Neotokyo
Ramen restaurant · Downtown Montreal ·
Cyberpunk noodle bar with truffle, tonkotsu, and mazemen ramen
Cyberpunk noodle bar with truffle, tonkotsu, and mazemen ramen
"Add Neo Tokyo to your list of must-try Montreal ramen destinations. After much anticipation (and repeated delays), the retro-futuristic, quasi-dystopian noodle joint from restaurateur Yann Levy is officially open with a menu developed with Shigetoshi Nakamura, the NYC chef behind Nakamura and Niche. A bowl of tonkotsu broth with chashu (braised pork belly), truffle miso ramen prepared with tea and kombu, and mazemen topped with ground pork soboro are among the dishes on offer." - Valerie Silva
"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
"Montreal restaurateur Yann Levy is targeting an October opening for a Japanese noodle bar whose straightforward menu — developed with New York chef Shigetoshi Nakamura — will feature ramen, mazemen, imported sake and wine, while the interior draws on the cyberpunk, high-tech aesthetic of Blade Runner (1982)." - Valerie Silva
"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
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