A New Japanese Noodle Bar Inspired by Blade Runner is Headed for Downtown Montreal | Eater Montreal

"Tucked on the ground floor of 425 Viger West beneath what is slated to become a new 1,000-person Google office, I'm told the planned 'cyberpunk' Japanese noodle bar Neotokyo is set to open in January 2022. Yann Levy, joined by co-owner Ilan Benhaim, has been working on the concept since 2018 but delayed the buildout due to the pandemic. The compact menu will center on classic ramen and mazemen (the no-broth alternative), the latter devised in collaboration with celebrated New York City chef Shigetoshi Nakamura (of Nakamura and Niche), with a few other sides, cocktails, imported sakes, and wines. Design-wise I expect a retro-futuristic, Blade Runner–inspired space — dark and moody, “a bit post-apocalyptic,” peppered with back-lit signage, glowing neon lettering, and plenty of raw concrete surfaces. By the end of next year there will also be a basement sushi bar that shares the same visual markers, and Levy says the goal is to serve a big lunch crowd while avoiding some of the Orientalist tropes seen in other recent cyberpunk rehashings." - Valerie Silva