Written by Eden Henderson
Noodle House, which opened in February of 2021, is a fairly new Japanese restaurant in town. It may also be recognized as an extension of Dora Express, a Hibachi restaurant that many Harding students frequented. Ben Firmansyah was the owner of Dora Express and is the owner of Noodle House.
Firmansyah immigrated to the United States from Indonesia in 2008. He spent time in Los Angeles, working and serving in restaurants. He then moved to Atlanta where he attended culinary school. Firmansyah said they taught how to make sushi, hibachi and many other dishes at this culinary school. He explained that he had worked in several different types of restaurants during his career, including Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese and Japanese restaurants, but cooking Japanese food was his favorite and was also the restaurant that he had spent the most time working in.
Firmansyah began his career as an entrepreneur by opening a Hibachi food truck in Newport, Arkansas, in 2017. His food truck was open for a year and half. Firmansyah then moved to Searcy in the middle of 2018, where he opened Dora Express. It was difficult to keep Dora open because, according to Firmansyah, he could not find enough chefs. In 2021, when Firmansyah was able to move into a bigger and nicer space, he was able to keep the menu from Dora Express, but also expand it and add more traditional Japanese dishes.
Firmansyah talked about the difficulties in opening a new Asian restaurant in the Searcy community.
“This is a small community of Asian [people],” Firmansyah said. “It’s hard to open Asian food in a small city.”
Firmansyah has a desire to introduce the Searcy community to more traditional Asian food, such as Ramen and Pho, which is a Vietnamese dish. He explained that people already know about and like sushi and hibachi, so it can be difficult to introduce these new items.
“It was hard for me to give it to them,” Firmansyah said. “I’m not sure if they’ll like it or not.”
Firmansyah said that he has many different types of noodles that he plans to integrate onto the menu, starting in the winter.
“It’s not easy, but I try my best,” Firmansyah said.
He also explained how the difficulties of COVID-19 have affected him, especially with opening a new restaurant. Trying to obtain licensing for sushi is the most difficult, Firmansyah said.
Visiting Noodle House was a welcoming and kind experience. Ben Firmansyah was happy to spend time with me and even allowed me to try a few different types of sushi. His excitement for the food that he was serving was contagious and it was also evident among his staff. Noodle House is a special place that offers a unique opportunity to try something new.
