. Thankful to our neighbours , our customers, the City of Co...urtenay, the Province of BC, the Govt of Canada for assistance at all levels - and thankful to be in one of the safest places on the planet during this ridiculous pandemic: BC has been way better off than most - and while Vancouver Island has ~20% of the province’s population IT HAS HAD ONLY ~1% OF THE COVID CASES. Fact. https://experience.arcgis.com//a6f23959a8b14bfa989e3cda292 #happynewyear #nikkeiramenya @downtowncourtenay See more

Merry Belated Christmas! If you could describe the taste of any ramen as tasting like the Holidays, this would be the one. Spent the last two mornings making apple butter and curry roux @emiko_kare_raisu so we’re stocked up now for a couple of weeks. #nikkeiramenya #kareramen #curryramen @downtowncourtenay

Taking a break from ramen prep @emiko_kare_raisu for ramen staff meal @nikkeiramenya @downtowncourtenay. We have been tweaking the recipe for our #tonkotsu base and we might just have it dialed in now. As always, ramen is best enjoyed when dining in.

Ramen kits go on sale tomorrow Friday, Dec 18 between the hours of 11:00am and 2:00pm at our new production kitchen, EMIKO BY NIKKEI RAMEN-YA, at 565A England Ave in Downtown Courtenay. Kits are NOT available at our 5th St. shop at this time. We have a limited quantity of Miso, Shoyu, and Yasai kits available. Limit of 2 kits per person. #ramenkit #emikobynikkeiramenya @downtowncourtenay

Prototype. #nikkeiramenya #ramenkit #comingsoon #staytuned

Power outage on 5th Street? No way!! Way. >:( We will try to open for dinner service but lunch service today is cancelled. #nikkeiramenya @downtowncourtenay

Our most instagrammed bowl, and the second item ever on our menu, Shoyu Ramen, hasn’t been instagrammed in awhile. So here you Instagram. That, and I needed a new photo for our online menu. #nikkeiramenya #ramen #shoyu #shoyuramen #authenticramen @downtowncourtenay

The snow caught us off guard tonight so we are playing it safe. Drive carefully and see you tomorrow 11:30am - 8:30pm! #nikkeiramenya @downtowncourtenay

What’s that up in the sky? Nothing! It’s a bluebird Thanksgiving Monday and our patio is open! #nikkeiramenya @downtowncourtenay

Turkey Sunday. Ramen Monday. #happythanksgivng #nikkeiramenya @downtowncourtenay

Yes you read that right - our outdoor heated tables are available for RESERVATIONS for parties of 3-6 people. All reservations must be made ONLINE. Click the link in our bio or go to nikkeiramenya.com and click on the RESERVE NOW button. #nikkeiramenya @downtowncourtenay #patio #heatedpatio

If you read our last post and are still wondering, here is the answer: our noodles are aged at three stages of their production. This improves the flavour and texture noticeably by allowing the gluten the optimal time to form and microscopic bubbles of air to escape (so they do not rupture during boiling and damage the gluten). Proper aging has only recently been possible due to the increased space at our new, soon to be unveiled, production kitchen. #continousimprovement #ramen #scratchmade #noodles #nikkeiramenya @downtowncourtenay

Nikkei Ramen-ya will be open on Wednesday, November 11, Remembrance Day. Veterans and active Servicemen and Servicewomen will receive a 50% discount on ramen for dine-in. Please identify yourself to our host before placing your order. #nikkeiramenya @downtowncourtenay #remembranceday

Even in the most subtle ways (maybe no so subtle if you are a regular and a true ramen nerd) we strive to continuously improve what we do. We’ll let you know what this latest improvement is - a little later. #nikkeiramenya #ramen #scratchmade #continuousimprovement

What kind of a ramen shop would we be if we didn’t post pics of ramen once in awhile? Our Tori Ramen is a trip down memory lane - the very first flavour on our menu was inspired by many visits to a shio ramen shop just outside our hotel in Shibuya in 2013. #shioramen #toriramen #nikkeiramenya #chintan @downtowncourtenay

Just in case you missed our last post, Kare Ramen is back; totally original, far from authentic. Our Kare Ramen combines my love for ramen and my love love for Japanese curry, which are coincidentally the #1 and #2 most popular foods in Japan. It took eight months of trial and error to develop and, like all of our ramen, is totally scratch-made. Best eaten immediately, perhaps on our cozy, heated, winter patio. (Secret, pro tip, sneak peek, pre-announcement if you read this far: you can now RESERVE our outdoor tables for parties of 4-6!) #nikkeiramenya @downtowncourtenay #kareramen #japanesecurry

It’s hard to hold a camera in one hand while mixing our Original Mazemen and executing a clean noodle pull with the other... #nikkeiramenya #noodlepull #noodlepullfail #mazemen @downtowncourtenay

With the transition to a new school year comes great flux in our staff availability. Therefore we will temporarily be CLOSED ON SUNDAYS until we can put together a full crew to sling noodles for you. #nikkeiramenya @downtowncourtenay

No power, no ramen. See you tomorrow. #nikkeiramenya @downtowncourtenay

We’re taking a day off this weekend! Business as usual on Monday! #summertime #randr #nikkeiramenya @downtowncourtenay

In case you couldn’t guess from our last post, I Love You Mazemen is back on the menu for a limited time. Made with house-made XO sauce and, of course, our house-made thick, chewy ramen noodles. #nikkeiramenya #mazemen #ramen @downtowncourtenay

Guess what’s back for a limited time? #iloveyou #mazemen #ramen #umami #nikkeiramenya @downtowncourtenay

We are loving the delicately crunchy and slightly sweet pea shoots from @catandcrowfarm on our Ebi Ramen. #shrimp #local #ramen #nikkeiramenya @downtowncourtenay