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SF Ramen Trend, 2017

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SF Ramen Trend, 2017 SF Ramen Trend, 2017 SF Ramen Trend, 2017 SF Ramen Trend, 2017 SF Ramen Trend, 2017 Hidenoya Hidenoya Hidenoya Hidenoya Marufuku Marufuku Marufuku Marufuku Nojyo Nojyo Nojyo Nojyo Orenchi Orenchi Orenchi Orenchi Yoroshiku Yoroshiku Yoroshiku Yoroshiku
By Elli Sekine

The ramen boom of San Francisco sees no end in sight, and continues to enchant local ramen fans. During the past 10-year history of this SF ramen boom, those who took the lead of the first-phase must have been “Izakaya Sozai”, “Katanaya-Ramen”, etc. Among them, the signature dish of “Sozai”, the tonkotsu ramen, was voted as “the meal that you wish to have at least once before you die”, which drove ramen fans to rush in night after night. The truth was that this menu item was something the owner created in his spare time just for fun, but ended up as an item on the menu to finish a meal with. After that, the word “tonkotsu” spread quickly.

In the meantime, in Silicon Valley, “Orenchi” that opened 7 years ago in Santa Clara, had a major impact on the ramen boom by being so popular that people waited as long as 2 hours to get in. Since the “Orenchi” brand had pretty much been established, the second restaurant, stylish, and named “Orenchi Beyond” opened in 2015 in San Francisco, and is attracting a younger generation of people in San Francisco. Some of the restaurants which gathered a lot of attention for their openings in 2016 are “Nojo Ramen Tavern”, the first overseas development of AP Company known for “Tsukada Nojo”, specializing in jidori chicken cooking, “Iza Ramen”, the ramen department of a local popular sushi restaurant called “Blowfish”, and “Mensho Tokyo”, also the first overseas development from Tokyo which is currently breaking through. In Japan Town where the competition is very high, “Waraku” and “Yamadaya” started in LA, and Suzu” used to be the top 3; however, popularity is transitioning to newer restaurants like “Marufuku Ramen” that opened this year, and “Hinodeya Ramen”, also a new overseas development from Japan launched at the end of last year. “Marufuku Ramen” is especially popular; so much so that people form a long line every day. The restaurant that is attracting attention the most among the newly opened ones is “Ippudo”, the Hakata style ramen sanctuary, which is known worldwide, and finally opened in Berkley after a long preparation period.

As a new trend, there is an increase in the number of izakaya-style ramen restaurants which have developed from ramen specialty restaurants by adding a-la-carte dishes and various drinks on the menu. You could spend as much as 40 to 50 dollars per person in such a restaurant. Americans are getting more particular about tastes, and trends are moving toward “local gourmet foods” that offer traditional regional tastes. San Francisco’s ramen business industry is getting more diversified, and competition on a higher level continues to grow.

J-POP Ramen Summit
The “J-POP Summit”, the US’s largest festival of Japanese pop culture, was held on September 9th and 10th at Fort Maison Center. This event was produced by Yoshiyuki Maruyama who triggered the Bay Area ramen culture. The “Ramen Summit” that brought together 5 ramen restaurants, 4 from SF and 1 from Seattle, was a big success, and was very busy throughout with many visitors until the end. People formed a long line in front of every booth, and truly enjoyed comparing bowls of ramen of different popular restaurants, etc., which they can experience only at a festival like this. http://www.j-pop.com/

/////// Introduction of the restaurants ///////

1. Nojo Ramen Tavern
Their signature dish is gorgeous Chicken Paitan ($18.50 at the restaurant), in which a whole chicken leg is in the bowl. The rich thick broth accentuated with ginger and yuzu is profoundly tasty and volumerous. Medium thick curly noodles made of whole wheat flour are custom-made.
http://nojosf.com/

2. YOROSHIKU
It is a popular restaurant in Seattle, and the first time exhibitor of the Ramen Summit. Thier signature dish, made by the owner/chef from Hokkaido, is Spicy Miso ($14 at the restaurant). The broth is an excellent combination of white and red miso with added spicy chilli, and is very well received among Americans.
https://www.yoroshikuseattle.com/

3. Orenchi Beyond
Their signature dish is “Beyond Ramen” ($13.50). Its rich tonkotsu shoyu base with added fish stock and garlic is full of originality, and rich in taste and creates a good balance with medium-thick bouncy curly noodles. As new additions to the menu, they have miso-tamatoe base vegan ramen, tantanmen, etc.
http://orenchi-beyond.com/
  
4. Marufuku Ramen
Traditional Hakata-style tonkotsu base broth cooked for 20 hours is a good match to its custom-made flavorful straight thin noodles. Their signature dish is Hakata Tonkotsu ($10.99). This restaurant is breaking through by offering the right richness, adjustable spiciness, various topping choices and a rich-variery of a-la-carte dishes.
https://www.marufukuramen.com/

5. Hinodeya Ramen & Bar
This restaurant came to the US for the first time to try to introduce authentic dashi culture. Its delicate flavorful dashi of bonito and konbu coats the medium-thick curly noodles well, and bring out the good taste. Its sophisticated, light-flavored dashi ramen and kappo-style a-la-carte dishes are differentiated from other restaurants, and has established a good reputation.
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SFラーメントレンド2017

サンフランシスコのラーメンブームは止まる所を知らない。次から次へと新しいコンセプトの店が登場し、地元のラーメンファンを魅了している。この10 年のSF ラーメンブームの歴史を振り返ってみると、第1次ブームを牽引したのは、「Izakaya Sozai」や「Katanaya-ramen」だろう。そのうち「Sozai」の名物、「豚骨ラーメン」は、ローカル誌の「死ぬ前に一度食べたい一品」に抜擢され、夜な夜なラーメンファンが駆けつけた。しかしこのメニュー、実はオーナーが趣味で作ったシメのメニューだった。それから「tonkotsu」のキーワードは一気に広まった。

一方、シリコンバレー、Santa Claraに7年前に登場した 「Orenchi」は、最長2時間待ちという盛況ぶりでラーメンブームに拍車をかけた。その“Orenchi”ブランドが確立した事もあり2015年、サンフランシスコにお洒落な2号店、「Orenchi Beyond」を開店し、SF の若年層を惹きつけた。2016 年のオープンで注目を浴びたのが、地鶏料理の「塚田農場」で知られるAP カンパニー初の米国進出になる「Nojo Ramen avern」、地元人気寿司店「Blowfish」のラーメンバージョン、「Iza ramen」と、東京から初米国進出でブレーク中の「MenshoTokyo」だ。そしてラーメン店の激戦区、日本街にはそれまで「Waraku」、LA 発祥の「Yamada-ya」、「Suzu」の3強だったが、今年オープンした新店舗「Marufuku Ramen」と去年暮れにオープンした日本からの初進出店、「Hinodeya Ramen」に人気は移行し、中でも「Marufuku」は、連日長蛇の列を成している。新規オープンで最も注目されているのが、長年の準備期間を経てバークレーに新オープンした、世界にその名を轟かす博多ラーメンの殿堂、「Ippudo」だ。

最近の傾向としては、ラーメン専門店から一品料理を加えドリンクの種類も揃えたRamen Izakara が増えている。中には一人の会計が$40 〜50 という店も少なくない。アメリカ人の舌も肥え、流行は地方伝統の味を提供する“ ご当地グルメ” へと移行している。多様化が進むSF ラーメンビジネス業界は一層レベルアップした激戦が続いている。

J-POP ラーメンサミット
全米最大の日本ポップカルチャーの祭典、「J-Pop Summit」 が先日9 月9 日、10 日にFort Maison Center で開催され、 ベイエリアラーメンカルチャーの火付け役、丸山良幸氏がプロデュースした「Ramen Summit」は、SF 4軒とシアトルから1軒の計5店舗が結集し、終始大盛況で幕を閉じた。各ブースにはラーメンファンが長蛇の列を作り、祭りでしか体験できない人気店の一杯を食べ比べするなど堪能していた。http://www.j-pop.com/

/////// ラーメンサミットにラインアップした店舗紹介 ///////

1. Nojo Ramen Tavern
看板メニューは、チキンレッグが丸ごと丼に入ったゴージャスなChickenPaitan(店頭価格$18.50)。こってり濃厚なブロスはジンジャーやゆずの味のアクセントがあり、味わい深くボリューミーな絶品。全粒粉を使用した中太縮れ麺はカスタムメイド。 

