Ramen Lovers Rejoice

NINE MONTHS AFTER a fire devastated the building on North Franklin Turnpike where Tojo’s Restaurant is located, the eatery has reopened with a fresh interior look and exciting menu updates, signaling a new beginning for the family-owned business known for its upscale ramen and Japanese small bites.

Husband and wife team Satoshi Tojo and Olive Ho are excited to be back at the borough location; they also own Tojo’s Kitchen at Garden State Plaza in Paramus.

Ho says though her husband graduated with a law degree from a university in his home country of Japan, he just couldn’t shake his side passion for cooking. He took some culinary courses there before moving to the United States about 12 years ago.

He began doing marketing for Kinoene sake, which is brewed in Japan, and was at a trade show promoting it when he met Ho, who was also there as a marketing professional.

With his recipes and her business acumen, the pair decided to hit the road, bringing their cuisine to different food festivals. It started off as a side job, Ho says, and the focus was on karaage, Japanese-style friend chicken.

“We got really popular—no one was making it at the time,” Ho says. “People weren’t exposed to that kind of food.”

They were invited to do a pop-up at Garden State Plaza in Paramus, and it did so well that they were asked to stay. The one ask? Could they add ramen to their menu? They could certainly try, Ho says they answered. They took the space and opened their doors in the mall in 2019.

A TASTE FOR GOOD FOOD

Tojo develops all the recipes, while Ho handles the backend business and marketing. Ramen is now Tojo’s top menu category. Their homemade chicken and pork broth simmers for 72 hours before it reaches creamy perfection.

Shoyu Whiskey Ramen is one of their most popular dishes, with its wavy noodles and house made shoyu sauce with chicken and pork broth topped with egg, menma, pork belly and pork shoulder chashu, nori, wakame, black garlic oil, and scallion.

Tan Tan Ramen also makes the list, featuring rich pork broth with house made spicy sesame miso sauce, nikumiso (ground pork with miso sauce), egg, menma, scallions, takana-zuke (Japanese spicy pickles), taberu rayu (house made spicy oil), sesame, and bok choy.

Ho says their sauces are particularly special, using several types of Japanese soy sauces and other authentic ingredients. Tojo carefully trains chefs in their preparation.

Karaage continues to be a hit at Tojo’s. Other menu categories include Donburi (rice bowls with different toppings) and Onigiri (Japanese rice balls), along with many small bites/ appetizers.

Tojo’s was forced to close after a fire broke out in an apartment on the second floor of their building, displacing tenants and business owners due to fire, smoke, and water damage. The refurbished space offers patrons a clean and modern dining experience, now with counter seating where they can peek into the kitchen and see their food being prepared.

When asked what it’s like working with her husband, Ho just laughed, adding: “You have to be very confident in your relationship.”

But with two restaurants, the pair are afforded a bit of space from one another; Tojo spends most of his time in Ho-Ho-Kus while Ho is usually in Paramus.

The couple also calls Ho-Ho-Kus home. They live with their two French bulldogs only a five-minute walk from the restaurant. Ho says the dogs are a sort of mascot for the restaurant, with desserts shaped like their faces.

The small community and genuine care that neighbors show for one another are what the restaurateurs like most about the borough.

“Everyone knows each other, and our neighbors are really friendly—people reached to express their concern after the fire,” Ho says. “It’s a welcoming vibe.”

BY SARAH NOLAN