JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - From buffets to Japanese steak houses, Kam Ngai has opened multiple Asian restaurants across the metro area.
Now, he and a friend are trying their hands at a new venture, a ramen bar in Fondren.
Zundo Ramen & Donburi is expected to open its doors at 3100 N. State St. in the next 60 to 80 days.
That means people from across the metro will soon be able to saddle up to the bar for a piping hot bowl of noodle soup, comfort food perfect for the dead of winter.
“My friend, he has a ramen bar in Cincinnati, Ohio. So, actually I’m bringing his brand here,” he said. “I like the Fondren area. I think this will be a cool concept for the younger crowd.”
ADVERTISEMENT
The shop will feature authentic ramen - not the dehydrated stuff you buy at the store - with noodles made in-house.
“This is more a Japanese-style. So, we house-make all of these, the soup base also,” he said. “If you’ve been to a bigger city, you’ve seen a lot of ramen restaurants.”
Zundo will be located in the space that previously housed Dumbo’s on Duling.
Ngai leased the property this summer after that restaurant closed. He had hoped to open sooner, but has been delayed, in part, by the arrival of a noodle-making machine on order from Japan.
“We were looking in Belhaven as well, and then, you know, Dumbo closed up, so it was kind of a good spot for me,” he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ngai owns five other Asian restaurants in the metro: two Ichiban Chinese buffets and two Ichiban Hibachi & Sushi Bars, all in Rankin County, and Red 8 Kitchen, a high-end Pan-Asian restaurant at the Renaissance at Colony Park.
He says meals at Zundo will run between $16 and $20, depending on whether you order an appetizer or get a drink, and that the restaurant will be perfect for anyone looking for a quick lunch or for a family or friends’ night out.
Said Ngai, “Order some appetizers. Hang out with a friend. That’s kind of the idea.”
Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
Copyright 2022 WLBT. All rights reserved.