2. YOROSHIKU
 シアトル一の人気店で、今回ラーメンサミットは初出店となる。北海道出身のオーナーシェフが作る看板メニューは、spycymisho( 店頭価格$14)。白味噌と赤味噌の絶妙な合わせでピリ辛チリを加えたブロスでアメリカ人に大好評。サンフランシスコへの進出を考慮中。

3. Orenchi Beyond
看板メニューは「Beyond ramen」($13.50) で、濃厚な豚骨醤油ベースに魚だしとニンニクを加えたオリジナリティ溢れるリッチな味わいで弾力がある縮れ中太麺とのバランスが良い。新作メニューには、味噌トマトベースのビーガンラーメン、担々麺などが揃う。

4. Marufuku Ramen
正統派、博多スタイル豚骨ベース。20 時間煮込んだブロスとカスタムメイドの風味良いストレート細麺との相性が引き立つ。看板メニューは、HakataTonkotsu ($10.99) で、こってりすぎず好みに合わせた辛さや追加トッピングを選べる。一品料理も豊富でブレーク中。

5. Hinodeya Ramen & Bar
本格的な出汁文化を紹介すべく挑んだ米国初進出店。風味豊かなカツオと昆布の繊細な本格和風だしと中太縮れ麺がブロスと程よく絡み美味しさを引き立たせている。代表ラーメンは、HidenyaRamen ($14) で、割烹風な一品料理も人気。「出汁ラーメン」は他店と差別化され、定評を得ている。
#JPOPramensamit #SF #alljapannews #ramen #trend

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Aiming to be the world’s best tonkotsu ramen specialty restaurant chain, pouring passion into a bowl of ramen

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Aiming to be th... Aiming to be th... Aiming to be th... Aiming to be th... Aiming to be th... Aiming to be th...
By Aya Ota

ICHIRAN” is a natural tonkotsu ramen specialty restaurant chain. Their headquarters are in Hakata, in the Fukuoka Prefecture, and has developed 68 restaurants all over Japan. This company claims themselves to be “the preeminent company researching tonkotsu ramen”, and they narrow down to offer only one type of ramen in the menu. The soup made with 100% tonkotsu (pork-bonebase stock) using special high skills has no unpleasant smell, and “Hiden no Tare (Spicy Red Sauce)” floats in the middle of each bowl. Those are some of the results of the daily study of 40-plus expert artisans in the efforts to try and create true tonkotsu ramen, insisting to use high-quality food ingredients. While the menu is pretty much narrowed down, they provide a special customizing form to respond to each customer’s preferences. On the form, customers can make optional adjustments from the following 7 categories: “Dashi”, “Richness”, “Garlic”, “Scallions”, “Charshu/ Sliced Pork:, “Hiden no Tare /Spicy Red Sauce”. The most unique system they offer must be the way to eat such a particularly-made bowl of ramen; you eat in an individual space separated from the next seat called “the flavor-concentration booth”. After submitting your customization form, and your ramen arrives, the little bamboo blind that hangs in front of you closes, so you can be relaxed, and really concentrate on your ramen. If you want to order extra noodles (kaedama), or a drink, you do not need to call out, but to merely push the call button.

As for their development overseas, they opened the first North American restaurant in Brooklyn, New York in October of 2016 following Hong Kong in 2013. During the preparation period, many doubted if American customers would be willing to eat alone in an individual space. Moreover, the location is not easily accessible, and the region is still under development. It was chosen to also build a factory nearby to be the base of the future development to have more restaurants. Some wondered if people would be willing to go to such a place just to eat ramen. Some thought that $20 for a bowl of ramen would sound too expensive even including tips.

“I was only half-convinced about succeeding at the beginning, but now I feel certainty. I think the same taste, service, and the atmosphere as in Japan are well received in the US,” says Satoshi Komaya, General Manager. More than 100 people formed a line on opening day, and the restaurant has now grown to have people waiting for hours to get in on weekends. Mr. Komaya analyzes the reason for their success in acquiring customers as follows; “Our brand power established in Japan and Hong Kong has been diffused and permeated through SNS such as Instagram and Facebook.” Just like in Japan, they serve only one kind of ramen.

The key ingredients such as the Hiden no Tare and dashi are directly imported from Japan. Other ingredients are locally procured, so it took about 10 years to prepare in order to replicate the same taste locally. They offer only one appetizer and one dessert, and for alcoholic drinks, there are only three; beer, matcha beer, and Japanese sake. The reason for this careful line of selection is only one and the biggest, which is nothing but offering a good match to the ramen. I thought the matcha beer had been selected to take advantage of the matcha boom and be unique; however, it was not the case. It had been specially developed from deep thinking about how well it would match with ramen. “The flavor-concentration booth” is very well accepted, and receives much better comments than other table seating arrangement. Many people say things like, “My sense of taste felt sharper, and I was very impressed!” I believe that all those experiences create added value, and make people willing to wait in line no matter how inconvenient the access is, how long they have to wait, or how expensive ($20) a bowl of ramen is. One change they made to suit New York life style is the table called “Ichiran Yatai”. Most of the customers use “the flavor-concentration booths”, and average length of stay is as short as half an hour. So people started to use this table as a bar to enjoy appetizers and sake with friends before or after eating ramen.

Mr. Komaya predicts, “From now on, ramen restaurants in the US will probably branch out in two ways; specialty restaurants utilizing Japanlike styles, and those which are more locally adopted. So far, what’s spreading in the US is the type of ramen restaurant which serves various dishes and sake in addition to ramen to enjoy varieties. I am certain that “Ichiran” is the kind that can aim for the best in the world as a ramen specialty restaurant,” He also says that the factory has ample producing capacity, and a plan to have more restaurants in the US is under consideration.


一杯のラーメンに情熱を注ぎ込み、とんこつラーメン専門店として世界一を目指す

天然とんこつラーメン専門店『一蘭』。福岡県博多に本店を置き、日本各地に約68店舗を展開する。「とんこつラーメンを世界一研究する会社」と謳う同社では、メニューをラーメン1 種類に絞り込む。高度な特殊製法で作った“100%豚骨で全く臭みなく仕上げたスープ” や、丼の中央に浮かべた“ 元祖・赤い秘伝のタレ” をはじめ、安全で高品質の食材にこだわり、40 人もの熟練職人が日々研究を重ねて、本物のとんこつラーメン作りを極めている。メニューを特化した一方で、客の微妙な好みの違いに応えるために、専用オーダー用紙を用意。「味の濃さ」「こってり度」「にんにく」「チャーシュー」「秘伝のたれ」の7 項目を調整できる仕組みを提供している。最も独特な点は、そのこだわりの一杯を、隣席と仕切った空間「味集中カウンター」で食べることだろう。専用オーダー用紙を提出し、ラーメンが運ばれてきた後は、目の前の簾も閉められ、周囲を気にすることなく、リラックスした状態でラーメンに集中する。替え玉やドリンクの追加注文時も、一切言葉を発する必要はなく、呼び出しボタンを押すだけでいい。

海外展開は2013 年の香港に続き、初の北米店としてニューヨークのブルックリン地区に2016 年10 月に開店。準備段階から「米国人が、個室で、一人でラーメンを食べるのか」との声も多かった。また、立地条件は、アクセスが不便で発展途上の地域。多店舗展開の拠点として工場併設のために選んだ立地だが「こんな場所に、わざわざラーメンを食べに行く人がいるか」と疑う声もあった。チップ込みとは言え「ラーメン1杯20ドルなんて高すぎる」という反応もあった。  

「当初は、自分自身も半信半疑だったが、確かな手応えを感じている。日本と全く同じ味、サービス、雰囲気が米国でも受け入れられている。」と語るのは、同店のジェネラル・マネージャー、米屋聡氏。開店初日には100 人以上が行列、今や、週末には数時間待ちが続く店に成長した。「日本や香港で確立したブランド力が、インスタグラムやフェイスブックなどSNSを通して、国境を越えて拡散・浸透している」と米屋氏は集客成功要因を分析する。日本同様、ラーメンは1 種類のみ。秘伝のタレや出汁などキーとなる食品は日本から直輸入するが、それ以外は現地食材で同じ味を再現すべく、約10 年の準備期間を費やした。前菜もデザートも各1 種類、アルコールもビール、抹茶ビール、日本酒の3 種類しかない。“ ラーメンに合う” という唯一にして最大の理由で厳選された内容だ。抹茶ビールは、近年の抹茶ブームに便乗し奇をてらったメニューかと思いきや、ラーメンとの相性を考え抜いて特別開発されたものだ。「味集中カウンター」も好評で、テーブル席を利用した客よりも、圧倒的に評価が高く「味覚が研ぎ澄まされ、感動した」などの声が多いそうだ。これらすべての体験が付加価値となり、
アクセスが不便であろうが、長時間待とうが、1杯20ドルだろうが、客は列を作るのだろう。ひとつ、ニューヨークらしい変化を遂げたのが「一蘭屋台」と呼ばれるテーブル席。多くの客が「味集中カウンター」を利用し、また平均滞在時間は30 分と短いため、ラーメンを食べる前後に、仲間と共につまみや酒を楽しむバーとして活用されるようになったという。  
 
