New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
With Iishin Ramen Bar, West Haven is a ramen desert no more
Japanese staple comes to West Haven at Iishin Ramen Bar
WEST HAVEN — The great West Haven ramen desert is a desert no longer: Iishin Ramen Bar, the city’s first purveyor of tasty, steamy Japanese ramen noodle soup, has opened on Captain Thomas Boulevard near the beach.
The restaurant features many key ingredients they make from scratch in-house — including house-made dumplings and their own tofu and soy sauce. It is located in the high-visibility spot that once was Savin Rock Roasting Co. So far, West Haveners are slurping it up.
Partners Johnny Chen, Penny Gao and Andy Xu — all young Chinese Americans with a strong appreciation for Japanese food and culture — opened the renovated restaurant at 291 Capt. Thomas Blvd. about four weeks ago, said Chen on Friday.
Why?
“We love Japanese culture,” said Chen, the restaurant’s head chef, who was born in the Fujian province of southern China. He grew up since age 11 in Brooklyn, N.Y., and moved to West Haven about two years ago.
There are several ramen restaurants in neighboring communities, including Midnight Ramen (Anaya Sushi & Rame, Mecha Noodle Bar, Kuro Shiro in New Haven, Noodle House in both Orange and the Amity section of New Haven, and Hokkaido Ramen in Orange.
And in West Haven, “I don’t see anything (Japanese) besides the sushi,” he said, making references to Sushi X — located across the street in the Savin Rock Parkade shopping center — and Daiko Japanese Restaurant & Jerry-San’s Sushi Bar on Derby Avenue.
Sushi X is owned by members of Gao’s family, Chen said. Savin Rock Roasting
Co. remains open in its new location just west of Iishin at 305 Captain Thomas Blvd. Among the things that attracted the partners to the Captain
Thomas Boulevard location was the fact that “it’s by the beach,” said Chen. He said they hope to have outdoor seating in the summer, just as Savin Rock Roasting Co. used to.
The partners are proud of what they’ve done so far, but are still seeking opinions from diners to see if anything could be tweaked or improved.
Chen, who runs Iishin’s kitchen, and Gao, who runs the front of the
“I don’t see anything (Japanese in West Haven) besides the sushi.” Johnny Chen, chef and co-owner, Iishin Ramen Bar, West Haven
house, both went to Tokyo and spent two years working in a ramen restaurant there to learn about the business and get ready to open Iishin, said Chen.
“In Japan ... when people have ramen, they feel warm and happy,” Chen said. “That’s what I try to do here.”
At Iishin, “almost everything is homemade,” said Gao.
Iishin’s menu is built around tasty appetizers and big, steamy black ceramic bowls of ramen noodle soup made with several different broths.
They include “Signature Iishin Ramen” made with straight noodles swimming in “Tonkotsu” pork bone broth simmered for more than 24 hours and topped with marinated chashu pork, wood ear mushrooms, seasoned bamboo shoots, scallions, nori dried seaweed and marinated boiled egg.
Iishin also served Tonkatsu Spicy, Tonkatsu Black made with a homemade black garlic oil and both spicy and less-spicy Miso Ramen, as well as Shoyu Ramen and Shio Ramen, both made with a chicken broth, and vegetarian Shoyu and Shio ramen. The latter four are served with wavy noodles.
Iishin also offers several rice bowls — including Unadon (barbecued eel.)
Its appetizers range from edamame (steamed green soybeans with sea salt) and homemade yaki gyoza pan fried pork and chives dumplings to Brussels sprouts tempura, Chicken Karaage (Japanese fried chicken), panfried Shishito peppers with yuzu salt and a spinach, avocado and seaweed green salad.
It also offers a full bar with some inventive cocktails, including a “Soho Lychee Martini,” an “Espresso Martini,” a “Sake Cosmo” and a “Tequila Kiwi Smash”
West Haveners — many of whom have been watching and waiting for Iishin to open since its sign went up more than six months ago — have responded warmly to it so far. Social media posts on sites such as the “West Haven — The Way It Is” Facebook page have been trending almost universally positive.
“My husband and I went to the new noodle house where Savin (Rock) Roasters used to be. The food was absolutely delicious, the staff friendly and the atmosphere was awesome,” wrote one poster on West Haven — The Way It Is. “We definitely will be back. A nice, different addition to West Haven.”
A commenter on another post about Iishin said, “This restaurant is awesome! Good enjoyable environment.”
Thursday night, Iishin got an informal visit from no less of a ramen-slurper than Mayor Nancy Rossi.
“I have to tell you, everything was wonderful — from the cleanliness and beauty” to the service, said Rossi, who went to Iishin for dinner with her husband, Arthur.
The food was good and “the service top notch,” said Rossi, who expects to do a grand opening ribbon-cutting at Iishin at some point.
“It was very, very nice,” she said.