Chef Dalibor Glemba plans to open Sheffield’s first authentic ramen bar next year so I had a chat with him to find out a bit more about his vision for ‘Naughty Pig’.
Hi Dalibor! How’s it going? Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hello! So I was born and raised in Czech Republic but I moved to Sheffield three and a half years ago and I fell in love straight away. I originally trained as a construction manager but since I was not able to find a job in that field, I decided to try my luck in hospitality as I’ve always loved to cook for friends and family. I first discovered ‘ramen’ when I worked for Wagamama, after that I moved onto fine dining and my first big job was at The Milestone which gave me a lot of useful experience, since then I’ve just been taking it step by step working in rosette awarded restaurants
And what has inspired you to decide to open a ramen bar in Sheffield?
There are many places here that specialise in Asian cuisine however nowhere specialises in authentic ramen and I think that’s a shame. I watch and read everything to do with ramen and have been following the work of famous ramen chefs like Ivan Orkin and David Chang for years. Some people say without experience in Japan I shouldn’t open a ramen bar but I disagree. As a chef you can gain experience anywhere, as long as you have passion you can do anything and for me it is ramen. I believe ramen is a maverick cuisine and has no strict rules, if it looks good and tastes good you win.
Do you have a location or area in mind?
I have found a few spaces that are available but same as my food, it needs to be perfect. I’m mainly considering Ecclesall Road and Abbeydale Road but truly hoping to find something here in Kelham Island.
When do you hope to open by?
If I could I would open tomorrow but as I’m doing everything by myself, it will take a while. I would really like to see Naughty Pig on the map at some point next year.
What should we expect on the menu?
Of course the focus will be on ramen. Shio (salt) ramen, Shoyu (soy sauce) ramen, Miso ramen and Veggie ramen. It will be served Tokyo style so made with a light and clear bone broth with a variety of toppings depending on the season such as Chashu (marinated and slow-cooked pork belly) or chicken, marinated soft-boiled egg, truffle paste, barley oil, lemon thyme, cress and spring onions. I will be putting a lot of effort to do my stock right, my noodles right and the whole atmosphere right.
For sides and starters, I’m thinking chicken and smoked celeriac soup dumplings with cress & truffle broth, chicken thighs yakitori with homemade tare and spicy horseradish mayonnaise. I will also offer one or two desserts to cleanse the palate after a rich meal such as brown-butter mouse with miso-paste meringue or chive & lemon sponge cake with black sesame seed paste.
This all sounds delightful! Will you be sourcing produce locally?
Everything will be homemade except for a few bits which will need to be imported. I love to support local farmers and small independent businesses so the goal is to take the best from both cultures and bring them together to extract umami from every ingredient.
And what are you thinking drinks-wise?
I would like to serve freshly made juice and locally roasted coffee. There will also be a selection of bottled beers. At the moment, I’m in a process of tasting and contacting brewers, wine makers and choosing the right products. I will also serve some fine imported tea, beer, wine and sake.
Best of luck with it all Dalibor, we can’t wait to get slurpin’.
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