“The Japanese food my parents and grandparents would cook when I was growing up in Colorado, to living on the West Coast for the last several decades, and my experiences traveling throughout Japan has all led up to now.” – Greg Taniguchi
*I can’t stand the word craft, but in this case, I have to use it because it truly is a craft ramen (made from scratch)” – Greg T.
Greg Taniguchi started off as an industrial design student to owning and operating one of the first import tuner shops in the S.F. Bay Area, but that was him just getting started.
Continue reading “About”The popularity of ramen is partially fueled by some of the famous ramen chains from Japan The popularity of ramen is partially fueled by some of the famous ramen chains from Japan opening locations in the coastal cities. On the West Coast, you have Santouka, Ikkousha, Tatsunoya, to Mensho. While on the East, in New York (Ichiran to Ippudo). These infamous chains have set a high benchmark for ramen in the U.S. for good reason.
Unfortunately, none of them are currently in Colorado, and Greg can’t live without ramen. Not having that level of ramen is why Greg decided to take on the challenge with his humble and earnest attempt (not a smart move to use your surname when you run the risk of sucking) to present ramen that reflects the level of craft and focus only found in an authentic Japanese ramen shop. #thestruggleisreal
These regional varieties of ramen are just like the regional styles of a thin crust or deep dish pizza, a creamy clam chowder versus tomato, or the type of cheese used in a Philly cheesesteak. None of the variations are the right way, but each style reflects the culture, history, and tastes of each region. (BTW, the answers: clearly NY, New England, and provolone when sober and Cheez Whiz after a night of drinking).
Each Japanese style of ramen comprises of these five elements, and they are essential to producing the same flavors and experience found in Japan. These details are what gives each ramen ya (ramen shop) their distinctive edge over the guesstimated 6-10k in Tokyo, to an overall number of 50,000 plus ramen shops throughout Japan.
(TON=”PORK”, KOTSU=”MARROW/STOCK”)
The stock in ramen is a labor of love, and preparing the ingredients and the actual cooking is a time intensive process which on top of all of that, also includes the preparation of the toppings, flavoring, and aromatic oils.
All of the ingredients involved are locally sourced from Colorado producers wherever possible while key Japanese ingredients are used to give our ramen broth that distinctive and authentic Japanese taste.
A slow-roasted and braised cuts of mouthwatering tender pork, like buttah!
A tasty soft-boiled egg in a soy-based marinade with a lava like yolk.
A totally animal free ramen that will not be pretentiously priced (under $10).
A restaurant pop-up is our way of introducing ourselves to Colorado. The pop-up only takes place for a limited time and will occur throughout the greater Denver metro area (and eventually beyond).
This time around we did not promote or announce where we would be popping up, so that we would have time to work out every possible bug such as learning about what a NEMA 6-20R/P is to working out our product quality within the restrictions set out by city codes/requirements. Now that we have a sold out night under our belt, along with a number of generous compliments, we think it is time to announce that we intend on making it out on this Sat/Sun (2/8 to 2/9) if the weather eases up. If not, it’s snowman making time.
Due to the overwhelming number of people a one-day event attracts, everything has to go smoothly just for that one day (from staffing an event just for one day to getting the correct product in). Unfortunately, with a product that is made from scratch and that requires upwards of 20+ hours to produce (vs. the instant ramen stock used in a lot of restaurants), we have decided to only do multi-day events. We are currently in the process of looking for a venue where we can operate from for consecutive days at a time, a minimum of 3 days to 2 weeks.
“Finding and experimenting with an alternative to a food truck or a typical brick’n’mortar is really killing the experience and quality of product I set out to do, but I know this is the direction I have to take. – Greg Taniguchi”
Click the image for more information about our upcoming event on October 6th and 7th (Sunday and Monday).
We kicked off Taniguchi Ramen at Prost Brewery in the Highlands.
If you by chance have a yacht, invite Taniguchi Ramen and it’ll be a win win. If not, see you on Wednesday, August 7th at 5:00pm at:
Be sure to follow Prost Brewery at @prostbrewingco
We are currently in the works on planning our next pop-up, so be sure to sign-up to our email list or connect with us on Instagram to stay informed.
A PR friend of Greg’s had helped to conduct a recorded interview with him which was to be used to create a write-up, but due to his long and drawn out responses (*yawn* only 10% joking), it was decided to transcribe and post almost everything in its entirety.
“To determine the market demand, size, and receptivity to authentic Japanese food/ramen. If that sounds cautious, it is due to my marketing background although I am also going about it this way because I still have my training wheels on (as a restaurateur)… till they wobble and break off.”
