Just in time for the colder weather, a new ramen shop is debuting in the Public Market in Emeryville.
Ramen Hiroshi will hold a grand opening for its latest branch Nov. 15 inside the food hall. The restaurant will feature its various ramen iterations plus typical izakaya fare like chicken karaage, yakitori (grilled skewers) and fried squid legs. It is the fifth Bay Area location for the local chain, with others in San Francisco, San Ramon, Walnut Creek and Alameda.
The restaurant’s signature Hakata-style Hiroshi Tonkotsu Ramen ($17) is made with long-simmered pork-bone broth with braised Berkshire pork belly, marinated soft-boiled egg, lotus root, black mushrooms and bamboo shoots, with the option of swapping regular noodles for curly-and-thick ones. There are also versions with a soy base, chicken broth, yuzu, miso, creamy-sesame broth with ground pork and at some locations, two types of vegetarian ramen.
Depending on the location, Hiroshi does an all-chicken yakitori menu for weekend dinner service. Tasty things on sticks include chicken wings, thighs, gizzards, livers, cartilage and hearts; even the tails and skins are skewered and served, with salt and a little lemon wedge.
There’s a large selection of deep-fried items like chicken bites, calamari, lotus-root chips, potatoes with spicy cod roe sauce, gyoza, Kurobuta sausages and takoyaki (octopus balls). You’ll find mochi ice cream on the dessert list. And to drink, the options include Calpico and Ramune sodas, sparkling shochu cocktails, Japanese draft beer and raw sake. Some locations serve a Kyoto Matcha IPA, a beer that indeed is made with green tea.
Ramen Hiroshi fills a hole left by a couple of restaurants departing the Public Market recently. The Caribbean operation Calypso Rose shut down this fall, and earlier this year, Shiba Ramen and the bar The Periodic Table both closed.
Details: Ramen Hiroshi’s grand opening is Nov. 15 in the Public Market, 5959 Shellmound St., Emeryville; ramenhiroshi.com.
