Ramen News

Top-notch ramen restaurant from San Francisco unfurls Frisco spinoff

Signature noodles are extra-thin.

Photo courtesy of Janice H./Yelp

An acclaimed ramen restaurant from the Bay Area is coming to Texas. Called Marufuku Ramen, it's a noodle shop from San Francisco, where it has earned raves and long lines for its authentic tonkotsu ramen.

It will open its first location in Texas and its first outside of California in Frisco, at 9292 Warren Pkwy., in the same vibrant center as 85C Bakery and Kura Revolving Sushi Bar.

Frisco will be only the third Marufuku; its other two locations are in San Francisco's Japantown and in Oakland.

John Nguyen, who represents the Frisco center where Marufuku will reside, says that it's pegged to open in October.

Marufuku was founded by Eiichi Mochizuki and Koji Kikura, Bay Area veterans who've operated a number of successful restaurants, including Shabuway, a small shabu-shabu restaurant chain they opened in 2004 that launched the first shabu-shabu wave throughout northern California; and Hime, one of the very first izakaya-style restaurants in the U.S. when they opened it in 2007.

Marufuku specializes in two highly perfected bowls: chicken paitan and Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen, a variation on pork-based tonkotsu but with thinner noodles.

Its tonkotsu ramen features a rich broth that's cooked for over 20 hours. It contains cha-shu braised pork belly, seasoned soft-boiled egg, green onion, kikurage mushrooms, bean sprouts, and their trademark ultra-thin noodles.

It can also be ordered in a "deluxe" version with additional ingredients including thick pork belly, corn, and nori seaweed.

Their Kyoto-style chicken paitan boasts a thick, opaque, extra-creamy broth. It contains cha-shu chicken breast, soft-boiled egg, green onion, kikurage mushrooms, bean sprouts, and noodles. It, too, can be ordered in a deluxe version with extra goodies.

They welcome custom requests such as choice of thick or thin broth, the firmness of the noodles, five levels of spice — from "no spicy" to "ultra spicy" — and even what is called "kae-dama," or a second helping of noodles.

Other menu items include izakaya-style appetizers such as Japanese-style karaage fried chicken, fried squid legs, shishito peppers, and Marufuku bites, which are Japanese steamed buns filled with cha-shu pork.

A quartet of rice bowls pairs rice with toppings such as chopped pork belly, fried chicken, and spicy cod roe. They also serve sake and beer.

Nguyen says they're thrilled to have a unique and high-quality concept such as Marufuku make its Texas debut. "Mr. Mochizuki came to tour Texas and wanted to be part of that center, with all of the other exciting concepts we've brought to Dallas-Fort Worth," he says.

While the Texas location will feature Marufuku's signature dishes, it's also likely to offer dishes that are unique.

"They'll tailor the menu to the location and cater to everyone's tastes," Nguyen says. "We'll be lucky to get some of the most authentic and top-notch ramen."

openings

Matcha News

Calif bakery-cafe with creative drinks and snacks makes Dallas debut

Smoking Tiger

Garlic cheese bread and matcha latte from Smoking Tiger

A buzzy coffee shop and cafe from Southern California has made its Texas debut: Called Smoking Tiger, it opened in June in Carrollton, at The Great Oasis plaza at 2225 Old Denton Rd. #100, where it's serving Korean pastries, breads, coffee, and beverages.

Adored by Korean-Americans and possibly everyone on Instagram, the cafe is part of a chain founded in 2020 in Buena Vista, California, that encompasses both coffee shops as well as bakeries. The Carrollton location — full name "The Smoking Tiger Bread Factory" — is one of their most expansive, offering coffee, pastries, breads, and sandwiches.

Carrollton will be the first in the DFW area, but a spokesperson says it won't be the only, although they do not have specifics on other locations or timetable for opening.

Drinks
Their beverage menu is notably rich and creative, leading with the Tiger Latte, their signature brown sugar latte with caramel and frothed oat milk. The Smokin Spaniard is a twist on latte combining espresso, condensed milk, hazelnut, and cinnamon.

Other options summon favorite Korean flavors such as

banana milk latte
honey bori latte with barley milk and salted honey cold foam
sweet corn latte, with sweet corn milk and corn cold foam
chai latte
misugaru — a roasted rice latte served slightly sweetened over choice of milk

… plus matcha lattes including strawberry matcha latte; jeju matcha latte sweetened with maple syrup; hojicha latte, featuring jeju green tea — a green tea grown in South Korea — sweetened with vanilla.

Latte prices average about $6.50.

Other irresistible-sounding drinks include the Pineapple Express, featuring jasmine tea and pineapple concentrate, shaken with ice for a smooth texture; and "YSL" — Yuzu Sparkling Lemonade, featuring yuzu syrup, sparkling water, and lemon.

Garlic cheese bread at Smoking TigerSmoking Tiger

Food
Food options are equally as creative, led by three signature goodies:

Cream Cheese Garlic Bread — a large round roll with a heavy dose of garlic and cream cheese baked inside
Original Salt Bread — sort of like a cross between a roll and an everything bagel
Kimchi Musubi Croissant, featuring a croissant filled with a slice of Spam and kim chi, with a sheet of seaweed baked onto the top of the croissant

Plus "sconkies" — a cross between a scone and a cookie — in flavors such as Oreo or lemon earl grey. For Texas only, they also introduced a special menu of breakfast sandwiches such as a slider with scrambled egg, cheese, and habanero aioli on grilled King's Hawaiian rolls.

According to marketing director Andy Lee, part of its appeal is the way it channels similar cafes in South Korea offering both bread and coffee.

"We wanted to essentially create a space where people could experience modern Korean culture in a very authentic and approachable way," Lee told The Dallas Morning News.

That extends to the decor: They've outfitted the Carrollton location with vertical mahogany wood panels, often seen in cafes in South Korea and traditional Korean houses called hanoks.

coffee openings