Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya

Authentic Japanese ramen with some extras

Good ramen in Seattle used to be hard to find, but it's becoming a more familiar dining option. In December of 2012, the first Kukai Ramen & Izakaya (now renamed Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya) opened in Bellevue and they haven't looked back.

Jessmin Lau, Nuri Aydinel and Brandon Ting decided five years ago that bringing great ramen to Seattle (first) was their goal. Jessmin and Brandon grew up in Asia eating ramen; they had to drive to Vancouver B.C. to get their fix. Their friends did the same. "We explored a lot of different ramen in Japan to find the best," explains Jessmin. "Kukai (Kookai in Japan) was the one. We approached them but it took time to work out. Japanese companies are often content to stay in the domestic market, so we had to convince them. We have exclusive rights outside of Japan and are more like partners than a franchisee; as their first overseas outlet, we're finding how things work together. We get their approval on things we do differently. We've tried substituting local ingredients and if we can, we will. But some things like dried fish and kelp just can't be substituted and we import those from Japan. We had to get factories FDA licensed before we could import the items we needed."

They currently have locations in Taiwan; Beaverton, Oregon (franchisee); Chicago, Illinois; Carmel, Indiana; and Washington (Bellevue, Northgate, Capitol Hill). They'll open a total of seven stores in 2016 including Olympia in May (a franchisee), West Seattle, a second Chicago location in August, Southcenter, and Perth, Australia, at the end of 2016, with more in the planning process. "We're growing rapidly, primarily because people approach us." In 2015, Kevin Yu joined the ownership team; he has relocated to Chicago, which will be their mid-west base.

They use the exact ramen recipe from Kookai. Japanese stores have seasonal ramens, and generally have only one or two types of soup. Kizuki offers seasonal ramens all year long, and has five different soup bases. "While Kookai stores in Japan have a smaller menu with fewer soup bases, they offer a new menu item every three months as it's typical of Japanese ramen shops to change seasonally. However, Kizuki in the US offers many of these seasonal specials on their permanent menu as part of a larger variety for their overseas customers. Unlike most ramen shops, we added an izakaya menu (small gastro pub plates) with the help of Kookai. Ramen is complex; it can have 50 different ingredients. It all has to work together, and if you change one little thing, the taste is not right. One of the things we liked about Kookai is that we roast our bones. They started doing this 20 years ago and were the first ramen shop to do it. Roasting bones adds dimension and removes the gaminess of pork and chicken."

While Kizuki offers the traditional Japanese toppings/combinations, they know that Americans like options. Consequently, ramens are fully customizable, down to low sodium. "Low sodium is difficult because traditional ramens are salty and strong. But we feel we have our low sodium version very close to the traditional option. In Japan, people drink the soup with the noodles, but don't drink the remaining soup by itself. Outside of Japan, people drink the soup."

Customizable ramens can make things difficult in the kitchen, but this management team is focused on the guest. "People think we're crazy to do some of the things we do, but as long as it tastes better we'll do it even if it costs more and is time consuming." Examples are the number of soup bases they offer, and the noodle texture. "From the time noodles are put into the soup, we have 1-1/2 minutes to get the soup on the table. Otherwise, the noodles get too soft. If we serve someone and they leave the table to take a phone call, if they are gone too long, we'll remake the dish for them because it won't be right. For takeout orders, we undercook the noodles and put them in an ice bath. Then we know that when the ramen goes home and is heated up, the noodle texture will be right. If they don't like our food at home, they won't come back in for a meal. It's very important to us." They have central kitchens in Bellevue and Chicago where they make the complex seasonings and oils. Otherwise, everything is made fresh daily at each location.

A top designer from Asia designs each store to fit the space; each has small variations based on the same concept (color, emphasis on wood, traditional art murals). "The area above the kitchen is different at each location," says Jessmin. "And sometimes the art will be different."

Training is critical in both the kitchen and front of the house. "We don't open a location and leave. An owner lives where the stores are. Franchisee owners come to Seattle; we train 3-5 people for each location," explains Jessmin. "Then we go to the new location and train on site. Servers are trained to help customers, especially if they are new. They'll ask about taste preferences. If I'm eating something unfamiliar, I want a server to be approachable. So we look at what will make customers comfortable." They knew from the beginning they wanted to go international, so everything they do helps create a concept that can go anywhere.

Their name change came about because the Romanized name of the Japanese word Kukai is also the name of an international French fashion label, the name of a Japanese Buddhist monk, and a not-so-nice word in Hawaiian. They decided on a Japanese word that means bright, shiny moon, and Romanized it to Kizuki.

If you don't have a Kizuki nearby, hold on. There's probably one coming soon.

Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya

844-585-2487 plus extension to reach stores

www.kizuki.com

Connie Adams/April 2016