「今後、米国のラーメンは、日本らしさを生かした専門店と、現地化した店に、二分化していくのではないか」と米屋氏。「これまで米国で広がってきたのは、ラーメンを中心にいろいろな料理や酒を楽しめる“ ラーメン・レストラン”。一蘭は“ ラーメン専門店” として世界一を目指せると確信している」と続ける。現在の工場は十分な生産能力もあるため、店舗を拡大する計画も考察中とのことだ。



ICHIRAN
374 Johnson Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11206
(718) 381-0491
https://en.ichiran.com/

Everyday 11:00am-11:00pm
Weekday (Monday to Friday)
11:00am-6:00pm

[counter-seats] 6:00pm-11:00pm

[counter-seats & ICHIRAN Yatai seats]
Weekend (Saturday and Sunday) 11:00am-11:00pm

[counter-seats & ICHIRAN Yatai seats]
(Last call 10:30pm)
#Japanese #NY #alljapannews #ramen #tonkotsu

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A unique place that makes you feel like going back over and over again, not just because of the good price and taste

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A unique place that makes you... A unique place that makes you... A unique place that makes you... A unique place that makes you... A unique place that makes you... A unique place that makes you...
By Aya Ota

In Korean Town, where the lights are illuminated 24 hours a day, people are walking around all day long, and there are so many Korean restaurants, there is a Japanese restaurant in a corner, for which people always wait in line. This is “Izakaya Mew”. Customers start coming in as soon as the door opens at 5pm, and the place has its peaks between 6 and 8. It is so popular, and you almost always have to wait for tens of minutes to get in.

“What’s the key to your success?”
I asked. “The reasonable prices and good taste,” answered the manager, Keisuke Oku, simply. It is not easy to achieve “reasonable prices and good taste” in New York where rents are so high, and so is the competition. As I was asking deeper into the reason why they have grown to be the kind of a restaurant which can collect customers only through word of mouth with almost no advertising, but through repeated trial and error, and creating a virtuous cycle since the opening, I was finally able to see the true reason.

One reason is its location. Despite the standard for the restaurant locations in New York being on the surface of the streets, they dared to choose a basement to cut the cost in half. Naturally, the entrance is inconspicuous with a quiet sign and noren on top of the stairs that lead to downstairs. Despite the fact that it is so easy to miss even if you know the location, customers who seek “reasonable prices and good taste” form a line. There is more. They do not take reservations.

They used to take reservations at the beginning, but it tended to create empty time and tables. So they stopped taking reservations, and instead, started to take in the next group of waiting customers as soon as a table became available. This change made the operation more effective. Of course, they have to make customers wait, but customers do not complain at all. Some wait in the bar area created as a waiting space for drinking, or leave names and come back later.
They know that once they are seated, “reasonable priced and good tasting food” is waiting to be served. Among many restaurants in Korean Town which are open 24 hours a day, they close relatively early, which is another key to running the restaurant effectively.

In the menu, you find over 100 izakaya style dishes in total which are rich in ingenuity. The items are categorized as “Toriaezu”, “Tataki”, “Hot Pot”, “Deep Fried”, “Salads”, “Grilled”, “Stir Fried”, “Noodles”, “Ramen”, “Rice”, “Sushi Rolls”, “Desserts, etc. Izakaya specialty menu items are difficult to visualize just from the names, but each item is photographed to make it easy to know what it is and its volume. “Salmon Sashimi Tacos” ($7.95), a popular dish, has familiar ingredients of sauce marinated salmon and guacamole, and is well received for its unique creation as tacos. “Omu Soba” ($11.95), which is omelet wrapped yakisoba topped with dried bonito shavings and green seaweed flakes (ao-nori), is a very familiar item for Japanese people, but attracts curiosity of non-Japanese customers. Their 5 main chefs are supposed to come up with new seasonal menu items every month to make it possible to satisfy even the repeating customers by continuing to offer different dishes. Among those new items which became popular, some would be added to the standard regular menu, so the menu is kept fresh with those constant changes.

Mr. Oku continues, “I want to convey the izakaya culture of Japan.” This restaurant is highly claimed by Trip Advisor, and attracts tourists from both inside and outside the US. Since many of them are not familiar with the izakaya style, they also teach them how to enjoy izakaya. “You can place food orders any time at your own pace,” and “Dishes are meant to be shared with everyone in the group” are some of the teachings. Those who used to be unfamiliar at the beginning get soon familiarized, and can truly enjoy the unique style. In order to convey the izakaya-like ambiance, they pay close attention to create a lively atmosphere. One-of-a-kind, nostalgic interior decorations and vintage furniture helps to create such the unique ambiance, which may also be one of the reasons why they are so popular among the customers in their 20’s and 30’s.

“Izakaya Mew” has just entered its 5th year this summer. Please visit this undeniably charming restaurant which not only offers “reasonable prices and good taste”, but also makes you feel like going back over and over again.


安くて美味しいだけじゃない、何度も通いたくなる独特の店

24時間灯りがともり、人々の往来が途絶えない街、コリアンタウン。韓国料理店がひしめき、日本食店がほとんど存在しないこの地域の一角に、行列の絶えない日本食店が存在する。『Izakaya Mew』——夕方5 時の開店と共に、続々と客が入ってきて、6 〜7 時台にはピークを迎え、常に数十分待ちの行列ができる人気店だ。

「成功の秘訣は?」との問いに、「安くて美味しい」とシンプルに答えるのは、同店のマネージャー、奥慶介氏。家賃が高く競争の厳しいニューヨークで“ 安くて美味しい” を実現するのは決して簡単なことではない。さらに深く掘り下げて聞くと、開店以来、試行錯誤を重ね、好循環を作りだし、ほとんど宣伝することなしに口コミで集客できる店に成長した理由を伺い知ることができた。

まずは、立地条件。ニューヨークでは、レストランの立地は路面が常識と考えられているが、あえて地下を選んだことで、家賃を路面の約半額に抑えている。当然、入り口は目立たず、地下に降りる階段のあたりに、ひっそりと暖簾と看板があるのみ。場所を知っていてもうっかり通り過ぎてしまうほどだが、客は“ 安くて美味しい” を目指して列を作る。もう一つの特徴は予約を取らないこと。開店当初は予約を取っていたが、どうしても空き時間や空席ができてしまう。そこで、予約を取らず、席が空き次第、次の客を入れるようにオペレーションを変更した結果、効率が上がったという。当然、客を待たせることになるが、ウェイティング・スペースとなっているバーで一杯飲みながら待つ客もいれば、名前を書いて外に出て戻ってくる客もいる。いったん着席すれば “ 安くて美味しい” が待っていると分かっているので、客からのクレームは一切ない。24 時間開店している店も珍しくないこのコリアンタウンで、閉店時間が早いのも特徴的で、これも効率のよいオペレーションに一役買っている。

メニューには、創意工夫に富んだ居酒屋料理が並んでいる。「とりあえず」に始まり、「たたき」「鍋」「揚げ物」「サラダ」「焼き物」「炒め物」「麺類」「ラーメン」「ご飯物」「寿司ロール」「デザート」という具合にカテゴリ分けされており、その数は約100 種類にも及ぶ。居酒屋特有の料理にはメニュー名を見ただけでは、内容を想像しにくいものも多いが、すべてのメニューに写真が掲載されており、量や内容をイメージしやすい。人気メニューの『サーモン刺身タコス』($7.95)は、タレに漬け込んだサーモンとワカモレという馴染みの食材を使いつつも、タコスに仕上げるという異色の組み合わせが受けている。焼きそばをオムレツで包み、鰹節と青のりを振りかけた『オムソバ』($11.95)は、日本人には馴染みがある居酒屋メニューだが、非日本人には好奇心をそそる。同店では、メインのシェフ5 人が、毎月、季節感あふれる新作メニューを提案することになっており、リピーター客を飽きさせることもない。季節の新作メニューで人気が出たものは定番メニューに投入し、常にメニューの入れ替えを図っているので、常に新鮮だ。

