“In America, we normally see Tonkotsu or Spicy Miso ramen on the menu. But there are far more diverse flavors than that,” says Steven Pursley who is the chef and owner of Menya Rui in St. Louis, Missouri and one of Food & Wine’s 2023 Best New Chefs.
It is understandable that Americans like the thick, creamy pork bone-based broth called Tonkotsu or Spicy Miso with a kick.
But Pursley does not offer either of them at his award-winning 24-seat ramen shop.
His compact menu offers three hot ramen, one cold Tsukemen with a dipping sauce and one brothless Mazemen-style, all soy sauce-based flavors called Shoyu.
“Soy sauce is a quintessential part of Japanese food for its rich umami and I want to let my guests know how amazing it is.”
In fact, soy-based ramen is very popular in Japan. According to a 2024 survey, 46% of 5,247 participants nationwide said Shoyu ramen was their favorite; 45% chose Miso as their go-to and 42% preferred Tonkotsu.
In another survey in 2022 with 880 respondents, Shoyu and Shio (salt) tied at the top as their favorite. The reasons why they liked Shoyu included, “Nothing other than umami-focused soy ramen can clearly reveal the quality of the bowl.” And for Shio ramen, “Its mild and delicate flavors are so comforting and I never get tired of it.”
If Shoyu and Shio are your new discoveries, you will be impressed with the depth and diversity of flavors throughout Japan here (with photos and descriptions in English)
In Pursuit Of The Essence Of Japanese Culture
Steven Pursley at Menya Rui.
Pursley knows ramen.
Despite his upbringing in the Midwest, he has strong roots in Japan. His father is American and his mother is Japanese. He spent the first 10 years of his life going back and forth between Okinawa and Missouri. In the following years, he grew up in the stateside as a sporty kid, enjoying his life as an American and did not question his bi-cultural background.
After graduating from college, Pursley started to wonder what the best path for his future would be. Law? Engineering? Or a military career like his father?
Eventually, he decided to move to Japan to explore its culture more deeply—through ramen.
While at high school, Pursley had already worked in a kitchen, enjoying the energy and camaraderie associated with the job. So running a food business was already somewhere in his mind.
“Food was always something that kept me grounded as a Japanese person. Also, if I wanted to express my unique identity and translate it into something meaningful, ramen seemed to be a good opportunity than serving raw fish to someone in the Midwest.”
In 2014, Pursley got connected with his uncle’s favorite ramen chef in Okinawa. It was the beginning of his intense, three-year training in Japan.
Ramen Shop vs. Ramen Restaurant
A ramen shop in Japan.
Ramen is made of five components: dashi stock, tare (sauce), noodles, aromatic oil and toppings. And each part is carefully crafted and fine-tuned by each ramen chef.
“Except for chain shops, ramen shops in Japan are run by dedicated chefs. They have been doing it for years and they all have their own way of doing it.”
At the first ramen shop Pursley worked at was known for its clear, chicken-based soup that was mixed with bonito and kombu-based dashi. Another place in Hiroshima served Onomichi-style Shoyu ramen, which was characterized by chicken-bone-based soup with rich pork fat. His ramen journey continued to absorb how to make diverse styles of ramen in different regions.
After coming back to the U.S., Pursley carefully tested the market through pop-ups and eventually opened the 24-seat Menya Rui in St. Louis in April 2022.
He stubbornly stays loyal to the quintessential Japanese ramen culture. “Menya Rui is not a ramen restaurant. It is a ramen shop,” he says.
“Japanese ramen shops are typically small and often family-run. It is filled with regulars who sit down, eat and go within 30 minutes. The price of ramen is usually under 1,000 yen (approx. $6.50). It is like an American classic burger joint.”
Pursley could make Menya Rui a ramen restaurant, offering a fancy tasting menu for a higher profit margin, but he rejects the idea. He does not mess with the heart and soul of the authentic Japanese ramen shop.
And he goes an extra step.
Tastes and flavors are not only the factors to determine the quality of ramen. Noodles are a key component for their texture, mouthfeel and balance with other ingredients.
Ramen noodles are hard to make and many ramen shops in Japan purchase them. But Pursley imported a vintage machine from Japan for making ideal noodles by himself.
He makes two types: thinner ones for the hot bowls and thicker, chewier noodles for the Tsukemen and the Mazemen. He makes 700 portions of noodles by hand each week with a blend of three types of flour that he carefully selected.
Pursley makes all ramen noodles by hand.
Ramen: A Canvas Of Creativity
In the U.S., ramen used to be a Japanese ethnic dish, appreciated mostly by Japanese expatriates who were longing for the taste of comfort food back home.
However, when chef David Chang opened Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York in 2004, its identity started to shift and now ramen has become a part of American food culture. As of 2023, there were 1,399 ramen shops nationwide.
It took sushi 40 years or so to become one of the most popular foods in America.
Why has ramen become so popular so fast?
“Because, unlike sushi, there are no rules in ramen. There is room for anyone to explore its potential in the global culinary space,” says Pursley.
“There are fundamentals. Each component of ramen must be prepared separately and come together in a bowl at the very end. The noodles must be made with wheat and alkaline salt. But as far as each step is done soundly, you are free to create your own style of ramen.”
There are over 24,000 ramen shops in Japan, which is almost the same number as the number of post offices and more than sushi restaurants in Japan.
“24,000 ramen shops means 24,000 different bowls. That is why ramen is so great and exciting,” says Pursley.
Menya Rui’s Tsukemen.