When local chef and friend Chris Van Every first left Buffalo to move to Hawaii I felt that we had lost someone who would have eventually done something great in the city. Chris was always the guy who was experimenting with food styles and traditions. When I last saw Chris he was still preparing sushi and I figured that he would continue to do so in Hawaii. When Chris returned to Buffalo with a plan of attack, not only was I glad that he had left, I was psyched that he had brought back with him some culinary tricks of the trade that he never would have mastered here. While in Hawaii, Chris learned the secrets of cooking ramen.
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Unfortunately, most of us grew to like ramen in college when we would open up those cheap packets of noodles and dump them into water before flavoring them with a flavor packet. Traditional ramen is an art, not a quick fix. Fortunately, NoNoo Ramen is going to be a restaurant where someone else takes the time to prepare what is a laborious craft, giving us the chance to eat incredible food without the hassle of preparation. I asked Chris what was so special about ramen and he had this to say:
"Yes, we're talking ramen. The best meal I ever had in my life was at a ramen restaurant in Queens. It was simply delicious, comfortable and was unlike anything else I had ever tried. It changed the way I thought about food. Then I moved to Hawaii and began to understand what ramen really was and what it should be. This sushi thing... I've been there and I learned a lot, but I want to do something more. Ramen is more than just noodles and broth. The Japanese have taken something that is so simple to most people... and turned it into something that is ridiculous (in a good way). There are so many ingredients and the noodles are held together unlike any other noodle. The effort put into a bowl of soup is amazing. You have to taste good ramen to know what it is. The stuff out of the cellophane bag is gas station food. The noodles are vegan - you get the yellowness without using egg... that means that we'll have a couple of vegan and vegetarian options. But my favorite type of ramen is a pork based broth boiled for 20 hours - it turns into a milky thick soup broth. I started cooking French in NYC so I know how to cook a good soup. The Japanese style of cooking soup is unlike anything else. It is a true art.
"As for the restaurant, there will be a small seating bar for 6-8 people, along with some table seating. I'm not trying to pack people in there. I'm doing limited seating in the beginning to make sure that the customer experience is the best. We've applied for our beer and wine license. I've talked to Community Beer Works and they will probably be brewing me a ginger beer (not as we know it) when they get their license. I may not even carry wine. I'll probably just carry sake and Soju. I just bought a Slurpee machine and I plan on making Soju Slurpees that customers will drink through big straws... and I'll have crazy flavors. The ingredients will all be natural, like Thai pumkin coffee. This is the type of restaurant that NoNoo Ramen will be... I can't wait to put a smile on people's faces."
NoNoo will be open in approximately one month. Follow Chris on Facebook for updates.
NoNoo Ramen (in-between Europa and Pasteurized Tees)
480 Elmwood
Buffalo NY 14222
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beyond excited for this, ever since Buffalo Eats announced this months ago! So glad they're finally close to opening!
(on a somewhat related note, any updates on cantina loco??)