「日本の居酒屋文化を伝えたい」と奥氏は続ける。同店は、トリップアドバイザーで高評価を得ていることから、米国内外からの観光客も多く、居酒屋を知らない客も多い。「いつでも好きなタイミングで料理を注文できること」「みんなでシェアして食べること」など、居酒屋の楽しみ方を教えている。はじめは不慣れだった客も、居酒屋独自のスタイルを満喫しているという。居酒屋らしさを伝えるためにも、活気あふれる雰囲気作りにも気を配っている。独特でノスタルジックな雰囲気を醸し出すインテリアやヴィンテージ感ある家具や調度品も特徴的だ。このお洒落さも20 〜30代を中心に人気がある理由の一つなのだろう。

この夏から5 年目に突入した『IzakayaMew』。安くて美味しいだけじゃない、何度も通いたくなる不思議な魅力のある店、ぜひ足を運んでみてほしい。



Izakaya Mew
Basement, 53 West 35th Street
New York, NY 10001
(646) 368-9384
http://mewnyc.com

LUNCH: Mon-Fri 12:00pm-2:20pm
DINNER: Mon-Thurs 5:00pm-10:30pm
Fri & Sat 5:00pm-11:30am
Sun 5:00pm-10:00pm
#alljapannews #izakayamew #newyork #omusoba #ramen #sushi

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The glorious third highest ranked ramen restaurant in LA

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The glorious third highest ran... The glorious third highest ran... The glorious third highest ran... The glorious third highest ran... The glorious third highest ran... The glorious third highest ran...
By Keiko Fukuda

The ranking contest, “Los Angeles ramen top-10” in the LA Weekly magazine in 2013 awarded Umenoya in Torrance as No. 3. The article read, “You don’t hear the typical loud vibrant greeting as many ramen restaurants here, but you can taste all their efforts in making a bowl of ramen”.

It has been 4 years since the article was published. After gaining new customers triggered by the LA Weekly ranking, Umenoya has been running very successfully, mainly supported by the local customers. I asked Mayumi Kohagura, the manager, what they do specifically to increase repeating customers.

“The space is limited, so in order to increase rotations, we serve as quickly as possible. We cannot do much about shortening the time of customers who are waiting to be seated, but we try to serve hot dishes as quickly as possible after receiving orders by training our staff for it. Another key point is to try to maintain the same taste. Of course, we do make slight changes to improve tastes, however, we strive for serving consistent tasting ramen as much as possible.”
In order to maintain the consistent service and taste, Mayumi is present in the restaurant every day. She says, “Not only do we try to keep the same taste, I also watch out for the consistency in the presentation so it matches the explanations in the menu. My motto is to serve a bowl that satisfies each customer at every visit.”
Surprisingly, the restaurant does not close until 3 after midnight. Not only are they accommodating people who want to eat ramen that late in the day, which makes this restaurant very important for them, but there are also other firm reasons or needs to run until that late according to Mayumi. Many regular customers work in different shifts for a huge hospital called Torrance Memorial which is only a few blocks away. They want to come to the restaurant after the graveyard shift.

The restaurant is not open for lunch except for weekends due to shortage of staff. There are 8 in the kitchen, and 6 in the front serving, however not everyone is working exclusively for Umenoya. Mayumi continues, “The biggest problem is how to keep the number of staff. This restaurant originally opened as a fast-food restaurant, and we cannot apply for a liquor license. We had a plan to open a second restaurant in Long Beach where alcohol beverages can be served, but we had to give up due to a trouble with the lease.

How about the menu? It has indeed a wide variety of items! On top of regular flavors such as Tonkotsu, Miso, Shoyu, Shio, and Spicy Miso, there is a kind called Jiro Ramen, which is made specifically to satisfy lighter taste fans. In the summer period, they add cold ramen to the menu. I myself prefer tonkotsu flavor, but it is an excellent point that there are many choices. For instance, if I bring my son who prefers miso flavor, or my daughter who prefers shoyu, the restaurant can accommodate all of us. All our favorites are listed on the menu. Mayumi says that they receive an equal number of orders of different flavors.

Yasunori Aoki, the sub-manager, who is in charge of the development of the menu, told me about his aspiration for the future. “As for the taste, I would like to keep introducing something new to make the restaurant stand out. For example, I want to discover something that exists in Japan, but not in Los Angeles, and then arrange it to suit the local area here, and make it a new popular menu item. I would like to keep making studious efforts in developing the menu.”


LAのラーメン店3位に輝く

2013年のLA Weeklyの「ロサンゼルスのラーメン・トップ10」のランキングで、堂々3位に選出されたのが、トーランスのUmenoyaだ。その記事には「ラーメン屋によくある威勢のいい掛け声をこの店で聞くことはできないが、すべての労力を1杯のラーメンに注ぎ込んでいるにちがいない」とある。

あれから4年。LA Weeklyのランキングを契機に新たな顧客を獲得した後、今もローカル客を中心に盛業を続けている。マネージャーの古波蔵(こはぐら)眞由美さんに、リピーターを増やす工夫について聞いた。

「狭い店なので回転率を上げるために、注文を受けたらすぐに出すことを徹底しています。席に着くまでにお待ち頂くのはある程度仕方ないですが、注文の後はすぐに熱々を食べていただけるようにスタッフを教育しています。それから味を変えないこと。もちろん、味の改善という意味では多少の進化もありますが、極力、安定した味のラーメンを提供するように心がけています」

サービスと味の安定のためにも、眞由美さんは毎日、店に出ている。「味のブレがないように、またメニューと変わりない盛り付けにも気をくばっています。お客様が来店されるたびにご満足いただける1杯を提供していきたいということがモットーです」

同店の営業時間はなんと深夜3時まで。その時間にラーメンを食べたいと思う人にとっては貴重な存在だが、それ以外にもしっかりとした深夜営業のニーズが存在すると眞由美さんは語る。数ブロック先には大規模な病院トーランスメモリアル・ホスピタルがあり、シフト制の勤務を終えた従業員たちが常連客でもあるのだそうだ。

ただし、人手不足が理由で、週末を除き、ランチは営業していない。キッチンには8人、サーバーは6人いるが、全員がUmenoya専業というわけではない。「人材の確保が一番の悩みの種です。また、この店はもともとファストフード店だった設計上、アルコールのライセンスを申請できません。そこで近郊のロングビーチにアルコールも提供できる2号店を出す計画が進んでいたのですが、 リース契約上のトラブルにより断念しました」

さて、肝心のメニューはと言うと、実にバラエティ豊かだ。豚骨、味噌、醤油、塩、スパイシー味噌にあっさり味に改良した次郎ラーメンまで揃う。夏には冷やし中華も仲間入りする。筆者個人は豚骨ラーメンのファンだが、味噌ラーメン好きの息子や醤油ラーメン好きの娘と来ても、それらがすべてメニューに並んでいるという時点ですでにポイントが高い。眞由美さんに聞けば「どのラーメンも満遍なく注文が入ります」とのこと。

メニュー開発を手がけるサブマネージャーの青木康則さんは「味に関しては、常に新しいものを発信して尖った店にしたいですね。例えば日本にあるのにロサンゼルスにないものを発見して、それをこちら向けにアレンジして人気メニューに育てるなど、常に努力を怠りなく取り組んでいきたいです」と抱負を語ってくれた。



Umenoya
24222 Crenshaw Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90505
(310)530-3177
Monday,Wednesday-Friday:5:30pm-3:00am
Saturday: 12:00pm-3:00am
Sunday: 12:00pm-11:00pm
Closed on Tuesday
#LA #Torrance #alljapannews #ramen #restaurant #umenoya

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Ramen you enjoy in Showa-era-like retro-inspired ambience

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Ramen you enjoy in Showa-era... Ramen you enjoy in Showa-era... Ramen you enjoy in Showa-era... Ramen you enjoy in Showa-era... Ramen you enjoy in Showa-era...
By Keiko Fukuda

Jidaiya Ramen Dining in Gardena will have its fifth anniversary of the grand opening in April of this year. This is a very popular place which has been featured in various media in the past. “We were inexpert about ramen when we first opened,” says Taigo Sato, the co-owner/general manager.

