In the heart of Memphis, Tennessee, on Main Street just south of Beale, sits a restaurant that’s redefining the local culinary scene with its unique take on Southeast Asian cuisine. That restaurant is Good Fortune Company, a noodle joint that specializes in hand-made noodles, bomb ramen, and delectable dumplings. In this episode of “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives,” Guy Fieri takes us on a tantalizing tour of Good Fortune Company, exploring their “lights out” dishes like noodles and crawfish dumplings.
Good Fortune Company: A Fusion of Cultures
Good Fortune Company is the brainchild of Sarah Stoy and Auro Leighton, who were inspired by Japanese ramen but wanted to incorporate flavors from across Asia. “Memphis meets Southeast Asian cuisine,” says Sarah, and if you know Memphis, you know this city loves blending cultures and flavors. The result is a menu that brings the best of both worlds to the table in a casual, funky setting.
Hand-Crafted Ramen: A Labor of Love
One of the highlights of Good Fortune Company is its ramen. Guy watches as they make their noodles from scratch, using high-gluten flour and an alkalized potassium and sodium carbonate solution. “This changes the molecular structure of the noodle,” Auro explains. The dough is mixed, sheeted, and compressed multiple times until it reaches the perfect consistency before it’s cut and dusted, then left to rest overnight.
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The broth is equally intricate, starting with a chicken base that’s boiled hard, skimmed, and simmered at 160 degrees for five hours. The chicken thighs are marinated with sugar and salt and then deep-fried for a crispy exterior. To create their show-stealing ramen bowl, they add soy sauce, dried shiitake mushrooms, dried anchovies, kombu (a type of dried kelp), and bonito flakes to the broth. The final bowl includes chicken, boiled corn, marinated bamboo shoots, thinly sliced scallions, and a hardboiled egg. “Gosh, this is good! The chicken is crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. The broth is delicious,” Guy raves.
Crawfish Dumplings: A Unique Spin on a Classic
Another standout dish is the crawfish dumplings. Inspired by shrimp rangoon, these dumplings are filled with a mixture of cream cheese, fish sauce, lime juice, Thai basil, salt, and of course, crawfish. The dumpling wrappers are handmade from tapioca starch to prevent sticking. Guy helps shape the dumplings, which are then fried and tossed in a homemade togarashi seasoning blend. “I like the little lime zest in there. The togarashi seasoning on the outside is awesome. You can really taste the crawfish,” Guy says, clearly impressed.
