January 9, 2018 – Soft opening of a brand new ramen restaurant in Monterey is expected to take place later this week. Toribashi is opening at 487 Alvarado Street, right in between Poke Lab and Revival Ice Cream, replacing Alvarado Ramen which closed last fall.
The new owner, Sam Park, brings new recipes and more than 30 years experience cooking in Toyko and Santa Clara, where he owns Sushi O Sushi.
The 39-seat counter-service restaurant has been renovated and staff training gets underway this week, along with menu tweaking during January. The official Grand Opening takes place on February 8.
Toribashi will feature authentic traditional Japanese ramen with a California spin. Broths are prepared using high-quality ingredients and slow cooked for 10 to 15 hours. Park makes his noodles in house from scratch. Diners can choose from ramen and udon bowls, with a variety of toppings.
The restaurant will also serve on-trend noodle salad bowls topped with chicken, pork or raw fish, such as tuna and salmon. A trio of side dishes round out the menu, including chicken karaage, fried octopus dumplings and panko fried oysters.
Park learned to cook while serving in the U.S. Army and has a sweet spot for veterans. On the first Friday of every month, the restaurant will donate 20% of proceeds to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.
Toribashi is also offering a 10% discount to local college students, with valid ID.
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