KALIUBON RAMEN: A NEW RESTAURANT BY THE PERPETRATORS OF CONNECTICUT’S MOST REPUTABLE ASIAN RESTAURANT GROUP, GINZA – WETHERSFIELD, CT
The chief collaborators of the Ginza Restaurant Group renowned for excellence in service and high quality Asian cuisine, are ready to open Kaliubon Ramen, a casual Asian restaurant featuring authentic Japanese ramen noodles.
Raymond Zheng, executive chef at one of Ginza group’s flagship restaurants, Feng Asian Bistro, is now a partner of this project, which he and Kevin Xu of Ginza Japanese Cuisine in Wethersfield have been planning for years. Those two and Bill Chen, one of the founders of the Ginza group bring together decades of culinary experiences to be the chief culprits of this new endeavor. Zheng and Xu have long discussed about their love for all things noodles and possibilities for a place to showcase one of their favorite styles, ramen, and have found a perfect location in Wethersfield. “Kaliubon is a little different from what we’ve done in the past. It’s more focused, in noodles. We are very proud to bring authentic, and delicious noodle dishes to the area,” says Xu, “As Asians, it’s our favorite comfort food, and we take it very seriously.”
Kaliubon will feature home-made ramen noodles using the state of the art machine brought in from Kagawa, Japan, which allows for subtlest of adjustments in ingredients and process, resulting in great control of flavor, firmness, thickness, color, and aroma of the noodles. While leading the kitchen at Feng, Chef Zheng has been experimenting on other important ingredient, the soup, and the tare (sauce), perfecting them up to his exacting standard and intentions. Those three key ingredients will allow the chef to use a great variety of produces and seafood in harmony as they combine in an incredible, flavor filled bowl or ramen.
The restaurant is located in Goff Shopping Center, where Ginza Japanese Cuisine also resides. A 40-seat restaurant features a full bar and an open kitchen where the customers can see the chef in action, meticulously timing boiling of his noodles, laying the tare, pouring his soup, sinking the noodles, and finally piling up an array of ingredients to create each bowl. Inside the openness of the all-glass storefront, the interior is sleek yet warm featuring the polished wood panels on the four walls.
Kaliubon will offer numerous selection of ramen featuring three traditional broths of shoyu (soy sauce), pork, and chicken, served with both traditional and unique ingredients. Appetizers include dumplings, pork buns, and chicken wings with sauces and flavors created by Chef Zheng. What’s also new to many diners will be Pokē bowls, various sashimi and salads tossed in dressing and sauces, a style originating in Hawaii and rapidly gaining popularity in major cities like New York.