Mr. Sato and the owner/chef and Masataka Hirai have been running Torihei, an izakaya in Torrance, which serves yakitori and oden dishes. Torihei used to serve ramen on its a-la-carte menu. They wanted more people to enjoy the ramen, and opened a ramen specialized restaurant, Jidaiya, separate from Torihei. The number of customers kept increasing right after the opening, but after a while, the customers suddenly stopped coming. The reason was the taste of the soup. “We were using the same staff, and the same recipe, but for some reason, the taste of the soup had become dull. After some research, we found out that it was caused by the temperature at the time when the soup was strained. We solved the problem, and restored the good taste of the soup, but it was not easy to bring back the customers who once left,” says Mr. Sato in a reminiscing mood.

In order to get the regulars back, and to gain new customers, Jidaiya started to try various things. First, the interior was renewed to make a retro-inspired ambience of the Showa-era. The restaurant is decorated with nostalgic ads with old kanjis, a tube TV set, etc. They have restaurants in Japan as well, so Mr. Hirai and Mr. Sato bought those old signs at auctions, etc. during the business trips to Japan to bring them to the U.S. Thus, the interior space, which gives a relaxing feel to those who knew the Showa-era, and a refreshingly different feel to others and Americans who are not at all familiar with such an era, was created.

Moreover, promotional stamp cards were distributed to the customers in order to attract repeat visitors. A free gyoza plate after the third visit, and a free ramen bowl after 12 visits, etc. were offered with those cards (they are no longer doing it). In addition, they participated in an event for the Ramen Festival, adding the special menu item that was developed for the event, Ramen Burger, to the regular menu for a certain period, etc., and succeeded in bringing back the current popularity they once had.

Being featured in “Westways”, the AAA magazine gave them a big break. Mr. Sato says, “We were interviewed without really knowing, and found ourselves being featured in the magazine,” says Mr. Sato. Americans who saw the article started to swarm into the restaurant. However, it did not end as a temporary phenomenon. Even now, a wide variety of customers in different race groups keep coming for the tasty ramen.

The most popular item is the tonkotsu ramen. The reasonable pricing of less than $10 per bowl is another attractive point. “Pricing is based on the Japanese standard. In Japan, people do not expect to pay more than 1,000 yen for a bowl of ramen. Not only is the price reasonable, but the volume is big so the customers should think that the cost performance for them is excellent”, says Mr. Sato.

Their ramen is served in Ehime-prefecture’s Tobe Ware bowls. “In order to retain the hot temperature of ramen until the last bite, we chose this Tobe Ware as the best candidate after searching through Japan. The bowls are rather expensive, but we chose them because they are baked multiple times with high heat, are durable, and most importantly, retain heat well so that the ramen and the soup can be enjoyed at the best temperature until the last drop. We will continue using the Tobe Ware bowls.”

Compared to five years ago when Jidaiya first opened, the number of ramen restaurants around Los Angeles has increased quite a bit. So, what would be the strategy to survive this so called ramen war era? Mr. Sato answers, “To keep offering ramen with consistency in taste, and good cost performance (reasonable price)”. They are thinking about a third restaurant to follow Torihei and Jidaiya targeting around the year 2020.


昭和レトロな雰囲気で味わうラーメン
今年の4月でグランドオープン5周年を迎える、ガーデナの時代家ラーメンダイニング。過去に様々な媒体で紹介されてきた人気のラーメンレストランだが、「開店した頃、ラーメンに関しては素人でした」と話すのは、同店の共同オーナーでジェネラルマネジャーの佐藤泰吾さんだ。

佐藤さんとオーナーシェフの平井昌孝さんとで今も経営しているトーランスの焼き鳥とおでんの居酒屋、とり平で出していた一品料理としてのラーメンを、もっと多くの人に楽しんでもらいたいという思いから、とり平とは別の場所にラーメン専門店を開けたのが時代家の始まり。開店直後は加速度的に顧客の数が増えていたが、一時期、客足がピタッと止まった。原因は「スープの味」だった。「スタッフもレシピも変わっていないのに、なぜか、スープの味が薄くなってしまいました。調べた結果、スープを濾す時の温度が問題だということがわかりました。問題を解決し、スープの味を復活させたものの、一度離れた顧客を戻すことは大変でした」と佐藤さんは振り返る。

常連客を取り戻し、新規顧客を掴むためにも時代家は多様な試みを実行に移した。まずは内装を昭和レトロな雰囲気で一新した。店内には昔懐かしい漢字の看板やブラウン管のテレビなどが置かれている。古い看板は、日本にも店を持っているため、日米を行き来する平井さんと佐藤さんが、オークションで落札するなどして実際にアメリカに持ち込んだものだそうだ。こうして昭和の日本を知る人には「落ち着ける」雰囲気、全くなじみのないアメリカ人顧客にとっては「新鮮な」インテリアが完成した。

さらに3回来店したら餃子、12回でラーメンが無料になるなどリピート客を増やすためのスタンプカード発行(現在は終了)や、ラーメンフェスティバルのイベントへの出展、イベントを機に開発したラーメンバーガーを期間限定でメニューに追加するなどして、時代家は現在の活気を取り戻すことに成功した。

AAA発行の雑誌「WestWays」に紹介されたことも大きかった。「知らないうちに取材されて雑誌に載っていました」と佐藤さんも言うように、気づけば雑誌を見たアメリカ人が店に押しかけるようになった。しかし、それは一時的な現象にとどまらず、 通しで営業している同店には、今でも人種問わず幅広い層の人々がラーメンを求めて来店する。

同店の一番人気は豚骨ラーメン。ラーメン1杯が10ドルを超えない価格も魅力的だ。「料金設定はあくまで日本の感覚なんです。日本ではラーメンに1000円以上出すことはしないですから。しかもボリュームたっぷりなので、お客さんにとってのコストパフォーマンスは抜群にいいと思います」と佐藤さん。

ラーメンは愛媛県の砥部焼の器でサーブされる。「ラーメンを最後まで熱々で召し上がって頂くため、日本各地を探し回った結果、この砥部焼に白羽の矢を立てました。器の価格は高価ですが、高温で何度も焼き入れしているため、割れにくいこと、何より最高の温度のラーメンとスープを最後まで楽しんでもらうために選んだものなので、今後も砥部焼を使用していきます」とのことだ。

5年前、時代家がオープンした時に比べて現在は、ロサンゼルス周辺のラーメン店の数は格段に増加している。まさにラーメン戦国時代と言える中にあって、時代家の生き残り策とは? その問いに「安定した味、コストパフォーマンスの良いラーメンを今後も提供していくことです」と佐藤さんは答えた。さらに、とり平、時代家に続くアメリカでの3店舗目は、2020年頃を目処に計画しているそうだ。

Jidaiya Ramen Dining
18537 S Western Ave
Gardena, CA 90248
(310) 532-0999
http://www.torihei-usa.com/jidaiya.html
11:30AM-10:30PM
7 Days Open
#LA #alljapannews #dinig #gardena #jidaiya #ramen #showaera

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Fresh air of Japan Town! Uncompromising “Dashi Ramen”

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By Elli Sekine

In November of last year, a new style of “wafu” (Japanese) ramen appeared in San Francisco’s Japan Town which is known for the area as one of the hottest battle grounds for the ramen business. Lately, in Japan Town, due to the continuing generation change, the appearance of the town is slowly changing to “Asian-style” rather than Japanese. In such an environment, a long-hoped wish, a strong ambition “to spread traditional Japanese dashi taste to the world”, of the owner, Ikuto Kurihara, came alive. Mr. Kurihara is the fourth CEO of “Sasala” Group, a long-established Japanese restaurant chain, and runs 4 restaurants in Hasuda city, Saitama prefecture. He chose San Francisco as the first overseas branch, the fifth restaurant chain, “Hinodeya”. Their wafu-dashi ramen which may replace the current tonkotsu–base ramen boom has been heating up since the opening. This fourth CEO is like a samurai who challenges the U.S restaurant market with the traditional Japanese taste on the front banner he holds.

Born into a long-established Japanese restaurant environment, Mr. Kurihara went into the cooking world when he was a teenager. He inherited the family business sometime after the year 2000. Since then, he has expanded the business to 4 different themed restaurants, soba, Japanese food, etc. The fourth one, “The Fourth Generation Hinodeya” which served the dashi ramen in the hopes of taking it to the United States, won “The Best Ramen 2014”. The very settled and well-thought concept, rather than an idea of the moment, is bearing fruit in San Francisco.

