Kintaro Ramen To Bring Regional Japanese Cuisine to Downtown Arlington

Kintaro Ramen is set to open in Arlington the week of Feb. 17 in a retail spot below new apartments at 101 E. Abram St. It’s within walking distance of the Levitt Pavilion, across from Arlington City Hall and not far from the UTA campus.

Owner Han Le is hoping to take diners on a culinary journey through Japan with three types of ramen that will all be made from scratch.

The tonkotsu ramen is a nod to a Fukuoka style of ramen, Le says, which is traditionally made using a pork bone broth. Le says he’ll add various cuts of pig at different times throughout the 48-hour cooking process to maximize flavor and emulsification. The broth is seasoned with a shio tare, a mix of sea salts, dried bonito and mackerel, as well as mushrooms and kelp.

The noodles in the tonkotsu are thin and pale, cooked for only about 30 seconds, leaving them firm and brittle, which Le explains is typical of Fukuoka shops.

The chintan ramen, which is traditionally made with a clear chicken stock, is going to be made using chicken bones and feet.

“We will further elevate the chicken flavors by rendering chicken skins and fats,” Le says.

The seasoning for this broth is soy based, called shoyu tare.

“The shoyu tare will be made with two different soy sauces, a very heavy kelp, bonito and sardine ratio to create a umami bomb, which will mimic the Tokyo double broths,” Le says.

Temomi noodles will be served in the chintan ramen, which are thicker and a little wavy with a slightly different texture.

Finally, the Hokkaido-style miso ramen is made with both the tonkotsu and chintan broths, and a blend of koji red miso seasonings. Le explains that the combination of the two broths “creates a light gravy concoction, which becomes a vehicle for an explosion of earthy flavors."

Le recommends the miso ramen for spice fiends.

Le hopes to stay as true as possible to the regional flavors of authentic ramen, while also adapting to the Dallas-Fort Worth palate.

“We can’t laden our broth with as much fat as ramen has in Japan, nor can we season as heavily,” says Le. “But within reason, we will stay true to the flavors of Japanese cuisine.”

Kintaro will offer a handful of extras to add atop bowls of ramen, like poached duck breast and fish cake. For starters they will have pork gyoza, chicken karaage, steamed paozu and sunomono.

Aside from ramen, the only entrees are tonkatsu ($18), a panko-crusted pork chop served with cabbage slaw and steamed koshihikari rice, and a Nikujaga short rib dish ($26).

Sapporo, Kirin Ichiban and Bud Light are on draft, Asahi Super Dry and Heineken in bottles. House sakes are served either hot or cold, and Nigori is available by carafe or bottle.

A Fruity Pebbles ice cream and creme brulee made with Mexican vanilla bean and cane sugar are certainly worth mentioning, as well.

Kintaro Ramen, 101 E. Abram St., Suite 130, Arlington