Kyu Bistro

Since this is basically the only place for ramen in Winnipeg we decided to check it out– even though it’s pretty far from us.
I had the shio ramen and was deeply disappointed. The flavor and smell was reminiscent of oysters and it just did not appeal to me at all… kind of a rancid smell that turned me off of it. I ended up eating my mom’s order of shoyu ramen that has the addition of soy sauce to the broth, and less of the oyster taste.
The pork belly in the shoyu was very fatty, and the egg was a nice addition but the noodles just didn’t pick up the flavor of the dish, they just tasted… floury and bland. I ended up adding lots of sriracha which isn’t really a flavor, just some spice.
We also shared their version of agedashi tofu which comes on a teriyaki type sauce. It was very nice, the tofu was really soft and the batter was nice and crunchy.
Overall I just wasn’t impressed– the interior is nice and the food presentation is lovely but the food itself just wasn’t for me!

Kyu Bistro is a small restaurant that is offers up small assortment of typical izakaya items and ramen. So don’t expect any sushi. The menu is pretty small as there are a few starters, skewers and then 4 different ramen bowls. If you don’t like ramen, I would suggest going somewhere else because you won’t fill up on the other items here. It’s best to get a couple of small plates plus a ramen for dinner. You won’t be full with just a ramen bowl (at least I wasn’t and I shared a couple of small plates too!)
The ramen craze hasn’t hit Winnipeg yet so I’ll take what we can get here. I have to say the ramen was excellent, though not made in house but made fresh from California. The ramen had a great texture. I tried the spicy miso for $ 8.50 — it had chopped pork shoulder, spicy miso paste, bean sprouts, corn, menma, green onion, carrots and I added an egg to mine. There wasn’t a lot of pork in mine and though I enjoyed the spicy nature of this dish, the miso is a bit overpowering in this dish. Next time, I’ll get the clearer broth — «shio ramen.» Overall, the ramen was good.
Also, if you don’t eat pork, the only ramen you can have is the «shio vegetable ramen» as the other 3 bowls have pork in it.
As for the other small plates, they all felt a bit pricey for what you get and the flavour was ok as most of the items had a teriyaki flavour to it. My fave out of the bunch was the gyuniku tsuke ninjin — beef and pickled carrots $ 5.50; 4 portions of thinly cut beef that encased pickled carrots inside. The pickled carrots made this dish otherwise the beef was marinated in teriyaki. The panko butterfly shrimp ($ 8) were plump and not greasy at all but you’ve tasted versions of this at every restaurant. The skewered teriyaki chicken breast ($ 4.50) were cooked well and prepared very simply and the skewered scallops ($ 6) were a bit overcooked.
Overall, service was very friendly, cheery and helpful. I would come back to try another ramen for lunch as the portion size is perfect mid day. This place is not open late as it closes at 9 pm so no late night snacking here.
The area is not optimal and may scare some people since it’s on Isabel. I guess it’s never a good sign when all the stores in that strip mall have metal bars in their windows. But there is a small lot that you can park in which is very convenient. I’ve eaten in this area several times and have never had any issues.

Small cozy little place stuffed in a little strip mall on Isabel, not too far of a drive off from portage. The waitress was very friendly and knowledgeable about the food (Think she’s the chefs wife). Design i modern but not too bright, it’s fairly relaxing. I ordered the agedashi tofu, BBQ pork chasu, and Shoyu ramen. I must say, the prices are pretty decent. I left pretty full and was about 19+tip. I also ordered more than i would normally because i wanted to try a few things out from them.
The BBQ pork was pretty tasty, not dry, nice and tender, it’s also a cold dish fyi. Great with the hot mustard, good sharing plate. The agedashi tofu came in 4 chunks of deep friend tofu on a sweet dashi sauce, topped with what looks like a pepper aioli, dab of sriracha. they were crispy and tofu creamy and pretty flavourful. The shoyu ramen comes in a nice sized deep bowl, the broth was good, i have a hard time tell, but it looks like they’re fresh made noodles, i forgot to check with the waitress on this fact. Either way they were pretty good noodles. On the side you also have you choice of chili oil or chili mix sprinkles to add to your desired level of spicy.
Overall it’s a good place, decent prices, tasty food. One of the only ramen houses i’m aware of in the city and i will be back to get my ramen fix in the near future!