The signature menu, “Hinodeya Ramen” is the ultimate Japanese taste which Mr. Kurihara created by working so hard on it. I asked him why he chose ramen as the means of spreading the traditional dashi taste, and he answered, “The most familiar Japanese food to Americans currently is ramen. Most of the other ramen shops serve mainly tonkotsu-base soup, but I wanted to serve the Japanese taste I have been acquiring in the form of ramen”. As for the reason for choosing San Francisco as the first overseas location, he said, “I recognize that the melting pot that sends information of the latest trend in foods is here in San Francisco. I believe that cuisine approved in this town shall be approved all over the United States, and eventually by the whole world.” His strategy already depicts 10 years from now.

What does the “Dashi Ramen” taste like? In short, it is delicate and tender with a fragrance of fresh bonito and kombu flavors. This is the ramen of concentrated umami. Unlike the current main-stream ramen flavors that are dominant in the ramen boom such as rich tonkotsu, spice-added, or stimulating flavors with karaage or tonkatsu toppings, it is light with a hint of sweetness. The men (noodles) to match the dashi soup is also different. It is medium-thick like between ramen and udon, and soft, and moist, with a lipid and chewy texture. It is very delicate. The toppings are thinly sliced chashu pork, light-taste boiled egg, etc., which go well with the soup, and also mix easily with the men. Crispy julienne Tokyo negi (leek) accentuates the soup. The spacious counter is decorated with sake bottles, and used as a space for waiting customers.

Chef Shibata from “Sasala” Japanese restaurant in Japan was displaying his skills as the opening chef here. He told me his impression about the ramen boom in the United States; “Preparation starts in the early morning. There is no difference between a ramen restaurant and a Japanese food restaurant. I would like to express true Japanese taste by riding on the same lucky wave of this ramen boom”. In their menu, you see the kind of a-la-carte dishes you find in a long-established Japanese restaurant besides ramen. ”Crispy Fried Yam” ($8) in the Okazu menu, for instance, is slightly crispy in the center, but the surface is fluffy, and the thin skin is still attached. The Chinese yam is fried for a very short time to retain the texture, and served with a fragrant house sesame sauce. A popular dish from the side dish menu is the “Cheese Royal” ($5), which was named after Kiko, Princess Akishino, who loved the marinated cheese dish in the menu when they had a chance to serve the Royal family. There are more original dishes, which the long-established restaurant boasts of, such as tender tebasaki chicken cooked in dashi ($8), nori konnyaku (seaweed yam cake), cooked young bamboo shoot, etc. You can also order omakase-style meals if reserved in advance.

It is almost a miracle that the proud family dashi recipe which has been kept a secret for more than 130 years came to the United States. The beautiful exterior which stands out in the decrepit mall, and the sophisticated interior are designed by specialists. Things of Japanese atmosphere scattered in the interior space, the table ware, and the service produce Japanese style hospitality. This is a restaurant where you can truly feel the spirit of the fourth CEO who hopes to spread “Japanese cuisine”, a chosen intangible cultural heritage, to the world.


日本町に新風!こだわりの「出汁ラーメン」

ラーメンの激戦区、SF日本町に去年11月、「和風」ラーメンの新星が登場した。近年、日本町では世代交代が相次ぎ、町の様相も“アジア系” に変わりつつある。そんな中、「日本伝統の出汁味を世界に広げたい」という高い志を持つ経営者、栗原生人氏の長年の構想が始動している。栗原氏は、老舗和食店4代目、「彩々楽」(ササラ)グループ代表取締役で、埼玉県蓮田市で4件のレストランを経営している。今回、5件目のオープンが海外1号店が和風ラーメン「Hinodeya」だ。この新店舗は、米国に広がる豚骨中心の中心のブームを一世風靡するような和風出汁味。その新しい味を体験しようと、去年11月のソフトオープンからヒートアップしている。4代目は日本の伝統の味を提げ米国外食市場に挑むサムライのような存在だ。

和食老舗店に生まれた栗原氏は、 10代の頃から料理界に入り、稼業を継いだのは2000年に入ってから。現在まで蕎麦屋から和食店など各テーマを持つ4店舗に拡大している。4店舗目の「四代目ひのでや」は、米国への進出を見込んで出汁ラーメンを提供したところ、「埼玉ベストラーメン2014」を受賞した。単なる思い付きではない、腰を据えての構想は今サンフランシスコで実を結んでいる。
 看板メニュー、「Hinodeya Ramen」は、栗原氏が切磋琢磨して創り上げた和風の極みだ。ラーメンという手段を選んだ理由について、「現在アメリカ人に一番親しまれている日本食がラーメンだった。でも見渡せばほとんどの店は豚骨スープで、私が培った和風味をラーメンという形で賞味して欲しいという思いです」と栗原氏。そして海外1店舗目にサンフランシスコを選んだ理由について、「食トレンドの最新情報発信基地がここにあると認識しました。ここで認められた料理は全米、やがて世界に通用するという展望です」と答えた。その戦略はすでに10年先の構想が描かれている。

「出汁ラーメン」とはどんな味なのか。一言で言うなら、新鮮な鰹と昆布の風味が香る繊細で優しい味。旨味が詰まったラーメンだ。ラーメンブームの一線を博す豚骨コッテリ系、または辛味を加えたり、唐揚げやトンカツをのせた刺激的なラーメンと異なり、あっさり系で微妙な甘みもある。また麺もスープにマッチするべくラーメンとうどんの中間のような麺で冠水を入れず糖質を抑えた、コシはあるが柔らかめの中太麺。デリケートな食感だ。トッピングは薄切りのチャーシュー、薄味の煮卵といった出汁味と絡みやすく麺との相性も良い。シャキシャキの東京ネギがアクセントになっている。広いカウンターにはお酒も並べられ、バー兼客の待ちスペースになっている。

オープニングの料理長には、日本の「彩々楽」(ささら)和食店から柴田シェフが腕をふるっていた。アメリカのラーメンブームの印象を同氏は、「このブームにあやかり、本当の和風の味を表現したいと思っています」と答えてくれた。仕込みは早朝から始まる。ラーメン店でありながら和食店と変わりはない。メニューはラーメン以外にも老舗和食店ならではの一品料理が並ぶ。例えばOkazu から「Crispy Fried Yam」($8)は、微妙な食感を中心に残しながらも周りはホクホクして薄い皮もそのまま、柔らかく食感を残す長芋をサッと揚げたものに香ばしい自家製セサミソース付きやおつまみから人気なのは「Cheese Royal」($5)。メニュー名の由来は、食事を天皇家族にお出しした際、紀子様が漬けチーズを非常にお気に召した事から付けられたとか。その他、柔らかく出汁で煮込んだ手羽先($8)や海苔こんにゃく、若竹煮込みなども老舗が誇るオリジナルだ。予約によってはオマカセメニューも用意している。

130年以上守り続けてきた家族経営店の秘伝の和風出汁が米国に進出したのは奇跡に近い。老朽化したモールに一際目立つ美しい外観、洗練されたインテリアは専門デザイナーによるもの。店内には和のテイストが散りばめられ、食器、サービスに至るまで日本の「おもてなし」を再現している。無形文化遺産に選ばれた「和食」文化を絶やさず世界に広げていきたいとする四代目のスピリットを感じ取れる店だ。



Hinodeya
1737 Buchanan St
San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 757-0552
http://www.sasala-group.com/hinodeya/

Wed-Non 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Sat,Sun 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Closed on Tuesday
#alljapannews #hinodeya #ramen #sanfrancisco

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Unique ramen in a Venetian restaurant

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Unique ramen you can taste in a sophisticated modern Venetian-style restaurant
By Aya Ota

“All’onda” is the name of the restaurant which some New Yorkers are glued to due to its unique concept of the modern Venetian cuisine. It is located in a sophisticated looking two-story building in the Union Square district of Manhattan with huge glass windows in front that draw the eyes of people who walk by. The ground floor of the building is laid out as a stylish bar, and the upstairs is a relaxing wooden interior space. Who would have thought that ramen is served in such a sophisticated Italian restaurant?

