Fans of Suram Sushi and Ramen, rejoice! The popular fresh-caught seafood spot is opening a second Hell’s Kitchen location to bookend Midtown with noodle and sushi dishes and cocktails prepared by a team of experienced restaurateurs.
The new Suram on the corner of 10th Avenue and W37th Street opens Thursday and follows in the already successful Waterline Square outpost’s footsteps by serving up sustainable, line-caught seafood, sushi and sashimi favorites like Unagi Don, Crunchy Spicy Shrimp and creative ramen, including Creamy Miso and much-loved Impossible Meat vegan version.
The newest location features a larger dining room outfitted with the same sleek, stylish touches including a large fish mural by artist Elliot Mattice, an open-concept kitchen and a new private event space created in what was a pilates studio and health food market.
“We’re less about flash and more about getting back to basics,” said co-owner Jonah Phillips, known not just for operating Suram but also the successful New American comfort food franchise Friedman’s (which has a Hell’s Kitchen location just south of the new Suram on 10th Avenue). “We’re all about quality fish that’s sourced sustainably and responsibly at mid-tier price points that will allow you to come here and order home twice to three times a week — that’s the goal!” he added.
His partners in ramen, Executive Chef Frenky Indarto and fellow restaurateur Marom Unger are equally aligned in the mission. Unger said the eatery’s commitment to quality seafood without premium pricing was something he felt many New Yorkers would appreciate, adding: “My wife and I would always go out for sushi — but once we had kids and we couldn’t go out as much, we started ordering in. And we wanted to model Suram after the handful of places we found that are really good, but not expensive.”
The three hospitality veterans had been circling each other for years — Jonah running Friedman’s and Marom taking on the legacy of Kossar’s Bagels and Bialys, while Frenky headed up the late, great downtown landmark SushiSamba. They worked together on the Phillips family’s uptown bagel and dumpling spot, Wu & Nussbaum’s in Morningside Heights, before branching out to sushi and ramen in Waterline Square. “I fell in love with the sushi business,” said Marom, “and I developed a real passion for it.”
The menu model created by Marom and Frenky was so well received that they soon began scouting for spots to expand the brand — with a priority for opening in Hell’s Kitchen. “We’re big believers in the neighborhood, we were here before anyone was,” said Jonah, referring to the 10th Avenue stretch, where he opened Friedmans 10 years ago and Finns Bagels in 2017 with Marom.
“Even after Finns, we still felt like the neighborhood was underserved,” said Jonah. “We wanted to bring another concept to the neighborhood.” In Hell’s Kitchen, they love “the dynamic mix of people, from those who lived here before Javits to now, with the High Line and Hudson Yards and the conference center, people from around the world.”
Hoping to entice conference visitors, office workers, shoppers and residents to Suram, the team believes New York’s reopening and the area’s recent commercial resurgence will attract a cadre of Midtown South regulars. “We give you good service and good food — that’s what we’re about,” said Jonah, “and it’s what brings people back.”
Suram Sushi and Ramen is located at 483 10th Avenue (corner of W37th St) and will open from 11:30am to 9:30pm daily.
I was walking back from Hudson Yard and stopped to have lunch here on Wednesday and was totally pleased. My Ramen was excellent and so was the service staff.
If a dining establishment opens around HK and does not have those two dynamics, I never return. First impressions. A+
Thanks W42ST.com for the heads up.
Agreed! We went for dinner on the second or third night they were open and the food was great. The service was really welcoming too!