Encino is about to get a new ramen restaurant from two big-name chefs

March 30, 2016 8 AM PT

One chef known for his meat-centric dishes and another chef known for his vegan food are joining forces to open a ramen restaurant in Encino.

Luke Reyes, who used to be the executive chef at the Hollywood restaurant Butchers & Barbers, and Phillip Frankland Lee, the chef and co-owner of Scratch Bar & Kitchen and the Gadarene Swine, plan to open Oh Man! Ramen this summer.

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For the record March 30, 8:35 a.m.: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that Reyes worked at Barrel & Ashes.

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The restaurant will be located right next to Lee’s Scratch Bar & Kitchen, which opened last year after moving from a previous location on La Cienega Boulevard.

Oh Man! Ramen will feature a 16-seat ramen bar and 20-seat communal table. And like Scratch Bar, the ramen restaurant will open with no servers. Instead, diners will interact with the chefs in the open kitchen directly.

Reyes and Lee collaborated on the menu, which includes a “whole animal” tonkotsu broth that uses parts from the entire pig, a special hybrid breed being raised especially for the restaurant by Stepladder farm. The ramen is topped with braised pork belly, confit shoulder, bamboo shoots, green onion, soft egg, shiitake mushrooms and bonito flakes.

And as for MSG? The two chefs plan on developing their own all-natural version of the notorious flavor enhancer.

There will also be a vegetable ramen with roasted squash, braised black kale, charred garlic sauce, soft egg and sesame.

Other menu items include red snapper crudo; King crab dynamite with brioche and a sunny egg; gyoza made with salted pork jowl, shrimp and chive flowers; and hibachi salmon collar lettuce wraps.

Reyes partnered with pastry chef Margarita Lee, who happens to be Lee’s wife (she also does all the desserts for Lee’s restaurants), on an Asian-inspired dessert menu that includes soft-serve ice cream. Reyes also plans on creating bottled cocktails for the restaurant.

Oh Man! will be open for lunch and dinner.

16101 Ventura Boulevard, No. 242, Encino, www.OhManRamen.com.

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