Miyagi Ramen Bar to open in early July
It took a while, but slower lower Delaware is finally catching up on the ramen craze.
Miyagi Ramen Bar plans to open its doors the second week of July in the Safeway Shopping Center on Route 1 at the former Saladworks location.
Co-owner Jeong Hoon Kim formerly managed Saketumi in Rehoboth, and while there he developed an excellent relationship with his business partner Tammy Wang, the owner of Saketumi, so much so that the two decided to open a restaurant together. Kim says, "In this business it's kind of hard to find people who are like-minded. When it's a business partnership, especially a restaurant, a lot of times, it fails because the partnership wasn't working out." Kim says that he and Tammy have been working together for five years and that they understand each other very well.
One day the pair was bonding over their love of ramen and realized that a ramen bar would be a great addition to the coastal community.
"I love ramen. I absolutely love ramen," Kim says. "I wish people understood the real ramen, not the 99-cent boiling water ramen." Ramen is one of the most popular-selling Japanese foods, and its popularity has caught on around the world.
Kim and Tammy wish to bring to Delaware that same love for ramen noodles that is found in big cities like Tokyo and New York.
Kim says, "There are people who have only tasted 99-cent ramen, but then they get to taste the real broth, the broth that's been simmering for 24 hours, 28 hours, they get to taste the real thing and then - I want to wow people. I want people to go, 'oh my god, I didn't know ramen was like this!
"Starting from little kids to adults, they enjoy ramen and it's affordable," Kim says. "It's comfort food for Japanese people. There's a saying in Japanese. It basically means mother's taste, it's almost like my mother made it." The Miyagi Ramen Bar even went so far as to work with a noodle master, named Kotni, to ensure that its ramen lives up to the high standards of Japanese mothers who expect quality homemade ingredients.
Kim describes Kotni the noodle master, who has consulted with restaurants around the world, saying, "I don't just see him as a noodle master; he's more like a philosopher, a life coach, everything."
For ramen skeptics, Kim assures them that Miyagi Ramen Bar will have, "a little something for everyone."
Kim, who is experienced in the restaurant world and is the owner of another local small business, Park Ave. Dry Cleaners, says, "When you have a passion for something, whether it takes off in the beginning or not, if you do it long enough, if you do it consistent enough, if you have a passion for it, I'm a true believer that you will succeed.
"I want people to have comfort food plus not have to break their bank," Kim says. "Ramen noodles, whether you're rich or you're poor, everyone sits at the same table and eats."
