Highly Anticipated Ramen Shop Is Delayed Because of a ‘Deviant Contractor’

Highly anticipated Highland Japanese restaurant Sazan Ramen’s projected January opening has been delayed to March 2020. According to an email sent by the restaurant, the setback is due to construction woes, specifically “a deviant contractor.” Now the restaurant is aiming to open on 6929 Airport Boulevard sometime in March.

In order to help recoup that lost time and money ($300,000 to be exact), the Sazan team launched a Kickstarter campaign. It’s aiming to raise $20,000 by Sunday, March 1. Contribution rewards range from free appetizers, free ramen for a year, ramen cooking lessons, the opportunity to get a signature bowl of ramen named after yourself, to weirdly enough the opportunity to wash dishes in the kitchen and get a bowl of ramen,

Sazan’s main focus is tori paitan, ramen made with a creamy chicken broth. The Kickstarter page also details other dishes, like the Velvet ramen made with pomegranate, a duck shoyu, and a vegan option. Appetizers will include oiled oysters.

The email also acknowledged that the first seating of its pop-up dinner, held back in December, was “below our expectations.”

Overseeing the kitchen of Sazan is chef Shun Shiroma, who had previously worked at Michelin-starred Japan-based ramen restaurant Tsuta Tokyo. Operating the restaurant is a team of people who run several East Coast Japanese ramen restaurants. This includes Taiki Wakayama and Darrel Oribello.

• Sazan Craft Ramen [Kickstarter]
• All Coverage of Sazan Ramen [EATX]