Kajiken sees success in San Mateo

The restaurant opened Feb. 8 to fanfare and lines out of the door with customers at 112 S. B St. Its main dish is Aburasoba, a buckwheat noodle dish that has similarities to ramen but contains no broth and instead has oils and sauces mixed into the homemade noodles. Soup is usually the heart and soul of ramen, but the noodles are the star of the dish in Aburasoba. The sauces and oils are imported from Japan, with chili oil and vinegar added as key ingredients.

The menu features nine variations of Aburasoba and toppings like spicy cod roe, curry powder, mayo, tofu, corn and fish powder. Lu recommends starting with the original dish featuring chashu, bamboo shoots, onions and seaweed and then moving to more options like the Spicy Minced Pork Aburasoba, which is the most popular dish. Some, like the Roast Beef Aburasoba, have a yogurt sauce and raw egg yolk added to give it a creamy taste. Lu’s favorite is adding a mayo topping to the noodles, which gives it a creamy taste.

Customer Sanjay Saini said he had visited the restaurant three times and enjoyed the different flavors. He has had Aburasoba in Japan and said the San Mateo location has different styles and flavors that are more suited for American tastes.

“I like the restaurant,” he said. “I think they have a good take on the ramen and different types of noodles. I like that it’s dry but not too dry.”

The founder, Kaji Kenichi, started Kajiken in 2010 after tasting Aburasoba for the first time and has since expanded into China, Singapore and the United States. Lu first had Aburasoba in 2011 while studying abroad in Tokyo, eating it at different events with friends. For Lu, it now symbolizes friendship and dreams from his days in Japan.

“It was near my school, and I pretty much fell in love with Aburasoba,” Lu said.

He contacted Kenichi and was able to meet with company representatives and was eventually able to partner with the company to open a Kajiken restaurant in the United States. It is just the third Kajiken location in the United States, with one in Maryland and a new restaurant opening soon in Chicago. He expected interest following the opening, but even he was surprised by the early success, noting that the restaurant sometimes ran out of ingredients in the first few weeks. Friends have told him the restaurant was trending on TikTok.

Miya Delantoni, who works at Kajiken, said they still get long lines on the weekends, Fridays and dinners, with many people coming since the restaurant’s opening a couple of months ago.

“I notice when there is a new restaurant, there are usually long lines,” Delantoni said.

Lu plans to update its appetizer menus and add new drink options, with a cold tofu dish in the summer and a roast beef and rice bowl. He also wants to add more beer and sake options. Lu says Kajikan wants to expand into other parts of the Bay Area, Sacramento and Southern California.

Lu, a San Mateo resident for 20 years, said the city has grown as a foodie location and made it an excellent place to open the restaurant. Lu originally planned to sign a lease in Oakland right before the pandemic, with lockdowns forcing him to delay a decision. Lu said he is excited about more development downtown, potentially increasing clientele.

“I think San Mateo is definitely one of the best locations to open a food concept,” Lu said.