Tanpopo owners tap into their Chinese roots to offer ramen, sushi and more Asian favorites

When you enter Tanpopo Ramen and Sushi, 5191 S. 108th St., Hales Corners, chances are you’ll be greeted by one of the owners.

Working in this space since 2004, Jenny and Chris Shyu have seen a shift in diners over the past decade. For the first 10 years in the space, the couple ran Le Bistro Shanghai, named with a nod to Jenny’s roots in Shanghai. When they saw a lot of similarities to other restaurants along Highway 100, they decided to shift their approach. The couple took what they knew and focused on ramen and sushi, while keeping a handful of longtime customer favorites like sweet and sour chicken, beef bulgogi and bibimbap on the menu.

The name Tanpopo simply translates to dandelion, but for the New Berlin-based couple it means much more. Well before they were married with children and had ever considered their own restaurant, the couple was living in Iowa and saw the movie "Tanpopo" together. Decades later, the food and theme of resilience continues to resonate.  

Tonkotsu ramen is their signature, with three types of pork bones simmered for at least 24 hours. Other ramen options range from shoyu and chicken shoyu to spicy dan dan, miso and vegan. Sushi is kept simple, and the menu also includes a variety of rice and noodle dishes Chris puts his spin on. Longtime customer favorites like sesame and General Tso’s chicken dishes remain popular.

Jenny sat down with us between the lunch and dinner hours, sharing the story behind their three decades of running restaurants in Wisconsin.

Food is the backbone of this family

I've always been interested in cooking and food. I always sat next to my mom when she was cooking. My mother-in-law is a great cook, too. I enjoy it. My husband and I are involved in everyday restaurant operations. Every day one or both of us is here. We know exactly what is in every dish, each ingredient. It is a lot, but I love it.

I was studying in business school in Iowa. My husband was working for his cousin's restaurant in Iowa. I was part-time at the restaurant. That’s how we met. His family was in Milwaukee. That’s how we eventually came to be here.

Before we moved to Hales Corners we had a fast food restaurant, Yen Ching Express, in Regency Mall in Racine. We operated that for about 10 years. Then the lease was up. Most of our family members were in Milwaukee. We tried to move closer to family.

Yen Ching on 76th is our uncle’s. We didn’t want to be too close when we moved here. Now there is one in Mequon, our cousin, and they do fast food. We grew up in the restaurant business.

How they found their fit on Highway 100

A friend and a Realtor said there was a spot. The guy was open for a little bit and it didn't make it, but this is a good spot on a busy street, despite it having a lot Asian restaurants. That’s why we opened Le Bistro Shanghai (in 2004).

About nine years ago we switched to Tanpopo Sushi and Ramen. We served mainly Chinese food for Le Bistro Shanghai. We saw down the street too many Chinese foods, very similar.

How their family food roots influence their approach

I come from Shanghai. Most of what I learned was from my mom, lots of Shanghai dishes. It is a little bit different than the northern, which is my husband's family. Food here, most of our Chinese, is influenced by Cantonese or northern style. His uncle was doing strictly northern style at Yen Ching. It is the two of us, two regions, and a different approach to ingredients and cooking styles. Northern they are known for noodle dishes. In Shanghai we had lots of seafood, and the style of cooking is very light.

What Tanpopo has become known for

Here at Tanpopo our broth is so unique. Our tonkotsu, or pork bone broth, is actually very traditional. Tonkotsu is basic broth, but every restaurant in Japan has their own recipe and special ingredients.

We're known for our tonkotsu broth. Ours is very rich and creamy. You have all the bone marrow come out and it is not overly heavy. Then we put a very unique special ingredient in our broth. It is from my hometown. I looked at all the recipes I could find in Japan. That ingredient is not in there. Well, unless other people keep it secret, too. We do not skip any process. Our stock is 24 hours nonstop.

What surprised her about the next generation

The young people are not afraid to try anything. I have lots of 9- and 10-year-olds who want to set up their birthdays here. That was surprising, but it is also fantastic.

Should you slurp?

Ramen is very comforting. In Japan, the noodles are supposed to be eaten in a short time. Japanese people want their noodles chewy, that's why they slurp. They’ve grown up with it, so they're not afraid of hot broth. Here, most people are not used to eating hot soup right away. People here blow a little bit and take one bite at a time, instead of in Japan — the big slurp, spoon and chopsticks. Eat whatever way you feel like and enjoy it.

They make most things in house, but not these

The noodles are Sun Noodle. We felt like that's what they do, and it is what they do best, and we let them. They have a factory in New Jersey. We do the rest of the things, the roasting of all our pork and making all our broth.

What they’re eating

The broth and the noodles, always. Our fall broth is really good. Our chicken shoyu is really good. I’ll fry rice. My husband loves his own fried rice, and almost every day one meal has to be fried rice. When we entertain family and friends, he loves to grill and smoke things. That is his other hobby. It’s always about the food.

What you should know about the sushi here

We do basic and good ingredients. We don't have lots of ingredients. We have tuna, salmon, eel, yellowtail. Because we are a small restaurant, we get those ingredients so they can turn over very fast. We get fresh fish every other day.

Sometimes I educate my customers, too. Some say, “Your sushi looks small compared to some places.” Well, the reason our sushi is small is because we don't put a whole bunch of rice on top of it. I want you to taste the fish. The main ingredient is not the rice. We put lots of fish in there and a layer of rice. That's what I feel like when I eat a hamburger. I don't want a big bun and small patty.

The drive-thru is easy, but dine in if you can

We have the drive-thru, and we do have quite a bit of online orders. People are busy with young families and kids. It makes it easy, especially in winter. But the best way, if you want to eat ramen, is in the restaurant with the hot broth and chewy noodles and a good presentation right in your bowl, then you dig in. But for busy people, carryout is not bad.

The one dish she can’t replicate

There’s a traditional soup. Here my kids called it fresh and salty pork with bamboo shoots. It is a very traditional soup in Shanghai, but we can't get all the ingredients here. The pork is close to Virginia ham, but to make the original, you have to have that specific ham only made there.

If you’re new to sushi, start here

Start with not-too-much raw fish. Try the spicy California roll or shrimp tempura, things without any raw ingredients. See if you like this type of food with the rice. If you like it, next step, try the raw fish. If you want not-too-fatty, start with tuna.

Why you’ll only find these recipes here

All the broth comes down to how many bones, how many pounds of this, it is all in (Chris') head. Nothing is written down. My mother-in-law, my mom, they cook a pinch of this, a pinch of that. My kids, when they cook, they Google. Even when they make Chinese foods, they Google! Certain dishes you can't see on YouTube. Maybe we should write it down.

This bestselling dish took time to find its audience

The bulgogi is a big seller here. The Korean dishes have grown more popular. When we started, people would look at it and say, "What is bulgogi?" and move on. ... The food business is seeing how willing people are to try something at the time, but for the past 10 years, people are so willing to try things.

Note: Tanpopo will be closed for an annual break from Aug. 5 to Aug. 14.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tanpopo owners tap into their Chinese roots to offer Asian favorites