Toulouse. This Japanese restaurant has become an institution, the chef reveals his secrets

By pushing the door to this small restaurantit’s a whole story that opens up Toulouse. Behind this long counter, decorated with stools, stands Toulouse Vincent Tsinis the chef at Shin-Ya Ramen, one of the first typical restaurants to open in the Pink City.

Today, his broth noodles have become an institution. But what is the secrets of an unrivaled recipe? Japanese authenticity.

A ramen shop that has become an institution

Opened in 2016, Saint-Michel district of Toulouse, Shin-Ya Ramen moved in 2019 to double its capacity of around twenty seats to Compans Cafarelli, rue Lancefoc.

Inside, a few tables and stools welcome customers. ” It is typical of a Japanese ramen shop, with the kitchen open to the room. It’s very small, a bit of a mess…”, laughs Vincent Tsin, manager of these sites. Some figures and posters are reminiscent of Japanese restaurants. “Shin-Ya, that means Tsin’s!” », adds the restaurateur.

It is here, in a typical Japanese boui-boui, that the ramen bubbles on the taste buds of customers, numerous since the opening. “There was a queue for three years…”, laughs Vincent Tsin. In Toulouse, he is one of them first ramen addresses, “I really liked these dishes, but I realized that there were none in the Pink City!”. The enthusiast then decides to start his first business with his Japanese wife.

A bumpy journey

But nothing predetermined Vincent Tsin to stay ramen chef In Toulouse. The Toulouse resident comes from a family of restaurateurs and has never been attracted to this environment before. “The pace slowed me down, you have no vacations, no family…”, he then turned to architecture and then translation after discovering the land of the rising sun several times.

“I wanted to be a Japanese teacher in France, but there were very few places. So I went to Paris, I translated some Japanese anime for two years, but the lover of Japan did not find what he was looking for, while the family grew. The whole household decides to go down to the Pink City, “where we take our time to live”, smiles the Toulouse resident.

Become a ramen chef… on earth!

But of course it is Japan that the chef learns the secrets behind this typical dish, composed of noodles, broth and various ingredients. “Ramen is a bit like Japanese fast food. There are more than 30,000 in Japan! It’s easy, cheap food, minimum 3.50 euros, which we enjoy in very small restaurants with short menus,” explains Vincent Tsin.

There goes the Toulouse resident behind the stove in a ramen shop. “It was a minimum of 100 covers per day”, the pace is hectic and compliance with the rules “very strict”. “The customer is king in France over there? It’s god! We have to lie down all the time.” Vincent still continues his learning in the workplace and in books looking for the perfect ramen recipe.

“A ramen that is a base, like pasta and broth, but afterwards … it’s freestyle! “He begins his adventure in Toulouse as an autodidact, the chef must three years later at the ramen school in Japan to get the official certificate .” I missed certain secrets, such as broth. And even though it’s a quick dish, it’s a lot of work! After these two weeks of schooling, I saw a change in the taste of my dishes and in the way I work.”

What are the secrets behind Shin-Ya Ramen?

At Shin-Ya Ramen, everything is homemade, right down to the pasta. “In the beginning I had to break about thirty pasta machines because there were so many people! », laughs the chef. One of his secrets? Mixture of flourbut not only.

“Umami, of course,” says the Toulouse resident without hesitation. “You have to know how to work with your products, bring out the flavor and to stand out, you have to make your own noodles.” Every morning it is the chef’s wife who prepares the pasta for three hours. And everything has been thought of, down to the weight, even for the flour. Like salting “that comes from the bottom of the sauce with different types of soy”, without revealing more. “Eating a good ramen, the hardest thing is to be simple”concludes Vincent Tsin.

On the menu, ramen but not only!

At Shin-Ya Ramen, different bowls are offered: “Shoyu, Miso… Each ramen comes from a different region,” says Vincent Tsin. “The Shoyus from Tokyo, others come from the Japanese shores. And the Japanese work a lot with local products.” Vincent also tries to integrate local products, such as salt from the Mediterranean coast.

On the menu, the curious will also be able to find other dishes such as tsukemen (soaked noodles), but also gyozas, karaage… “I make what I want to eat,” says Vincent broadly. For a bowl of ramen, you need between 11 and 12 euros.

Next to eight years later, Shin-Ya Ramen is one of them addresses that cannot be missed in the pink city. “It gives me pleasure to please the people of Toulouse,” smiles Vincent Tsin modestly. While the offer is diversified in Toulouse, there is nothing intimidating about it. “I was waiting for the competition! And then… I like ramen too,” laughs the chef.

And he hasn’t said his last word. There should be new products on the menu soon, “perhaps a Toulouse ramen,” he blurts out. Vincent never stops perfecting his recipes, with his head in Japan and his feet in Toulouse, to please his customers “and do it with love”.

Practical information :
Shin Ya Ramen
62 Rue Lancefoc, Toulouse
Open Tuesday to Saturday from 11:30 to 14:00 and Thursday to Saturday from 19:00 to 21:00.

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