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After multiple delays, the first U.S. outpost of Tokyo’swill finally open its doors to the public this

The brains behind uber-popular ramen chain is chef/owner Tomoharu Shono, whom Inside Scoop first spoke with last spring.

Shono, who has six ramen shops in Tokyo, considers himself to be a ramen creator (the title is even on his business card) and is known for his inventive ramen dishes, like foie gras tsukemen. In fact, each one of his restaurants offers a different theme when it comes to ramen, including one called Gotsubo that’s all vegetable-focused.

For San Francisco, the chef is importing a number of ingredients from Japan, including kombu (seaweed) and dried katsuo (skip-jack tuna) for making dashi. Shono also plans to make use of the abundance found in the Bay Area’s local farmer’s markets, which the chef likens to Disneyland.

Assisting Shono with the U.S. opening is business partner Abram Plaut. Originally from the Bay Area, Plaut has lived in Japan since 2004, where he’s made a name for himself as a ramen critic for Tokyo’s Weekly Playboy Magazine. This is how he and Shono first met.

Shono will be on-site for the next week or so to finalize the opening, then return to Japan. Plaut will also be dividing his time between Tokyo and San Francisco. Overseeing the kitchen when Shono’s not on-site will be Yoshihiro Sakaguchi, one of his former Tokyo ramen chefs.

As the restaurant gets up and running, the menu will have a limited number of items, including a small starter ramen, which is served by combining kombu dashi and kastuoboshi dashi via a coffee siphon, which will be poured over fresh noodles — served in a martini glass of all things. A ramen amuse bouche, if you will, Shono describes this dish as a “mini welcome” to all his guests.

One thing that won’t be on the menu just yet is Shono’s tonkotsu ramen. To make the broth properly at home in Japan, the chef cooks it for about 8-10 hours then removes it from the heat to age another 8-10 on the stovetop. With our strict safety regulations here stateside, that won’t do, so he’s currently perfecting a version that ages the broth in the refrigerator instead.

Shono has also imported a large noodle maker from Japan to make their own noodles, but the team is still building out the noodle room in the restaurant’s basement. Look for house-made noodles to debut in about six months or so.

You can find the full menu here, which Shono says will slowly be rolled out over the coming months.

Shono and Plaut also point out that ramen is meant to be enjoyed fresh and fast, so there will be a one hour time limit for dining — this should also help with the guaranteed lines — and will encourage guests to eat their noodles on-site and not take leftovers home.

Plaut says that if the San Francisco shop does well, there will likely be more Mensho shops to come stateside. (A Paris outpost was also in the works, but was scrapped following the terrorist attacks last November. Shono is also working on opening a ramen shop in Turin, Italy.)

Hours to start will be Sunday, Tuesday-Thursday from 5 p.m.-midnight; Friday-Saturday until 2 a.m. (This weekend only, the ramen shop will open at 6 p.m. rather than 5 p.m.) The hours may shift in the coming months and will eventually include lunch.

To whet your appetite, here are a few photos from Mensho’s Instagram account:

Trial Organic Ramen in SF #ramen #ramencreator A photo posted by Tomoharu Shono (@menya_shono) on Jan 28, 2016 at 9:55pm PST

Cha-shu #ramen #ramencreator A photo posted by Tomoharu Shono (@menya_shono) on Jan 26, 2016 at 7:01pm PST

Oyster Tsukemen #ramen #ramencreator A photo posted by Tomoharu Shono (@menya_shono) on Jan 15, 2016 at 9:45pm PST

Iberian mazesoba #ramen #mazesoba #ramencreator A photo posted by Tomoharu Shono (@menya_shono) on Dec 7, 2015 at 10:10pm PST

Mensho Tokyo, 676 Geary Street, between Leavenworth and Geary, S.F. mensho.tokyo