Modesto getting its first craft ramen restaurant from longtime valley sushi chef
If you think ramen noodles just come wrapped in plastic and are ready to eat in three minutes, well, you really haven’t tried ramen have you?
The ubiquitous instant noodles, while a tasty and a budget-friendly staple in many pantries, has nothing on the real thing. And soon, Modesto will know the difference as the first dedicated craft ramen shop is set to open in the McHenry Village later this month.
The new restaurant, Konfucious Eats, comes from Central Valley native and longtime Modesto sushi chef Ernie Watkins. An avid food blogger and culinary explorer, Watkins fell in love with the Japanese noodle-based soup and became obsessed with making his own. Two trips to Japan, a series of sold-out ramen pop-up events and one ongoing pandemic later, his dream of having his own ramen shop is coming true.
Watkins is taking over the former space of friend and fellow Modesto chef Tye Bauer’s namesake restaurant Bauer’s 66½ Skillet & Grill. Bauer closed his McHenry Village spot at the start of August, merging his menu into his new downtown gastropub instead.
His road to opening his own restaurant was shaped by his own adventurous palate and the COVID-19 outbreak, which has caused mass disruption in the restaurant industry.
The Modesto native started his culinary career almost 14 years ago at Miki’s Sushi on McHenry Avenue, working his way up from sushi helper to manager over about seven years. Then, wanting to expand his cooking horizons, he left to work at Parkwest Casino 580 in Livermore, where he got experience with steaks, burgers, Chinese food and more.
After two years there, he returned to Modesto, got married and became head sushi chef at Umi Sushi on Sylvan Avenue. After starting there in 2016, he began writing his food blog, also named Konfucious Eats. And he was still working there when the coronavirus started taking over daily life. As restaurants saw their business slow and had to shutter their dining rooms, his hours were cut.
Ramen pop-up events in Modesto sold out
With his free time, he began experimenting more with his ramen. At the start of March, he held his first ramen pop-up event at the Direct Appliance test kitchen. It was a hit and another was planned in late March, but by then the stay-at-home order had been issued and plans were scuttled.
Instead, he began selling take-home ramen kits, first with Direct Appliance and then with his friend at Bauer’s Downtown as well as Camp 4 Wine Cafe. They started small with a max of 40 orders, which then doubled to 80 and soon he was selling out 100 at a time in one day.
As his ramen was taking off, the pandemic threw Watkins another curveball as he was let go from his job at Umi. Now with time on his hands, Watkins began seriously thinking about opening his own ramen shop. And when Bauer closed his McHenry Village restaurant this summer, he asked his friend if he’d like to take over the space.
What sets his ramen apart from the crispy fried noodles you get in the pack is almost everything. He makes his own broth, several variations in fact, simmered over a 12-hour period. He also makes his own egg noodles by hand, so they have the perfect bouncy consistency. And then he tops it with all the goodies, from marinated soft-boiled eggs to pork belly and more.
The restaurant will have various styles of ramen on its menu, from the clear broth shoyu ramen to creamy broth tori paitan ramen and miso ramen. He plans to include more styles and rotate his offerings, and make his ramen seasonal as well as offer specials frequently. He even has a vegan ramen in the works.
Expect more than just ramen in the menu
But ramen won’t be the only thing on the menu. Expect Japanese-style sandos (slang for sandwiches) made with special Japanese milk bread. He’ll make traditional egg salad, pork katsu and a fruit-and-cream sandos all served on the pillowy bread. Having tried the egg salad sando, made with Japanese mayo, I can see soup-and-sando combos being a popular draw at the restaurant.
You’ll also find bento bowls (a play on bento boxes made with rice bowls instead) and some Korean dishes in a nod to his mother, whose kimchi recipe he was allowed to use for the restaurant.
But, in the end, he just hopes his food will make people happy. Like the happy smiling ramen bowl that is his logo, Watkins hopes his hand-crafted creations will help people forget about the world outside of the warm ramen bowls steaming in front of them.
“I feel like I put my soul into ramen. It’s soul food,” Watkins said. “I want to transport people into a different world. Food isn’t just about the taste. It’s about all the senses. How it looks, how it smells. It’s about balance.”
Watkins has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise awareness and funds for the restaurant. It reached 50% of its $10,000 goal in the first 48 hours and is now almost 90 percent funded. Supporters can receive rewards like T-shirts, custom ramen bowls and meal passes for donating.
Konfucious Eats is set to open at 1700 McHenry Ave. Suite 66½ in mid-to-late November. For more information visit www.instagram.com/konfuciouseats.
This story was originally published November 1, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