There are 3 ramen dishes: “Chicken Miso Ramen”, “Tonkotsu Ramen”, and the most unusual “Parmesan Dashi Ramen”. This unique ramen does not look very different from any other ramen in appearance. The soup is clear, and nothing in the bowl looks like cheese. However, as soon as you taste the soup, the flavor of parmesan cheese spreads in your mouth. I was astonished to learn the unique idea of making such dashi for the soup which is made by combining the hard crusty surface of parmesan cheese with traditional konbu dashi. The noodles are made on-site daily as you would expect from any authentic Italian restaurant. The toppings are a boiled egg, corn kernels, grilled scallions and maitake mushrooms which add an exquisite accent with its smoky scorched flavor. The other two ramen dishes, “Chicken Miso Ramen” and “Tonkotsu Ramen” sound ordinary, but taste quite different from what you normally imagine from the names. The soups look light and clear, but both soups give so much more flavor than they appear, and you can really taste chicken or pork respectively. They both taste harmonious yet without being too different. I am sure that there is no other place where you can have such unique ramen. They are served as a part of the soup menu for weekday lunch time. You can order a bowl either as a single item, or can also pair with a sandwich item such as a hamburger. For the weekend brunch, they are served as single menu items. When I saw Americans eating ramen with chopsticks in such a stylish Italian restaurant, I could not hide my surprise. I was so impressed by how far ramen culture has evolved in this country.

Ramen is not the only Japanese food on the menu. There are seafood dishes prepared with ingredients such as soy sauce, miso, yuzu pepper, and wasabi. For instance, the “Bucatini” is their signature dish with a generous portion of smoked uni (sea urchin) in rich egg yolk and cream sauce. The “Hamachi” is prepared in olive oil and soy sauce with a hint of pepperoncini as an accent. With the pickled broccoli stem added, it tastes similar to fresh sashimi in ponzu sauce. They also carry a sensible lineup of sake drinks including 3 different brands of basic sake, sparkling junmai sake, unfiltered junmai ginjo sake, and junmai daiginjo sake.

“It was a very natural thing for me to combine Venetian cuisine with Japanese ingredients,” says the executive chef/part owner of the restaurant, Mr. Chris Jaeckle. He used to work at “Ai Fiore”, the 3-star Italian restaurant by the Network Times as chef de cuisine. He also worked at “Morimoto”, a modern Japanese restaurant, and “Eleven Madison Park”, a contemporary American restaurant.
The one who developed the unique ramen dishes is the sous-chef, Joe Downey-Zayas. He says, “Because a lot of seafood is used in Venetian cuisine, it shares many common points with Japanese cuisine. The way sardines or tomatoes are used to bring out the flavors effectively is similar to the Japanese dashi concept. Another similarity the two cuisines share is having a wide-variety of noodle dishes. Italian has pastas, and Japanese has ramen, udon, etc.” Mr. Downey-Zayas started as a cook, and his ability won him a quick promotion to sous-chef only within a few months. He has been loving Japanese foods such as ramen and yakitori ever since he was a child. He was given a scholarship in 2015 to learn Japanese cooking at a traditional Japanese restaurant, and built up the skills for Japanese cuisine during that time.

In such an influential Italian restaurant, two chefs with mighty abilities are working together and creating an extraordinary menu. This is a restaurant that I want to visit repeatedly to find something new and exciting every time.


洗練されたモダン・ヴェネツィア料理店で味わう独創的なラーメン

モダン・ヴェネツィア料理というユニークなコンセプトで、ニューヨーカーを釘付けにする『All'onda』。マンハッタンのユニオン・スクエア地区に佇む2階建ての店舗は、建物の前面が大きなガラス張りになっており、その都会的な外観は道行く人の目を引きつける。1階にはスタイリッシュなバー、階段を上り2階へ行くと、木をふんだんに使い落ち着いた雰囲気の空間が広がる。この洗練されたイタリアン・レストランでラーメンを食べられるとは、一体誰が想像できるだろうか?

ラーメンは3種類、「チキン味噌ラーメン」「豚骨ラーメン」、そして特筆すべき「パルメザン出汁ラーメン」だ。運ばれてきた丼を見ると、一見、普通のラーメンとの大きな違いは感じられない。スープは透き通っており、チーズらしさを感じる見た目でもない。しかし、一口スープを含んだ途端、間違いなくパルメザン・チーズの風味が広がる。この独特なスープは、パルメザン・チーズの表面にある固い殻状の部分を昆布出汁に漬け込んで作るというが、その独創的な発想に驚かされる。麺はさすが本格派イタリアン・レストランだけあって、店内で毎日手作りする生麺を使用。トッピングには煮卵とコーン、グリルしたネギとマイタケ。ネギとマイタケのスモーキーな焦げ味が、絶妙なアクセントになっている。「チキン味噌ラーメン」「豚骨ラーメン」も名前はありふれているが、我々が想像するそれとは異なる。あっさりと透き通ったスープなのに、それぞれ鳥や豚骨の味がしっかり感じられる。奇をてらっている訳ではないが独特で、しかも調和のとれた味。こんなラーメンは、他では決して口にできないだろう。ラーメンは、平日はランチのスープメニューとして位置づけられおり、サンドイッチやバーガーと一緒に頼んでもいいし、単品で注文することもできる。週末のブランチでは単品メニューとして提供している。この洒落たイタリアン・レストランで、箸を使い、丼からラーメンを食べるアメリカ人の姿を見たときには、「ラーメンもここまで進化したのか」と驚きと感動を隠せなかった。

同店で日本らしいメニューはラーメンだけではない。醤油、味噌、柚子胡椒、ワサビなど、日本食材を取り入れた魚介中心の料理が並ぶ。スモークしたウニを惜しげもなくたっぷりと使い、卵黄とクリームで濃厚に仕上げた「ブカティーニ」は同店のシグニチャー・メニュー。「ハマチ」は、オリーブオイルと醤油のソースに、ペペロンチーニがぴりりと効いている。ブロッコリ茎で作るピクルスの酸味が混ざり、まるでポン酢で刺身を食べているような、爽やかな味わいだ。日本酒も3種類、発泡純米、純米吟醸無濾過原酒、純米大吟醸と、通なラインナップを用意している。

「ヴェネツィア料理に日本食材を組み合わせることは、とても自然なことだった」と語るのは、同店のエグゼクティブ・シェフでありパートナーのクリス・ジャックル氏ジャックル氏は、同店開店前は、ニューヨーク・タイムズ紙で三つ星を獲得したイタリアン・レストラン『Ai Fiori』でシェフ・デ・キュイジーンを務めた。その前にもモダン・ジャパニーズ『Morimoto』や、コンテンポラリー・アメリカン『Eleven Madison Park』で腕を奮った経験を持つ。
独創的なラーメンを開発したのはスーシェフのジョー・ダウニーザヤス氏。「イタリア料理の中でも魚介をふんだんに使うヴェネツィア料理は、日本食との共通点が多い。イワシやトマトのうま味を活かす点は、日本の出汁の考えと共通する。イタリアはパスタ、日本にはラーメンやうどんなど、麺料理が多い点もよく煮ている」と語る。ダウニーザヤス氏は、同店でコックとして働きはじめ、たった数カ月でスーシェフに昇格したという実力の持ち主で、小さい頃からラーメンや焼き鳥など日本食に親しんできた。2015年には財団から奨学金を受け日本の料亭で研修も積み、日本食への造詣を深めたという。

この影響力あるイタリアン・レストランで、二人の才能あふれるシェフがタッグを組み作り出す斬新なメニュー。何度でも足を運びたくなる、新しい発見がある店だ。



All'onda
22 E 13th St, New York, NY 10003, United States
Phone: +1 212-231-2236
http://www.allondanyc.com/'rel="nofollow">http://www.allondanyc.com/
#Venetian #alljapannews #ramen #restaurant

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Restaurant “Blow Fish, ”

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Restaurant “Blow Fish, ” a leader of popular Japanese cuisine, expands by opening ramen shops

This year, restaurant “Blow Fish” that garnered attention for their innovative full-bar and fusion sushi with Japanese pop culture as the theme, celebrates 20 years in business. This trendy style created a huge fad that captured the hearts of young customers, and the restaurant expanded with branches overseas starting with San Francisco, then inside “Santana raw” in the new commercial building in San Jose, to Los Angeles and New Zealand. Since opening, the restaurant continues to enjoy a stable operation. The “Pop-up” ramen shop that opened two years ago was another mega hit. And last October, another ramen shop opened in the Lower Haight district of San Francisco. Soon after opening, word spread through current fans using SNS, etc., with the restaurant filled to capacity day-after-day, with customers waiting an average of one hour. “IZA” is a popular ramen shop bursting with originality.

