Sumimasen!

Belly up at Ramen Tatsu-ya: Austin is finally home to traditional Japanese soulfood

Chef Tatsu demonstrates a proper slurp

At long last, Austin is finally home to a ramen shop. A real, authentic, studied ramen shop by the name of Ramen Tatsu-ya.

Co-owners and chefs Tatsu Aikawa and Takuya "Tako" Matsumoto are longtime friends who came together after amassing individual experience over the course of 10 years. Tatsu worked at the two-Michelin star restaurant Urasawa in Los Angeles, while Tako most recently held a position at 2nd Bar + Kitchen.

“I was craving good ramen after having lived in Japan and L.A. I wanted to provide that same quality and authenticity in the city I call home,” Tatsu said in an official press release. “We want to educate people on what ramen truly is. It’s the soul food of Japan. The process of broth-making can take an extremely long time in order to draw out the flavors from each ingredient.”

So what's required to make a downright, good-ass bowl of ramen? We asked Tatsu: "Balance," he told us. "But everyone has preference on tastes of ramen. It could be noodles, broth or topping. Different regions have different proper styles. It's hard to call one style 'proper style.' But ultimately, balance and soul!"

The north Austin shop seats 38 people in a communal style within a black, white and red themed space designed by local firm McCray & Co, which is also responsible for Lenoir's extraordinary French-country interior.

"We are a counter service restaurant," explains Tatsu. "The vibe is a friendly, casual atmosphere with traditional elements. Austin meets Japan is the best that I can describe it."

The menu ranges from small plates and five types of ramen to a yakisoba dog (pan fried noodles on a hotdog bun with red pickled ginger mustard and mayo) and munchie katsu slider (breaded, deep fried burger on a Hawaiian roll with katsu sauce).

The buzz Ramen Tatsu-ya generated upon its Saturday night opening proves that there's long since been a market for traditional, laid-back Japanese cuisine. For the first week, the restaurant could stay open only as long as it had enough food to prepare, which went quickly down the hatch of the ravenous crowd.

No reservations are accepted, so get there early, belly up next to a stranger and slurp away.

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Back to the Plow

Homey Austin jam and bake shop closing and returning to farmers market

Confituras/Instagram

Confituras Little Kitchen is closing its brick-and-mortar store, but feeling optimistic about the future.

A famers market find is returning to its natural environment after six years in a brick-and-mortar location. Confituras Little Kitchen, which specializes in locally sourced preserves, is closing its jam and biscuit shop after service on Sunday, December 22. However, it will continue selling goods at the Barton Creek Farmers Market and via retailers.

Confituras announced the change in a newsletter to its customers in December. The letter called the news "bittersweet."

"Although the brick and mortar will no longer be, the good news is that this will be a fresh new start for us – we are bursting with energy and creativity at the thought of being back out in the community where it all started for confituras," it said.

The kitchen is closing because the lease is up, and the team has decided to "give up the chase." The newsletter emphasized the ups-and-downs of business over the past several years — ones that were chaotic for just about any business, let alone a small, fairly niche food operation.

"So much has happened since we decided to open a brick + mortar – a wonderful kickstarter fundraiser, THE PANDEMIC, the AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC, and an ever growing city," the letter says. "We tried so very hard but never really got our footing. We know we are not alone, many small business are in the same boat. We renewed our lease during the pandemic because we were hopeful we could make it work - the changing times had other ideas."

Finally, it shared how customers could keep enjoying Confituras creations:

The Barton Creek Farmers Market is open at 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.
A list on confituras.net compiles retailers including Royal Blue Grocery, Farmhouse Delivery, and Antonelli's Cheese Shop.
Jam share and Table22 subscription customers will have more instructions coming soon about picking up their goods in January at the same space, 2129 Goodrich Ave.
Customers may also reach out to inquire about continuing to order meals directly.

The kitchen also hosted frequent events and workshops, but the letter did not address this aspect of the business.

A shorter message shared on Instagram has inspired 63 comments so far, five days later. Customers eulogized the shop for its community feel and providing a sense of regularity during the height of the pandemic thanks to weekend pick-ups.