#hinodeya

I’m so glad I stumbled across this article from Hoodline on the anticipated opening of Hinodeya Ramen in San Francisco. With some colder weather coming our way, the (soft) opening couldn’t come at a better time. You know the ramen will be authentic and delicious when the chef/owner, Masao Kuribara, has come all the way from Japan to open shop (he has a shop by the same name in Japan) and has cooked for the late Prime Minister of Japan, Ryutaro Hashimoto, the Clintons, and countless heads of state! Hinodeya’s special ramen uses a dashi broth made from kelp (kombu) and preserved and fermented skipjack tuna (katsuobushi) shavings to create stronger flavors of umami. I’ve had a fair share of okonomiyaki and takoyaki, so I’m not new to the umami flavor, but I am curious how it’ll taste as a bowl of ramen paired with other ingredients.

I was poking around the website for Hinodeya ramen and couldn’t quite understand the site, which is quite sparse right now. Something about Wafu Ramen, Sasala Group, Fourth Generation...huh? Isn’t this Hinodeya Ramen? I looked into Sasala Dining Group and discovered the history of Hinodeya. I must say, I’m quite impressed how it evolved from a small 15-seat ramen shop in 1885 to a restaurant group that will soon include five restaurants. Masao Kuribara’s great grandfather and great grandmother, Kanjiro and Tome Kuribara, opened Hinode-ya in 1885 outside Hasuda station to serve the small number of travelers passing through. Tome was the manager/chef. Upon the passing of Kanjiro in 1919, son Kintaro Kuribara took over operations. He focused on the agricultural business and was quite successful; he expanded the restaurant to encompass two floors. It wasn’t until Kuribara’s father, Kenya Kuribara, took over as the third generation chef/owner that Hinodeya as a business really took off. Kenya added Western and Chinese dishes to the menu, began food delivery services, and incorporated the business as Hinode-ya Ltd., Co. Another renovation to the building expanded the number of seats in the restaurant yet again. Unfortunately, the original building is no more -- in 2005, the building was torn down and the restaurant was relocated.

Masao Kuribara succeeded his father in 2006 as the fourth generation chef/owner. He renamed the business to its current name, Sasala Co., Ltd., although I wonder why. Hinodeya is steeped in so much history...I am glad to see the return of the name in the San Francisco shop. According to the Sasala Group’s official site, it sounds like the original Hinodeya was no more once the restaurant was forced to be relocated. Kuribara opened Sasala in the new building, and it was awarded a prestigious award by the California Wine Institute, boost the restaurant to fame. In 2010, a second restaurant opened, and Soba Dining Sora was also awarded the same first prize that Sasala was awarded four years earlier. In 2012, Kuribara opened Wa-Fu Ramen Hinodeya (this is how it’s referred to on the website, although it seems the actual restaurant is called “Hinodeya”) to revive the original Hinodeya. Again, this new restaurant was bestowed with honors -- two from Tabelog: Saitama Best Ramen 2014 and as one of the final nominees for Tabelog’s Japan Ramen Award 2016 (look for Hinodeya in the list). Finally, just last year, the fourth restaurant, Robata Sumiyaki Toraya, was opened near Hasuda Station with bar-tavern concept.