Owners Ritsuo Tsuchida and Jason Teplitsky each capitalize on their respective strengths to create an era of popular Japanese cuisine. Tsuchida first gained experience preparing Japanese cuisine in Japan before immigrating to the U.S. in the early 1990s. At the time of Tsuchida’s arrival, Japanese cuisine in San Francisco consisted mainly of sushi, and the term “fusion” cuisine was not yet used. At the time, Tsuchida was working at Japanese restaurant “Okazu Ya” in the Sunset district, while developing his original Californian-style sushi menu on his own. Tsuchida soon met his current business partner and was approached in 1996 with plans to open restaurant “Blow Fish.”

On the day business plans were presented, investors who sampled Tsuchida’s menu selections highly praised Tsuchida as the “leader of a new era.” The chef’s original creative menu, referred to today as “fusion” sushi, incorporates elements from Italian and Californian cuisine, etc. Investors saw future potential in Tsuchida’s culinary sensibilities and business plans, which led to the opening of Blow Fish, where Tsuchida is the chef and also responsible for creating the menu, training staff, and overseeing the appearance of the dining space. On the other hand, Teplitsky is in charge of the business-side, such as business administration and management. Twenty years into this partnership, the two partners are still working together to create an era of new Japanese cuisine.

The two owners have planned to open “IZA” since two years ago. However, the duo faced challenges when searching for properties, so until preparations were complete, “IZA Ramen” operated as a pop-up ramen shop at “Blow Fish” only during weekend lunch hours. Since garnering popularity leads to the opening of a restaurant as the general rule, fans were already established even before the IZA opened, eagerly anticipated by customers who looked forward to enjoying IZA’s ramen on evenings also. The Low Haight location is surrounded by hip bars, cafes, and specialty stores, ideal for young customers who frequent IZA.

IZA’s seating capacity is 50 customers. The large kitchen space is lined with tall pots used to prepare soup for ramen, where five employees work busily. The interior dining space is casually adorned with a casual ambiance and low lighting to suit the dinner hours. The restaurant renovation was done minimally and completed by staff in only a few weeks to avoid hiring vendors, which would prolong construction and delay the grand opening. This was an efficient solution since delay in construction is an everyday occurrence here in the U.S.

The four ramen selections are “IZA tsukemen” (dipping noodles), “IZA ramen,” and a spicy version of both. American consumers especially tend to prefer spicy ramen. The soup for both ramen is rich pork bone soup, flavored with soy sauce. The original soup stock is prepared with seafood soup as the base with chicken parts, several vegetables, etc. added and simmered for eight hours until completion. Garlic puree boiled in milk, roasted garlic, and “Ma-yu” (black roasted garlic oil), etc., were added to create three different types of specialty soups with enhanced richness to create your own preferred style of “ramen.” The thick, wavy noodles are highly compatible with the rich soup!

“I want to develop my own soup that combines well with the noodles, and serve ramen that I’m convinced is delicious,” said Tsuchida, who also loves “tsukemen” (dipping noodles) and strives to make this dish widespread in the U.S. Also, the menu selections include appetizers for customers who may not prefer ramen, such as the original “karaage” (seasoned fried chicken), salmon with tartar sauce, Hawaiian “kanpachi” greater amberjack carpaccio, and other “fusion” menu selections that radiates chef Tsuchida’s talents!

As the ramen boom soon reaches a peak, will “tsukemen” (dipping noodles) become widespread in the U.S.? Despite just having opened a new restaurant, co-owners Tsuchida and Teplitsky are already planning to open another one. The very next boom the two will likely generate is highly anticipated!


ポップな日本食をリードする「Blow Fish」が展開するラーメン店

日本のポップカルチャーをテーマに、フルバー、フュージョン寿司という斬新なコンセプトで一世を風靡した「Blowfish」は、今年で開店20周年を迎える。そのトレンディなスタイルは、大ブームを巻き起こし、若者の心をつかんだ。サンフランシスコに続き、2000年前半にかけては、サンノゼの新商業施設「Santana raw」内、ロサンゼルス、そしてニュージランドの海外店舗まで展開させた。当時の勢いから、近年は安定した経営を続けているが、2年前に始めたラーメンのポップアップが再び大ヒット。そして去年10月、ついに単独店舗をローワーヘイト地区にオープンした。開店間もなく、すでに既存するファンと共にSNSなどで人気は広がり、連日超満員で平均1時間待ちを余儀なくされる。「IZA」はオリジナリティ溢れる人気のラーメン店だ。

経営者の土田理津男氏とジェイソン・テプリスキー氏は、それぞれの得意分野を活かし、ポップな日本食の時代を作り上げてきた。土田氏は、日本で和食の基礎を習得した後、90年初頭に渡米。その当時、サンフランシスコで日本食といえばまだ寿司が中心で、「フュージョン」という言葉さえなかった。同氏はサンセット地区にある「Okazu Ya」 という日本食店で働きながら、カリフォルニアスタイルの寿司メニューを開発していた。そこで今のビジネスパートナーと出会い、96年に「Blow Fish」をオープンする計画を持ちかけられた。その事業計画を披露する日に集まったインベスター達に土屋氏が振る舞ったサンプルメニューは、「時代の先取り」と絶賛された。その創作メニューは、今で言う「フージョン」だ。イタリアンやカリフォルニアを取り入れた創造的な寿司、一品料理に投資家たちは、同氏の料理のセンスに事業の未来の確信を持ち、開店に至った。土田氏は現在もシェフとして、メニュー考案や従業員の教育、店作りを担当し、テプリンスキー氏は、経営、マネージメントなどビジネス面を担当している。このパートナーの二人三脚は20年経過してもなお、新しい日本食のトレンドを築こうとしている。

二人は2年前から「IZA」の独立した店舗を計画していたが、物件探しに困難が生じ、準備が整うまでの間、「Blowfish」で週末昼のみ「IZA ramen」ポップアップとして営業していた。そこで人気を得てから、単独店を持つという流れになっているので、開店前からすでにファンは付いていた。彼らは夜も「IZA」でラーメンが食べれる環境を待っていたようだ。ローワーヘイトの場所もポップなバーやカフェ、スペシャリティーストアが多く、若者の支持が多い同店にとって理想的だ。客席数は50席。大きなキッチンスぺースには、ラーメンのスープを作る寸胴鍋が並び、5人の従業員が忙しそうに動いている。内装はカジュアルでゆったりとして、照明を落とし夜の雰囲気を出している。店の改装は、わずか数週間で従業員のみで行ったという。その理由について、業者が入ると工事が長引き開店が遅くなるので、最低限の改装で店を開店させた方が良いという考え方だ。実際に工事の遅れはアメリカでは日常茶飯事なので、非常に効率的だ。

ラーメンの種類は、「IZAつけ麺」と「IZAラーメン」、両ラーメンにSpacyが加わった全4種。アメリカ人は特にスパイシーを好むらしい。スープはどちらも濃厚な豚骨醤油スタイル。オリジナルのスープは、魚介スープをベースに鶏ガラ、数種類の野菜、他を8時間煮込み仕上げる。そこに牛乳で煮込んだトロトロのニンニクピューレやローストガーリック、マー油など、3種類の特製ニンニクをスープに投入すつことで、さらに深みが増し、自分好みの「ラーメン」が作れる。麺は太麺ちぢれでこの濃厚なスープとの相性が良い。「麺と良く絡むスープを独自で開発し自分で美味しいと納得するラーメンを提供したい」という土屋氏もやはりつけ麺好きで、アメリカでの普及を目指している。さらにメニューには、ラーメンを好まない人も楽しめるアペタイザーが揃っている。お勧めのオリジナル唐揚の他に、サーモンタルタル、ハワイアンカンパチカルパッチョなど、土屋氏が今まで培ってきた元祖「フュージョン」のアイディアが光る。

ラーメンブームもそろそろ頭打ちと言われる中で、「つけ麺」はこれからアメリカに普及するのだろうか。まだ新店をオープンしたばかりにもかかわらず、土田氏とテプリスキー氏にはすでに新しい店のオープン計画を控えている。次はどんなブームを巻き起こしてくれるか楽しみだ。



IZA Ramen
237 Fillmore St. San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 926-8173
Wed.- Mon./ 5:00pm-10:00pm Tuesday closed
#alljapannews #japaneserestaurant #ramen #sanfrancisco

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