Looking for great ramen? Middletown Press has the scoop on the new Fujiya Ramen...straight from Tokyo.
Fujiya Ramen opened in August at 425 Main St. and already, the restaurant has become somewhat of a hangout for Wesleyan University students, according to Andy Liu, owner.
Whenever there’s an event at the school, students come out to the restaurant to socialize, eat and take advantage of the wifi, he said. The vibe of the eatery, especially when the students are congregating, reminds him of similar establishments in New York City.
“I go to New York a lot because in New York (ramen is) very popular,” Liu said. “Young people like it because ramen is really fast and pretty healthy food.”
Liu, who has been in the restaurant business for more than 20 years and also owns Sakura Garden in Windsor and Royal Buffet in Manchester, was impressed the first time he visited a ramen restaurant. “I said this is a really good idea — really modern,” he said.
He talked to a friend in Tokyo who has Fujiya Ramen restaurants in Tokyo, New Jersey and Albany, New York, and suggested they join forces. Liu found a head chef who was originally from Japan and his friend sent a crew from Japan, including additional chefs and servers, he said.
“That’s why our ramen (dishes) are different because we have people from over there,” Liu said. “It’s almost the identical ramen as in Tokyo.”
