Karaage, $11. The fried, marinated chicken is intended to be dipped in its tangy, sticky sauce, then in the accompanying bowl of sesame seeds. It’s like sesame chicken that doesn’t suck.
4
Karaage, $11. The fried, marinated chicken is intended to be dipped in its tangy, sticky sauce, then in the accompanying bowl of sesame seeds. It’s like sesame chicken that doesn’t suck.
5
According to the menu, “silky pork tonkatsu,” $13, is served with a pink center, but Uehara says Houstonians have been reticent to eat it. Ours arrived more medium-well.
6
According to the menu, “silky pork tonkatsu,” $13, is served with a pink center, but Uehara says Houstonians have been reticent to eat it. Ours arrived more medium-well.
7
Our Texan dining partner compared the Kurobuta pork sausage to handcrafted Hill Country links he grew up with. They reminded us more of ultra-unctuous Nathan’s hot dogs fried in New Jersey “ripper” style.
8
Our Texan dining partner compared the Kurobuta pork sausage to handcrafted Hill Country links he grew up with. They reminded us more of ultra-unctuous Nathan’s hot dogs fried in New Jersey “ripper” style.
9
Uehara says that he grew up eating boiled pig ears, but even fellow Okinawan chefs have fallen in love with his deep fried version (fried mimiga, $8), served with spicy mayo.
10
Uehara says that he grew up eating boiled pig ears, but even fellow Okinawan chefs have fallen in love with his deep fried version (fried mimiga, $8), served with spicy mayo.
11
Yuzu jidori ramen, $14 uses a chicken broth stewed for nine hours as its base, but it stands out thanks to tangy yuzu and chile. But don’t expect chunks of chicken—even in that broth, the protein is meltingly tender cha siu.
12
Yuzu jidori ramen, $14 uses a chicken broth stewed for nine hours as its base, but it stands out thanks to tangy yuzu and chile. But don’t expect chunks of chicken—even in that broth, the protein is meltingly tender cha siu.
13
There is nothing as unequivocal as sticky lips to prove ramen has been cooked right. That telltale collagen is present in spades in Uehara’s Innovative Hot Mess, $18. It pairs rich tonkotsu broth with black garlic oil, garlic butter and garlic chips as well as a liberal dusting of freshly grated Parmesan for an unparalleled umami bomb.
14
There is nothing as unequivocal as sticky lips to prove ramen has been cooked right. That telltale collagen is present in spades in Uehara’s Innovative Hot Mess, $18. It pairs rich tonkotsu broth with black garlic oil, garlic butter and garlic chips as well as a liberal dusting of freshly grated Parmesan for an unparalleled umami bomb.
For Okinawa-born chef Hisashi “Teddy” Uehara, ramen was once just a hobby. After all, he was trained in the twin culinary ivory towers of sushi and the highly technical ancient kaiseki tradition. “In my life, I’ve been eating ramen, ramen, ramen,” he says.
Eventually, the appeal was simply too great not to make the noodle soup his life’s work. And in Houston, the “ramen, ramen, ramen” description is particularly apt. In the past month, he opened two locations of his Hawaii-originated Agu, A Ramen Bistro chain in Mutt City, one on Eldridge Parkway, followed two weeks ago by another in the Briarmeadow area of Westheimer Road. A third debuts on December 22 on Washington Avenue.
Why is he in such a hurry? Uehara says he favors second-generation spaces—businesses that are already equipped with kitchens—and lucked into three in quick succession. He’s currently on the hunt for another in Montrose. And why Houston, when he’s already owned restaurants in more Japanese-friendly Hawaii, Los Angeles and Las Vegas? “I have lots of friends here,” he states matter-of-factly. “I just love Houston.” And yes, he says it’s a better food city than L.A.
Besides scouting new locations, there are major improvements already afoot for the existing Agus. Uehara is working on printing picture menus with explanations of more esoteric Japanese ingredients that have proved challenging for Texan customers. He’s also slowly expanding the menu of greatest hits to include more izakaya-style dishes and rice bowls, as well as a few more ramens to add to the already exhaustive (and creative) list. Yet perhaps the biggest news of all is that he’ll be switching from the Los Angeles noodle maker he’s been contracting with to opening a commissary of his own to manufacture ramen for scratch for the Houston restaurants. “It’s like a Bentley,” he says of the $100,000 Yamato machine that’s currently being built for him. But for the moment, his in-depth study of more than 600 ramen restaurants around the world seems to be paying off just fine.
Alice joined Houstonia in November 2015 and has been relishing exploring the city’s vibrant food scene ever since.
She began her journalism career at age 13 with a cult film criticism ’zine. As an adult, stints with WWE Magazine and EatingWell led to her job as senior food writer at Vermont’s alternative newsweekly, Seven Days, in 2008. In that capacity, she became one of the state’s most well-known TV and radio personalities. Her first book, Vermont: An Explorer’s Guide, was published in 2015. Alice has won an AltWeekly Award for Best Food Writing, two Daysies for Best Print/Online Journalist, and two "Top Social Foodie" awards from Burlington Social Media Day.
