As a teen, the only ramen I ever remember eating was in a styrofoam cup. I certainly made up for lost time, eating bowl after bowl of ramen, after living in Japan for two decades. Now back in my native North Texas, I'm surprised to see an increasing number of ramen restaurants. There is definitely a scene, and it is definitely growing.
"We are hoping to bring more ramen connoisseurs to this location and get more people familiar with ramen," Philip Chian, vice president of Nishiki Ramen, recently told me over several bowls of steaming noodles.
Ramen, of course, is a Japanese noodle dish that grew out of Chinese noodles. In Japan, there are different regional styles, such as Fukuoka's tonkotsu (pork bone) broth, or my fav Sapporo's miso ramen. Nishiki Ramen leans more to tonkotsu underpinnings for its ramen, but has a soy-bean iteration for vegan diners.
"Unless you've been to Japan, your experience with ramen might be instant noodles," said Chian. Fair point. In the past (and myself included!), most people's ramen experience was with Cup Noodles, which were invented by Taiwan-born Momofuku Ando in Osaka. If you ever visit Osaka Prefecture of Yokohama, do check out the Cup Noodles Museum, where you can even make your own custom cup noodles, and at least in Osaka, check out relics like Ando's glasses and instant noodles from around the world.
Nishiki Ramen Expands To Texas
In 2015, Nishiki Ramen opened its first U.S. location in San Diego. Founded by Tokyo-born-and-raised Mike Furuichi, Nishiki Ramen was, according to Eater, part of the "crazy popular Japanese ramen brands" then expanding to Southern California. (In Japan, it's reported that Nishiki Ramen was serving 80,000 bowls of ramen a month!) Late last year, Nishiki Ramen opened its first Texas location in Plano on Legacy Drive, right across the street from Mitsuwa. Furuichi and his family have moved to North Texas, along with Chian.
Here's Why North Texas Was Picked
"There were fewer ramen restaurants here in Dallas-Fort Worth, compared to Southern California," said Chian. "Here, ramen still seemed relatively new." That is changing, of course, and ramen restaurants have expanded throughout the area, including Ramen Hakata and Jinya, as other area ramen stalwarts like Waya and Ten continue to serve legit, delicious noodles.
With Collin County being the home of Toyota Motor North America, as well as to a number of other Japanese companies, this does seem to be a primo location for ramen. That alone, however, is a simplistic reason: The region is growing, more people and more restaurants and flowing into North Texas. Just as the population is going and becoming more varied, so is the dining scene.
For Those With Dietary Restrictions
The Plano location does not have gluten-free options, but it does have delicious vegan ramen, with a plant-based karaage flown in from Tokyo.
What We Tried:
- Nishiki ramen: tonkotsu, or pork bone, ramen with pork chasu, egg, green onion, ginger and naruto
- Akuma ramen: spicy tonkotsu ramen with roasted garlic, demon spice and miso
- Smoke bomb black ramen: tonkotsu ramen with homemade roasted black garlic sauce
- Vegan soy karaage curry ramen: curry-flavored soy-based broth with plant-based karaage, corn, green onions, cabbage, a slice of tomato and non-egg noodles
Our favorite might've been the vegan ramen?
Texas Ramen
Traditionally, regionality is important in ramen. So, Texas ramen is an inevitability. As of writing, Nishiki Ramen has been working on a Lone Star State-style ramen called The Big Texas. According to the menu description, the beef brisket chasu is simmered for over 20 hours, making it tender and savory. But that's not any beef brisket chasu! It clocks in at one pound before cooking. (The Big Texas is big for a reason!) The ramen is also served with a soft-boiled egg, corn, green onions, ginger and naruto.
At $34.95, the ramen is significantly more than the other bowls, which are priced between $15.95 for curry pork ramen and $18.45 for the smoke bomb black ramen. When we visited, the Texas ramen was still in Nishiki's skunkworks, being perfected for a later rollout.
"Ramen in Japan is so popular and always changing," said Chian. Which is exactly why it's perfect for its own Texas iteration.
Nishiki Ramen is located at 109 Legacy Dr Suite 140 in Plano. We thank the restaurant for hosting and treating us.