Ken Ken Ramen Pop-Up Whispers Into The Mission

There's a new pop-up ramen shop in town called Ken Ken Ramen, and it's a little different from the others we've seen around town in that they've been trying to keep a low profile. And that sort of ends now. Owners Robert Patterson, who also owns Revolver in the Lower Haight, and Google employee Stephan Roesch, have enlisted chef owner and Bushi-tei line cook, Kenji Miyazaki, to execute three different styles of ramen: miso, shoyu and vegetarian shitake-based all optionally studded with day-long-soaked eggs and, if chasu is your thing, shredded pork shoulder and butt. Yes Patterson and Roesch are white guys, but they grew up in Japan; so they probably have a particular knack for this. Noodles are sourced from a small factory in Japantown; Miyazaki uses a rare species of bamboo shoot found in rural Japan; he sources quality kombu. It goes on.

Team Ken Ken is posting up at Panchita No. 3, signaling their presence with this hanging lantern every Monday from here on out starting at 6 p.m. They'll slowly be adding more servings -- last week was 60, next week will be 150 -- and plan to add homemade gyoza and cha-yan (Chinese fried rice) as soon as they're ready. And this will all hopefully lead to a full-time, full-on ramen shop. They're currently looking at several spaces in the Mission. Miyazaki, who Patterson refers to as "a progressive guy who owned gay bars in Japan" has always dreamed of owning his own ramen eatery. So this is probably going to happen. In the meantime, try not to bombard these lads with indecently long lines; and use the twitter wisely.

· EaterWire: Hapa Ramen [~ ESF ~]

Stefan, Kenji and Robert outside Ken Ken Ramen's pop-up at Panchita No. 3. [Photo: yFrog]