The ramen noodle soup craze is spreading in Bangkok after the launch of the Ippudo chain's restaurant at Central Embassy shopping centre.
Long queues formed on Friday to sample dishes at an outlet managed by Ippudo Thailand, a joint venture between Yinching Ng, a Malaysian businesswoman, and Somboon Prasitjutrakul, ex president of DKSH Thailand.
They made a decision to bring Ippudo ramen to Thailand because they saw the continuing popularity of Japanese cuisine here, particularly ramen, and Thai people like to dine outside home at restaurants serving good, healthy food.
The Ippudo restaurant at Central Embassy has 280 square metres of space with 96 seats. It offers Bangkok residents many of the signature dishes that are popular in Japan. Apart from ramen, Ippudo also serves sushi, gyoza, buns and snacks.
Ippudo Thailand plans to open 3-5 restaurants over the next few years, focusing on Bangkok and tourist destinations such as Phuket and Chiang Mai.
A marketing analyst said demand for Japanese restaurants in Thailand continues to grow by 10-15% per year. The country has more than 1,000 Japanese restaurants worth about 17 billion baht.
Big players include Saha Group, Singha Corporation, Central Restaurant Group, S&P Syndicate Plc and Oishi Group, owned by whisky tycoon Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi.
Ippudo was founded in Japan in 1985. It has restaurants in Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and the US.
Ms Ng said she opened the first Ippudo restaurant in Malaysia last year with her own investment. She plans to open an Ippudo restaurant in Indonesia next month.