Old Montreal’s Cyberpunk Ramen Bar Neo Tokyo Is a Blade Runner Remake | Eater Montreal

"Set on the ground floor of 425 Viger West in Old Montreal, I found Neo Tokyo to be a cyberpunk-inspired noodle bar that opened on December 14 to serve locals and the building’s 1,000 employees after pandemic- and construction-related delays. The 2,500-square-foot, 77-seat interior—designed by co-owner Yann Levy—directly recreates Blade Runner/Akira/Cyberpunk 2077 street aesthetics with bright neon signage, graffiti, hanging lanterns, corrugated metal paneling and painted floor artwork reminiscent of a pedestrian crossing (Levy purposely omitted the film’s rain). The menu, developed with New York ramen master Shigetoshi “Jack” Nakamura, focuses on ramen—including chicken-and-pork tonkotsu with chashu pork, a chicken-and-yuzu shio served with chicken chashu or shrimp wontons, and a vegetarian truffle miso ramen made with tea, kombu, miso and vegetables—alongside mazemen varieties (salmon, top loin steak, cream-parmesan-bacon à la carbonara, and ground soboro-style pork) and sides like pork gyoza with yuzu kosho shoyu, edamame and spicy karaage. The tightly edited drinks list is meant to complement the food, featuring a gin-based Replicant cocktail, an amber-and-emerald Matcha Biru (matcha mixed with beer) and a small sake selection including bottles from Granville Island’s Artisan SakeMaker. Levy says he wants Neo Tokyo to encourage lingering rather than just grab-and-go, with plans to add takeout/delivery, possibly use remaining space for a ghost-kitchen–cum-snack bar similar to his speakeasy Gokudo, and even bring in an omakase chef if demand arises." - JP Karwacki