When I travel, I always try to find a Ramen joint somewhere in the city I’m visiting, I thought for sure I would be out of luck in the far flung north of Reykjavik, Iceland. I was wrong.

Located moments away from the Harpa Center, near the old harbor, is RAMEN MOMO, a “blink and you’ll miss it” Ramen joint. What makes this place unique, is it calls itself a Himalayan Restaurant which specializes in Asian Fusion dishes which focuses on one main dish, the simply titled “Ramen Soup”. The head chef is a friendly Tibetan gent with a love for Ramen. When I asked him why Iceland? He said, “I like it here, its quiet, friendly and the people are adventurous” and when I said “why Ramen”? He said “why not, I love it”. Sounds good to me!

Ramen Momo has an incredibly small menu (one broth, with your choice of Pork, Chicken or Veggies) and a few appies/sides, all for a small room with less than eight seats. The broth is made daily and each bowl is made to order by the owner/chef himself.

I went for the Pork Ramen and asked for it Spicy. I was greeted with a larger than expected serving, filled with noodles, veggies and instead of the traditional Chasu, grilled pork hunks. The best part? It came with a traditional wooden Ramen spoon! The broth itself was light and missing the expected depth and richness that I’ve come to expect from Ramen, it wasn’t bad per se but it was missing that silky power that comes from hours of simmered pork bones. This was a clear broth, not creamy, tasty but not bold. The noodles were enjoyable and the veggies fresh but I found the pork somewhat tough and chewy although the flavor was sound. Unfortunately, spicy wasn’t spicy so when I asked for the hottest stuff in the house, the chef provided me with a small vile of chili powder that indeed did heat the bowl up perfectly.

Overall I wasn’t disappointed with the Ramen but I wasn’t blown away, at the same time though, I wouldn’t have missed this opportunity for the world. Ramen in Iceland? Yes please!!! I’m happy that this chef was taking a chance in a far away land to serve up one of his favorite dishes. I wish Ramen Momo nothing but luck and success In Iceland and hope that he can make a real go of it, serving this dish to the good folks up North.

• Dish: Pork Ramen
• Location: Momo
• Address: Tryggvagata 16, Reykjavik, Iceland
• Price: 1490 Kr = ~$13.00
• Extras: Special Spice
• Rating: