By Rebecca Sirull, Inside Editor
Nothing says college quite like a late night meal of ramen noodles, with bonus points for eating it out of a real bowl. But at Boston Ramen Noodle Company, they’re serving up much more than the ambiguous “oriental flavor” found dehydrated in a plastic package or Styrofoam cup. Boston’s only ramen noodle delivery service provides a fresh upgrade to the classic dorm snack with internationally inspired toppings and unusual flavor combinations.
Founded by Joe Emiro in January 2013, the business has slowly been gathering recognition and a wider fan base, even expanding to include pop-up restaurants.
“I’ve been a foodie for the last 15 years or so, but I just wanted to take it to the next level,” Emiro said.
The former data analyst decided to ditch the office in favor of the kitchen after realizing his true passion lies in cooking. Trained at Le Cordon Bleu, he went on to work in the catering industry and then Williams-Sonoma, before focusing specifically on ramen and starting his own company.
“When I cooked, people were very happy. It was just instant gratification,” Emiro said.
Emiro is committed to providing his customers with the optimum food experience, only using local ingredients and making everything from scratch daily. Operating out of the South End, he only delivers within a 10-minute radius, to the South End, Back Bay and Beacon Hill neighborhoods, to ensure that the food arrives fresh and hot.
One of the most distinct elements of Emiro’s “rogue” style ramen is his use of unconventional ingredients, in addition to the traditional Japanese flavors.
“I just think about what people really want to eat,” Emiro said. “I think they want to eat something that’s different, something that’s enjoyable.”
One of the most popular dishes is the Chinese five spice pork belly, which Emiro cures overnight in salt and sugar and braises with beer, then tops with a pineapple black vinegar gastrique. Another customer favorite is the butter poached lobster with corn cake and lemon hollandaise foam. All dishes are served with grilled corn, seasonal pickles and a soft boiled egg. Customers can also choose from toppings like duck eggs, Singapore sauce, schichmi togarashi and bok choy and cucumber kimchi.
Developing the menu was an extensive process, beginning with a six-month quest for the perfect broth recipe. Emiro now uses three different styles: tonkotsu, shoyu and miso, and is working on creating a gluten free noodle to accompany them, in addition to his classic noodle.
Inspired by online recipes and renowned chef David Chang’s cookbook Momofuku, Emiro relied mainly on trial and error in the kitchen to create his final product. He brainstormed by watching cooking shows on TV and browsing through aisles at the grocery store, willingly testing out all his ideas, no matter how far-fetched.
“I tell people I’m like Martha Stewart because she always has a notebook by her bed and I just sit down and write something down and then it blossoms into something,” Emiro said. “I’ll try it out for the first time just to see if it works or not.”
His experiments in the kitchen resulted in positive reviews and a rise in pop-up attendees from around 50 to 90.
“I love the part where I get to meet people and ask them how the food was,” Emiro said. “One woman told me, ‘when I die, this is what I want to have for my last meal,’ so that’s something.”
Emiro’s ultimate goal is to open a full-time restaurant in Boston, keeping it close to his roots in the South End, where he has resided for the last 25 years. Learning something new from each pop-up, he works to perfect his craft, aiming to fill the gap he sees for a more imaginative take on the authentic Japanese dishes the world is accustomed to.
While a little on the pricier side for college students at $11-30 for a meal, it’s a chance to try something different and explore a new cuisine. Emiro hopes to continue expanding and catering to the younger, more adventurous crowd. Above all he wants to spread his love of ramen and to always keep it rogue.
Photo courtesy Creative Commons, Smaku.
