Marutama Ramen + Nero Belgian Waffle Bar

     Hi loves! During Christmas break, my cousin came back to Vancouver from McGill and showed us a ramen place that his friend showed him. Since Nero was nearby, he wanted to go there after. Having heard a lot about Nero from Instagram posts, I was so down.

   
     Marutama is on a little side-street off of Robson. The wooden doors are so cute and apparently the bathroom faucet handles are very interesting. Usually other ramen places let you choose different flavours, but this one just had the standard chicken broth which varies by what toppings you want. I don't go out for ramen as often as I would like, so I always forget which flavours I've tried and which ones I haven't. The cool thing about this place is that you can choose how cooked you want your house-made noodles, whether it be al dente, regular, or overcooked. You can also get a noodle refill for about a dollar! 

     I got the tomago ramen since my cousin's friend raved about the egg here. I was blown away with the soya sauce infused tomago. The orange yolk was runny and had this gel texture. This soft boiled egg was so worth $1.25. The broth and noodles were just ok, but I still enjoyed it. 

     The service was super fast. We were in and out of the place in 15 minutes! Water was often refilled and eventually they just gave pitchers of water to the shared tables. There are also other self-serve toppings you can add onto your ramen like pepper flakes and sesame seeds. 

     I would definitely come back to this place, just for the egg. I brought my friend here because I was craving the tomago so badly, but was a little disappointed since the yolk was a little cooked on the outside, with little runny parts. However, my friend really loved the ramen and wolfed it down quickly. He even finished my leftovers!

     Afterwards, my cousins and I went to Nero. The place is insanely tiny and cramped and the service is crap, but the waffles are amazing I have to admit. 

     We got the Banella and Brussels on a Brunelle waffle and the Heaven on a Liège waffle. Personally, I prefer the Brunelle type of waffle because I feel like you get more bang for your buck. We loved the waffles so much we decided to get some mini Liège ones to-go. They sell 5 for $10. My favourites include the vanilla custard and the chocolate dipped ones.

Have you guys been to these places? If not, you should! Lemme know what you think in the comments below!
xx, Melissa♡