Beaufort is diversifying its restaurant fare a little with the opening of O-Cha Noodle Cafe in Uptown, possibly this weekend.
O-Cha is an Asian noodle spot that will feature ramen as it continues to gain in popularity in America, moving from major metro areas to secondary cities like Beaufort SC.
Taking over the spot formerly home to the Boundary Street Cafe, the restaurant will offer dishes that you would find at The Noodle Bowl in Savannah. In fact, the owners of the new restaurant are opening O-Cha for that very reason: They are tired of going out of town to enjoy their favorite meal.
O-Cha will offer ramen bowls, large bowls of noodles with a choice of four or five broths and meats. Ramen has grown in popularity in America mostly due to the inexpensive instant-ramen packets that are part of nearly every college dorm room.
But don’t expect your standard ‘cup-o-noodles’ at O-Cha. Many folks look at a .20 cent bag of ramen noodles and think that’s what it actually is. Real ramen is so much more.
High-quality Japanese ramen; the soup, noodles, flavors, and toppings requires extensive preparation and is nothing like its cup-of-soup cousins. Ramen bowls offer lots of fresh vegetables and a variety of meats as well.
The demand has grown for ramen and many restaurateurs across the country have been opening successful noodle shops specializing in Asian noodle dishes.
But, O-Cha isn’t just serving one style of food. The chef-owner is combining many different flavors from the Orient and will have a splash of taste from Japan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and China on his menu with ingredients including, cabbage, fish balls, beansprouts, bok choi, Chinese broccoli, bamboo, pineapple…..and even curry.
In addition to ramen, the menu is loaded with other fare at O-Cha including rice plates, salads and other soups, along with popular dishes including pho, stir fried Sukiyaki and more.
The restaurant takes over the spot formerly home to Boundary Street Cafe, in the plaza on Boundary Street along with Southern Palette, a popular wine and paint art studio, and will be accompanied by a new jazz cafe opening soon, named Phreedom Lounge.
We’re looking forward to trying the new place out and we’re very hopeful it opens this Saturday.
It’s the real deal.
Article contributed by Gene Brancho
