This article is excerpted from the Utah Eats newsletter, compiled by Kolbie Peterson, The Salt Lake Tribune’s food and drink reporter. To get the full newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday, become a subscriber by going to sltrib.com/newsletters.

Hello, Eaters!

Last weekend, I may have eaten the best ramen I’ve ever had. Seriously, straight up, hands down. My only complaint about it is how long it took to get to my mouth.

This bowl of ramen came from Ramen Ichizu, a new ramen shop in Salt Lake City’s Central Ninth area at 915 S. Washington St., Suite 1A, across the street from Vertical Diner. Mike Harrison is the owner and chef there, and he studied ramen-making in Tokyo with the ramen master Takeshi Koitani.

Ramen Ichizu had its soft opening in June. The easiest time to get in is for lunch, Harrison said; a line typically forms outside the small restaurant around 6 p.m.

The Saturday we went, my dining companion and I arrived around 5:30 p.m., just before people started queuing up. We were seated immediately at the bar.

On a chalkboard on the wall are written the house “rules”: “Eat ramen immediately,” “Sip, slurp, repeat,” and “We politely decline modifications.” These chefs are making art, so let them do their thing, OK?

We started with the potato salad ($5), which is an izakaya (Japanese pub) recipe that Harrison learned in Tokyo. We found it to be refreshing and delicious.

For my main course, I ordered the Triple Threat Shoyu ramen ($18). I’ll get into more detail about what makes this ramen special in the “Dish of the Week” section of this newsletter, but in short, it was incredible.

The only problem was that it took at least 45 minutes to arrive. As soon as I took my first bite, though, I felt the wait had been worth it. I’m not sure that will be true for all diners.

But with Ramen Ichizu still in its soft opening phase, it’s understandable that there would be a couple of kinks to work out. The food is on point — I’m sure trimming down the wait will only come with time.

Live deliciously,

Kolbie

Food News

Openings:

• On Thursday, a groundbreaking ceremony was set to be held for two new restaurants coming to Sugar House: Hearth and Hill, a dine-in eatery; and Hill’s Kitchen, a cafe that will offer grab-and-go options, according to a news release. These restaurants are already established in Park City under the same owner, and the new locations will both be built in the Residences at Sugar Alley, at 2188 S. Highland Drive. The two eateries are slated to open in early 2025, the release said.

• Sukiya Sushi and Japanese Buffet, at 198 W. 7200 South in Midvale, is opening a second location at Orem’s University Place, at 575 E. University Parkway, according to a news release. The restaurant is scheduled to open this fall next to the Purple mattress store, the release said.

Closings:

• Sarang Yeah, at 1431 S. State St., in Provo, has closed its dine-in restaurant and is now serving its Korean food via DoorDash, Facebook Messenger or phone call at 801-989-2876, according to Gastronomic SLC. You can also visit their other location, Chuk’s Kitchen, inside The Social in Provo at 65 N. University Ave., Suite B, for the same ramen, Korean hot dogs, kimchi fried rice and more, according to Facebook.

• Myungrang Hotdogs, at 11428 S. Parkway Plaza Drive, Suite 300, South Jordan, announced it was closing last week, according to Gastronomic SLC and an Instagram post.

Dish of the Week

If Ramen Ichizu’s ramen tastes extra special, you’re not imagining it. There is a minute level of detail that goes into this soup. Ichizu is a kodawari ramen shop, which Harrison said can be summed up as the “pursuit of perfection.”

In kodawari shops, there’s no MSG and no shortcuts, and only quality ingredients are used, he said, including pasture-raised chickens from Vernal and flour imported from Hokkaido in Japan. Everything is made in-house, even the sesame paste — and especially the noodles.

He told me my shoyu ramen was made with negi (a Japanese green onion) oil on the bottom, then a blend of chicken, pork and dashi broths. The dashi is made with shiitake mushrooms, dried fish and kombu, which is a type of kelp. Also included are three types of Japanese soy sauce, one of them barrel-aged for two years, he said.

In addition to the noodles, which Harrison are “typical, old-style Tokyo noodles” that are soft and chewy, the soup is served with a couple of slices of chashu (braised pork belly), a slice of oven-roasted Iberico pork, memna (dried bamboo that is rehydrated by marinating), more negi, sliced green onions and spinach. I also added an ajitama (whole egg, $2), and a drizzle of chicken oil went on top.

Savor this ramen, friends.