New ramen restaurant heading to Elgin
If ramen conjures up images of college dorm rooms and salty seasoning soup packets, get ready for a whole new experience.
Tatsu Ramen House will open at the end of March in the space formerly occupied by Mr. Wok at 2490 Bushwood Drive, just west of Randall Road and north of I-90.
Owner and chef Erdene Sainnyambu of Elgin was clear about why he was opening Elgin's only dedicated ramen restaurant.
“I love, love ramen,” he said. “I eat it three times a week, and from a business side, it's booming.”
Sainnyambu said there are three main components — noodles, broth and meats and vegetables that finish and flavor the dish.
“The broth is what makes it special,” Sainnyambu said. “It boils for 11 hours, breaking down all the collagen in the bones that gives it the white color.”
After the noodles and broth come together, Sainnyambu's ramen will be flavored with garlic, ginger, cabbage and other ingredients and served with braised meats, like pork belly and pork shoulder, and a cured, soft-boiled egg.
The entree menu will also include curry dishes and donburi, a Japanese rice-bowl dish. Entree prices are in the $12 to $14 range.
The restaurant will have table service, and seat about 45 during non-pandemic times. They also plan to put four tables outside when the weather allows.
Sainnyambu's journey to opening a Japanese restaurant in Elgin started after being a foreign exchange student at age 15 in Utah from his native Mongolia.
Needless to say, it wasn't the United States he imagined as a teenager in Asia. “At 15-years-old and speaking no English, it was a culture shock for sure,” he said. Expecting to see big buildings everywhere he looked, what was his first impression? “America is weird.”
After a couple of months living with a family as a student, he returned to Mongolia and his family decided to emigrate to Denver, where he lived for a time before moving to the Chicago area.
Sainnyambu admits opening a restaurant in a pandemic is a little nerve-racking.
“As much as I have confidence in my cooking and what we have to offer our customers, still you worry,” he said.
“But I'm excited,” he said. “In Japanese, Tatsu means rise, and I'm ready.