“Sushi Sean” Durnin rolls into winter with a new noodle shop on Surfside Road.
In the face of one of the most challenging times in the restaurant industry, Chef Sean Durnin has taken a big bold step into the fray. At the end of October, when most eateries were closing their doors for the winter, Chef Durnin opened a new curbside dining option the likes of which Nantucket has never seen. Take a big bite, or shall we say a slurp, of Sushi Sean’s Ramen Shop.
“I’m totally going against the grain here, but I’ve always wanted to offer ramen on Nantucket, so when the space became available, I decided to jump on it,” said Chef Durnin, who will operate Sushi Sean’s Ramen Shop in the former space of Yummy on Surfside Road. “It’s going to be takeout and delivery, offering four types of ramen as well as some warm bowls and bento boxes.”
Sushi Sean’s Ramen Shop isn’t going to be a run-of-the-mill noodle joint. Chef Durnin is striving to deliver an authentic style of ramen that he learned at the hands of a master sensei in Japan. “Real ramen is more than just stock and noodles,” he explains. “There’s actually four components melding into one that gives a real good experience, hitting three senses.” Chef Durnin will be offering tonkotsu (pork), spicy miso, shoyu (soy) and shiitake dashi ramen, each cooked to order. “It’s all about the broth—you need to boil the broth until it’s milky,” he says. “You can feel it on your lips.”
Chef Durnin first came to Nantucket in 2011 and worked for four years rolling sushi at Lola 41. In 2015 he fulfilled his lifelong dream of moving to Japan to learn from the masters at the Tokyo Sushi Academy. During the weekends, the academy offered a ramen class, which he took with gusto. When he wasn’t in class, he haunted the many local noodle stalls, sitting alongside old men and slurping away at authentic ramen.
Fast-forward five years and Chef Durnin has a thriving catering company that specializes in sushi. He hopes that his winter ramen shop will be a precursor to eventually opening his own restaurant featuring his full repertoire of Japanese specialties. In the meantime, he will continue building off of the strength of his catering company and enriching the island’s culinary landscape with his worldly talents.
Sushi Sean’s Ramen Shop is located on 63 Surfside Road. Learn more about Chef Sean Durnin’s catering at sushisean1111.com.
