tim luym

Tim Luym likes Asian street food, as evidenced by the menu at his restaurant, Poleng Lounge. Given his affection for casual yet delicious eats, it seems only natural the chef would be into ramen.

“My obsession began 10 years ago, when I had my first taste of real Japanese ramen at Santa Ramen in San Mateo, which was then just a hole-in-the-wall in the middle of nowhere that always had a line out the door. If you don’t mind a road trip, it’s pretty money. Though SF doesn’t have as much good ramen as L.A.,  there are a couple of spots: Suzu, in Japantown, were they make noodles from scratch daily and pickle their own bamboo shoots, and Katana-ya near Union Square. Katana-ya is open late —a plus in this city—and I like their pork broth.

We’d join a UCSF dental fraternity too if we knew dinner was going to be cooked by Tim Luym.We’d join a UCSF dental fraternity too if we knew dinner was going to be cooked by one of the SF Chronicle’s recent Rising Star chefs. What started as a way to earn money while opening Poleng Lounge has become something Tim Luym, 28, hasn’t let go of—yet. “They’re cool with me experimenting,” he says. But constrained by a tight budget, Luym usually sticks to the likes of fried chicken with potatoes, fried rice and the occasional roast.