Katsu Ramen Bar

Kayla Liu, 42, has many reasons to smile.

First, she is just a happy person who calls herself an extrovert.

Second, she loves the food industry.

Third, she, along with her husband Shirayishi Katsu, 42, owns one of Lafayette’s best Japanese-inspired restaurants.

“Yeah, we’re busy,” she says with a huge smile. “We have tons of regulars. People post that they ate something good here. Then those who read the post come in and eat, and they become regular customers.”

The husband-and-wife team — who have known each other for 30 years — dazzle their regulars with menu items like spicy miso ramen, black garlic ramen, poke bowls, sushi rolls, hibachi and curry rice bowls.

Hailing from a northern province in China, Liu and her husband spent years honing their craft in Asian restaurants, including 12 years perfecting Japanese cuisine.

They eventually made their way to Lafayette, finding a kitchen home in the very building that now houses Katsu. For a time, they worked there under the previous owner before seizing the opportunity four years ago to purchase the establishment and make it their own.

Liu said owning a restaurant was the next step they wanted to take after plying their trade as employees.

“We have been working in the restaurant for a long time. We kind of got the experience. Then we want to go to the next step. Now we run our business, not just work,” Liu said. “When you work, you just do your small part. But when you run a restaurant, you need to control every part.”

On a day-to-day basis, Kayla and her husband strive to ensure portion size, consistency, food quality and service are on point.

One of the customer favorites is the spicy beef miso soup. Moments after the bowl of soup is placed on the table, a customer will immediately know something delicious is before them.

The soup is a mildly spicy miso with a pork broth base, tender sukiyaki beef, seasoned boiled egg, corn, bamboo shoots, green onions, fish cake, shredded chili pepper, sesame seeds, seaweed and ramen noodles.

Li said the seafood ramen and black garlic ramen soups are ordered a lot too.

A seafood-based broth is filled with scallops, shrimp, seasoned boiled egg, corn, bamboo shoots, green onions, wood ear mushroom, fish cake, sesame seeds, seaweed and ramen noodles.

Their black garlic ramen has a pork broth base and consists of black garlic oil, sweet umami sauce, pork belly, seasoned boiled egg, corn, bamboo shoots, green onions, fish cake, sesame seeds, seaweed and ramen noodles.

Katsu’s menu also offers rice bowls featuring eel, beef, fried chicken, tempura, pork and chicken.

Liu explained that when they bought the restaurant, a few Japanese curry dishes needed to be added to the menu.

That thought led to chicken katsu, pork cutlet and grilled beef curry rice bowls.

Sushi is another offering.

“Yeah, my husband works at the sushi bar. He has been a sushi chef for like 12 years,” Liu said. “He’s the roll man.”

Katsu’s sushi menu has fried, cooked, raw and classic rolls.

One roll in particular that will pique interest is the super crunch roll. This roll is made with spicy crab and avocado, then deep-fried and topped with spicy tuna, crunch flakes, spicy mayo and eel sauce.

Every day the couple comes to work is different for them, even with a set menu.

Liu said keeping flavors consistent and feeding the public is a passion.

“This restaurant is kind of like our child. We use our heart to run this business,” she said.

For Your Kitchen

Anatomy of a Bowl | Chicken Katsu Ramen

Katsu Ramen Bar
3809 Ambassador Caffery Parkway, Ste. 106-C, Lafayette
337-484-3478
katsuramenbarla.com
@katsulafayette