Long-Awaited Ten Ramen Opens With Standing Room Only

Praise the noodle gods, Teiichi Sakurai's long-anticipated ramen shop Ten has finally arrived. The restaurant soft-opened Friday at the up-and-coming Sylvan Thirty development in Oak Cliff, and calling it small would be an understatement: The place holds 15 or 16 customers max.

A chalkboard menu announces the options: Currently you have your choice of the rich and porky tonkotsu ($10), a lighter shoyu ramen (also $10), or the soupless mazemen ramen ($12). (As of Friday night the tonkotsu bowl was garnished with nori, bamboo shoots, and pickled ginger, though that's subject to change.) A slow-cooked onsen egg can be tacked on to any bowl for $2.50 — pricey, but worth it for the perfectly custard-y yolk — and there are a couple non-ramen options including a chashu pork rice bowl. The chashu, which also plays a starring role in the ramen bowls, is sous-vide before being charred to smoky perfection on the grill. There are also a host of DIY garnishes including chili oil, fresh garlic cloves, and the essential ground white pepper.

While Chef Sakurai may not have been in the house on Friday night, that didn't mean he wasn't keeping a watchful eye on his pint-sized new concept: Word on the street is the chef has cameras strategically placed around the Ten kitchen that feed back to a TV in the Tei-An kitchen.

Ten will reopen for its grand opening on Tuesday; hours will be 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and 6 to 10 p.m. for dinner. Do note: It's cash only for now until the restaurant gets its credit card machine up and running.