KAYAVA. Ramen Comes to Fremont

KAYAVA. Ramen Comes to Fremont

By Yuka Foley, NAP Contributor
Translated by Bruce Rutledge

Plenus Co., known in Japan for its popular chains, Hotto Motto and Yayoi Ken, opened its latest restaurant KAYAVA., in Seattle, Washington, in early October 2024.

The new restaurant is in the Fremont neighborhood, home to Adobe, Google and other information technology (IT) companies as well as a row of restaurants, cafes, bars and even a huge outdoor Lenin statue. The modern interior is all shades of black and gray. The counter seats 13, and another 28 can dine at the tables. Advisor Masuo Onishi has an excellent track record running restaurants in Japan and the U.S. He has been profiled in all sorts of media, from an appearance on the popular TV show Jonetsu Tairiku to an article in Japan’s business newspaper, Nihon Keizai Shimbun.

At KAYAVA., you can sense Onishi’s touch everywhere. For example, the restaurant prepares soup daily with fresh, not frozen, local chicken and pork. The homemade noodles are carefully kneaded with selected flour. The piping hot, full-bodied bowls of “artisan ramen” served here are made from scratch using handpicked ingredients. Specially ordered Arita ware porcelain bowls come in colors and shapes that match the various ramen types. It is another example of Onishi’s eye for detail.

▲The Chicken Paitan ramen is bound to be a favorite.

At the media preview, we tasted three appetizers and three types of ramen: a chicken ramen called Chicken Paitan Ramen; Shantan featuring truffles; and Pork Shoyu Ramen. The broth is created by carefully simmering chicken bones and whole chickens to extract their rich flavor resulting in a creamy and dense soup with a refreshing finish. Based on the concept of “less is more,” the flavors of the ingredients really stand out in this ramen. A small amount of chopped purple onion adds a satisfyingly crunchy texture. The concentrated flavor of this simple ramen makes for an enjoyable meal.

Onishi and his staff have a passion for delivering authentic Japanese ramen to American diners at KAYAVA.. Health-conscious Seattleites are likely to quickly fall for the restaurant’s new take on ramen. KAYAVA.’s approach is bound to cause a stir in the ramen world where rich pork-flavored bowls are dominant.