WALLINGFORD — Customers are encouraged to ‘slurp’ every last drop of ramen and pho noodle soups, as indicated by a “Slurp Zone” sign in front, served at FunJu Noodle Bar, 20 Ives Road.

The broth is made in house every day and simmered for hours before noodles, protein and other toppings are added.

“It’s a concept I always wanted to try,” said Tommy Zhuo, owner.

The Wallingford resident opened the restaurant a year ago to share his love for dishes like Tonkotsu, pork belly ramen, and spicy miso with the community.

“I wanted to try different ways to make noodles,” Zhuo said. “It just turned out to be something I really love to do.” 

The Tonkotsu ramen dish is the most requested item and consists of torched pork belly, bean sprouts and egg in broth, then drizzled with a black garlic oil.

Spicy Miso, which uses a hot chili oil over pork belly, minced pork shoulder, mushrooms, sweet corn and sesame seeds is another customer favorite.

“People like spicy, I’ve noticed that,” said Joel Hamilton, a chef at FunJu Noodle.

The restaurant has regular customers that dine in for lunch or dinner, or pick up food. Joe Capriglione stopped in recently to pick up fried rice for lunch.

“I coined the term ‘FunJu Friday,’ so every Friday night after work we come here and eat,” he said of his weekly tradition with his co-workers at Ives Road Wine & Spirits, located in the same plaza.

Zhuo said a lot of the popularity for Asian fusion cuisine comes from the internet, which promotes food from different cultures, specifically Japanese.

“It’s really word of mouth on how people introduce each other in to it,” he said. “I have ramen every day from here and I haven’t tired of it yet.”

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