"It keeps with what I love and do, which is my love of Japanese cuisine. "We had donburi on our menu (before this transition)," Callahan said. The yataidon (the house special) features marinated pork shoulder and ground pork with a ramen egg, vegetables, nori all over rice and is also Callahan's favorite. Its menu features grilled chicken, beef, pork or tofu atop of rice alongside fresh and pickled vegetables. The new cart will officially reopen on June 22. More: Wabi Sabi Tea brings authentic Chinese tea culture, drinks to Salem Especially for folks in the restaurant industry, we get off late, and sometimes, I want something healthier, but I can't get it. If you go around Salem, you can't find many options that aren't that late at night. "I'm not the biggest health nut, but I'm not always wanting fried food. "I just wanted to offer something healthier and fresh for people," Callahan said. 'Donburi' translates to 'rice bowl,' which refers specifically to rice bowls with a variety of toppings, and for Yakiniku Gohan, that will be barbecued meats with simple toppings like fresh pickles and vegetables. The cart is renamed Yakiniku Gohan, which translates to 'barbecue (cooked) rice,' which is exactly what the cart will be serving: donburi. "For a long-term restaurant, not so much." Future of the Oni Yatai Ramen cartīecause Callahan wanted to "keep something of (his) own" in Salem, his food cart at The Yard food park will remain. "For a pop-up, selling out is a good thing," Callahan said. Selling out is a good thing, but it was getting to the point that it wasn't becoming worthwhile to be burning the midnight oil on a daily basis to just sell out so quickly. All the cooked parts of his ramen - from noodles and various ramen broths to the meats and ramen eggs - were all made daily by him and his small staff.Įven with the strenuous preparation, the cart would typically sell out every day. He would often either work through the night making noodles and other components at home or wake up as early as 7 a.m. Constraints of the food cartĬallahan makes his ramen noodles from scratch, a craft rarely seen due to the time-consuming nature of noodle making. One of the experiments he's most excited about is being able to use Oregon truffles, from oil to its raw form, as it can both highlight the bounty of the state as well as push his cooking creativity. ![]() He added that he'll include other appetizers alongside his signature chicken karaage and fried gyoza, plus other specials. "I can make noodles in my shop, train people (to make ramen) and do my part to grow the ramen community."Ĭallahan described the future restaurant to be a noodle shop using primarily local ingredients alongside Japanese ones, refining the ramen to be what he can make best. "The ramen place I'll be hands on all day, every day - basically living in the restaurant," Callahan joked. Restaurant round-up: The latest closures, moves and openings The new restaurant will be named Menya Hokusei, which translated means "northwest noodle house." He said the shop would be open in August. "I said I would love a brick and mortar, and in the same week, I got the opportunity to (open a restaurant)!" "I actually did a podcast recently with the Ramen Hunter a few weeks ago and they asked where I wanted to go," Callahan said. The opportunity for opening the shop in Portland came almost out of nowhere, and "all last minute," Callahan said. "I can do everything I need instead of doing the best within my means all the time." Seizing the opportunity for growth "For doing what I love, I was willing to (work within the constraints of the cart) for this amount of time, but a brick and mortar is the future for what I need for my food," Callahan said. He said he wanted to open a restaurant in Salem, but "the universe had something different in mind." He joked that many people messaged him congratulations, but were also "bummed" about his departure. like I could stay here, but I would not be able to grow what I was doing." It's hard for me to do a ramen here (within the cart) because the machine is too big. "I would like to give Salem a shop, but I hadn't found anything that could fit for a while. "There's a lot of opportunity (in Portland) for growth," Callahan said. Ryan Callahan, best known for his made-from-scratch ramen dishes at Salem food truck Oni Yatai Ramen, said the opportunity to grow was simply too good to pass up. What began as intrigue and dreams of traditional Japanese ramen, then advanced to a Salem food cart, is now becoming a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Portland. View Gallery: PHOTOS: Northeast food cart pivots from ramen to rice bowls
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