Ramen Love

The Ramen Shop brings a Chez Panisse touch to a Japanese specialty.

For Sam White, the beauty of ramen is its simplicity. “There’s something really amazing about being able to have a whole meal in one bowl,” says the co-owner of the Ramen Shop, which debuted in Rockridge in January. That’s not to say it’s easy to make. White and co-owners Rayneil De Guzman and Jerry Jaksich took research trips across the Pacific to study this beloved staple of Japanese cuisine on its home turf. And as Chez Panisse alums, they’ve been dedicated to making nearly everything in-house, using only the highest-quality ingredients. Here’s a peek inside a bowl at the Ramen Shop.

Noodles

They’re made in-house, using a mix of organic flours. “If there’s one thing that delineates ramen noodles, it’s a certain type of springiness, a bounce, and I think we’re starting to capture that now.”
 

Broth

Even the most basic shio broth can take as long as 36 hours to prep. “It’s a crazy process, and we probably go overboard: We actually buy local fish that we dehydrate ourselves and put into the broth.”
 

Eggs

The soft-boiled egg (sourced from organic farms like Kaki and Say Hay) first is shocked in an ice bath to stop the cooking, then soaked in salt water to add flavor. “There’s a creaminess from the yolk that plays nicely with the richer broth and pork.”
 

Pork

It’s braised or spit roasted, depending on the cut, and sourced from organic Llano Seco ranch. “Chez Panisse used it when I was there, and it was the one pork I tried where I kept going, ‘Oh, my God, what is that?’ ”
 

5812 College Ave., Oakland, (510) 788-6370, ramenshop.com.