Great ramen, great news, great food...Awesome day!

Day 99:

I woke up this morning to an email from an executive at Sun Noodle California saying that they were all cheering for me as I strive towards my dream. How cool is that! Thanks! And a big THANKS to all of you that email me and leave comments with your encouragement. I truly do appreciate them!

Today was one of those days where everything just went right. It started by meeting up with Nate and Brian near Hatsudai Station off the Keio Shinsen Line. After contemplating which ramen shop to hit up for lunch, we finally decided on Ichifuku located deep in the heart of Honmachi. I have to admit I was a bit afraid of what we would find at a ramen-ya located several meters from the main street and surrounded by residential buildings, but the minute we stepped in all fears were put at ease. The walls were littered with signings from past "ramen gods" that had once declared this one of the best ramen shops in Tokyo. It sort of felt like finding a buried treasure.

The shop is run by what looks to be like a mother/son operation. This is another aspect of ramen that really impresses me. It really brings families together.

The signature ramen here is the Irori Ramen (囲炉裏麺) which translates to ramen from the hearth. It's supposedly made from sake and soy milk with a miso base that is topped with shark cartilage.

Underneath the shark cartilage is a ball of miso that they ask you to mix well before slurping.

This was a surprisingly legit ramen. Solid soup. Solid noodles. Solid toppings. I would go back here. There were even these little crunchy bread-like cubes in the soup that gave the ramen some added texture. But when I asked the lady what it was, she just basically replied with my same question..."Hmm, what could it be?" I was Denied! haha. Still, this was some great ramen.

When I got home from lunch, I received an email from a lawyer handling a class-action lawsuit against one of my former employers. The email said I would be receiving a better-than-expected chunk of change through the settlement agreement. Great news! This means the dream can still continue comfortably for now.

For dinner, my aunt and uncle decided that I needed to eat some good great food other than ramen. So along with my cousin, we all ate a wonderful meal at T.Y. Harbor Brewery in Shinagawa. Thanks uncle! Please enjoy the rest of the pics.

I told you the day was awesome...