Menya-Gumi Chef Angel Cheng Expands the Menu to His Casual Urban Eatery
Published August 31st 2024
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Dim Sum and Hong Kong Style Dishes Are Added to
Menya-Gumi's Japanese Restaurant and Noodle House
August 31, 2024, New Haven, CT: Chef Angel Cheng and the Cheng Family first opened their 1700-square-foot Japanese noodle house in New Haven amid the pandemic. After months of offering just take-out and delivery of their comforting ramen dishes, appetizers, and sandos (Japanese sandwiches), Menya-Gumi opened its doors to welcome customers hungry for a modern Japanese dining experience. Today, Menya-Gumi is making its mark on New Haven’s eclectic dining scene
Chef Angel Cheng spent 4 years working internationally throughout Hong Kong and beyond. As an up-and-coming chef, Cheng’s kitchen cred included time spent at Zuma, contemporary Japanese cuisine and robatayaki in Hong Kong, The Ocean by Augustin Balbi, a fine-dining seafood restaurant at Repulse Bay in Hong Kong, and Killer Noodle, a Japanese tantanmen shop, a segment of Tsujita, a popular Japanese ramen company in LA.
Chef Angel Cheng spent 4 years working internationally throughout Hong Kong and beyond. As an up-and-coming chef, Cheng’s kitchen cred included time spent at Zuma, contemporary Japanese cuisine and robatayaki in Hong Kong, The Ocean by Augustin Balbi, a fine-dining seafood restaurant at Repulse Bay in Hong Kong, and Killer Noodle, a Japanese tantanmen shop, a segment of Tsujita, a popular Japanese ramen company in LA.
Menya-Gumi, formerly a poke restaurant, seats 30. An open kitchen adds to the energy in the room. The intimate space is wrapped in original Japanese artwork, including a mural by a Cheng family friend from Shenzhen, China, of a Japanese noodle house with bowl-to-face ramen slurping men. The mural captures the spirit of Menya-Gumi, which translates into men (noodle) ya (house) gumi (group)—a noodle house where people gather over great food.
Ramen is the specialty of the house. From the rich and most widely known paitan broth, to the more unique and tantalizing clear chintan broth, Chef Angel Cheng has mastered the art of ramen making, inspired by old school sensibility with a new school attitude. Menya-Gumi features an array of popular Japanese appetizers such as hand-formed pork gyoza with sesame and ginger, kara-age fried chicken, tempura shrimp with wasabi honey mayo, and tebasaki sweet garlic wings. Menya-Gumi’s popular “sandos”, including the fluffy Japanese egg omelet sandwich, and generous “don” rice bowls such as the popular katsu fried pork cutlet and rice bowl.
In January 2024, Cheng added a scratch-made dim sum menu that changes weekly. Highlights include shrimp and chive dumplings (har gow), pork and shrimp siu mai, chicken feet, and garlic pork ribs. This month (August 2024) Menya-Gumi's menu grew even more with the addition of a Hong Kong Style section that includes curry fish balls, various wontons, braised beef brisket with noodles, and giant wonton noodle soup.
Menya-Gumi offers Happy Hour, Tuesday-Friday, 3-5 PM and 8-9:50 PM, featuring reduced-priced menu/beverage pricing. Take-out and delivery: UberEats, GrubHub and SnackPass.
165 Orange Street, New Haven, CT 06510 | 203-535-0302 | www.menya-gumi.com
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11:30 AM – 10 PM, Sunday 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM
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