Project Slurp is the latest brainchild of Jeff Chanchaleune, formerly the chef/co-owner of Kaiteki Ramen, and Rachel Cope, libations curator and owner of Empire Slice House. This top-notch foodie team has paired up cocktails and food for a ramen pop-up series that takes place over the next few months.
Their successful kick-off dinner included a delicious bowl of ramen with pork belly, a memorable dessert of butter mochi cake with banana ice cream, and cocktails paired well enough to make me forget my coat at the evening’s event. A few days later, I got some more dirt on the dishes and cocktails they plan to serve up in OKC.
(Side note: Slurping is cool. Not only does it signify to your dining partners that your food is slurp-worthy; it also acts as a flavor-multiplier in your mouth. [Plus, it’s fun.] If you’re annoyed by others slurping, the problem is actually you, because it means you aren’t slurping loudly enough. So, please, throw your uncultured table manners aside and slurp away.)
Oxford Karma: What was the inspiration for Project Slurp?
Jeff Chanchaleune: Inspiration for Project Slurp was to do something more off the truck — more of a sit-down environment so that patrons can enjoy ramen the way it should be: seated and noodles in a bowl. It’s also a way for us to test out some menu items and the concept for a future project we are working on.
Rachel Cope: Jeff and I have been discussing doing a brick and mortar spot for ramen and robota since last year. This is a good way for us to test out some of the dishes and, on my end, play with a style of drink that I don’t normally use much in the restaurants I’m currently involved in. Plus, we love to slurp.
OK: Will Slurp’s menus change each time?
JC: Slurp’s menu will change each time. Ramen toppings and flavors — spicy miso, roasted miso, etc. — will also change each time, but the base broth will stay the same. We hope to create a different ramen dish each time.
RC: We really want to challenge ourselves to create as many new ideas as possible on both ends of the dinner.
OK: What made you decide to do libation pairings?
RC: We wanted our dinners to be different. A few of the [pop-up dinners] we have been to in OKC are BYOB, which is great, but the challenge was to see if we could tackle not only the difficulty of executing a stellar food menu but to see if we had any chops or skills with craft cocktails.
JC: I think to get a full restaurant experience, or even a seated-dinner experience, you need booze. Food and beverages bring diners together. We wanted a fun atmosphere where diners could let loose and relax. It’s also a challenge to pair items with libations and vice versa. It makes it a little more fun.
Roasted garlic miso (Photo: facebook.com/projectslurpokc)
OK: Speaking of pairings what brought you two together for this project?
RC: I’ve actually known Jeff for about eight years. We crossed paths again in a culinary setting a year or two ago and have been talking nonstop ever since about doing project together. We both have an undeniable passion for food and drinks and Slurp is a way for us to explore the possibilities.
JC: Rachel and I go way back. I’ve always been in the kitchen and she has always run the front of the house and bar. It was just the right idea to come together on pairings and collaborate using our expertise in those areas. We wanted to do something cool, so why not bring our ideas together to create a full restaurant experience? It was a team effort that made this happen.
OK: What is the goal of Project Slurp?
JC: The goal of Slurp is to really have fun and do what we want, make whatever cocktails we want and hope that patrons enjoy it as much as we do. Project Slurp gives us a canvas to work with to test out our ideas.
RC: [The goal is] to gauge peoples’ interest in our ramen and Japanese inspired libations so that when we do build a shop we know where we stand with the guests. Also, to provide OKC with something cool to further the culinary scene of this up-and-coming city. We are always reading about cool stuff going on in LA, NYC, Chicago, and we want to be part of a group that brings those ideas to life in our home state.
OK: What chefs inspire you?
JC: David Chang, Andy Ricker, Ivan Orkin, Eddie Huang, René Redzepi, Paul Qui, Roy Choi, and chefs I’ve worked with or under.
RC: David Chang. I feel like most people would associate him with the hipsterization — yes, I made that word up — of ramen and legit Japanese restaurants. Also, I’m a big fan of Ivan Orkin (if you’ve heard of Ivan Ramen, this is the dude). Grant Achatz out of Chicago is a big one for me for a few reasons: His battle with tongue cancer was amazingly brave and just shows the absolute dedication to his craft, and also the level of talent he really possesses. Plus, Aviary was the most inspiring bar I’ve ever been to in my life. Mind-blowing, really. Danny Bowien continues to amaze me with his inventive dishes and complete lack of care for what people think belongs in certain types of restaurants. For example, he’s doing pizza at Mission Chinese, and it’s awesome.
OK: What is the strangest drink you have ever had?
RC: That would have to be the rooiboos tea served in a laboratory-type Bunsen burner/beaker/bong at Aviary in Chicago. Awesome and insane.
JC: Strangest drink? Hot red wine spiced with cinnamon in Paris. Wasn’t too bad; just strange.
OK: What is the strangest food you’d encourage others to try?
RC: I once had roasted pig face at Girl and the Goat in Chicago. That was epic — snout and all. Jellyfish in Vancouver … that was a weird one. I didn’t really enjoy it but it was interesting to try.
JC: Not strange to me but strange to some: chicken feet and beef stomach at any dim sum joint; grilled chicken hearts or duck heads; pig face at Girl and the Goat. Nomz.
—
This story is set to appear in Issue 8 of Munch Magazine, in which Cope shares her Rosemary’s Baby cocktail recipe and Chanchaleune shares advice on how to make a great starter ramen broth.
For more information and to sign up for Slurp Alerts, visit projectslurpokc.com.
