Lovin' life...

Day 253:

I woke up a little tired and sore from bball last night, but my time here is limited and I still have a lot to do. So let's get to it! First up, pancakes with mom.

Now this is something you'll never see in Japan. Never ever.

After a couple hours of moving my stuff to storage, I was off to go meet sushiday and phuson for lunch in Torrance. Hey guys! We originally planned on going to the new Mottainai Ramen but they had closed for lunch just as we got there. So instead we headed to Santouka inside the Mitsuwa market where I reluctantly ate the new Kimchi Ramen. And although the ramen was mediocre, our meeting was priceless. Btw, hi Becky!

Afterwards, the ramen freak in me still wanted to try Mottainai so I headed back when they opened for dinner. After all, rameniac says they're legit.

And guess what? He was right!

I ordered the miso ramen with the red 'magic bomb' and it sort of reminded me of Ryushanhai. And we all know what I think about Ryushanhai right?

The noodles are currently being made by my friends over at Sun Noodle until the owners of Mottainai can get clearance on their noodle-making machine. Apparently, Mottainai is affiliated with a noodle maker from Kyoto called Takara. Although the noodles from Sun Noodle are impressive, I will be looking forward to trying the ones they make themselves.

The red 'magic bomb' really spiced things up, but I still think it could've been hotter.

After introducing myself to the dudes that run the joint and telling them about my dream, they got all excited and wished me the best of luck. I also unexpectedly received a free plate of gyoza. Thanks!

But seriously, that was a good bowl. LA ramen is on the rise!

Thanks Nori-san and Nobu-san!! 頑張って！Next time I'll see you at Bassanova!

Later, as much as I wanted to just pass out in my bed, I met up with my OC peeps at sushilicious so I could say wassup to Daniel the owner. Wassup!

I met Daniel a few months before I left for Japan just as he was starting to build this restaurant. He is a great guy with plenty of business knowledge and a good person to know.

The concept of sushilicious is grreat and although the sushi isn't as great as what I've been eating in Japan, I am confident that it soon will be. Keep up the good work Daniel!

Thanks to all my friends that made it out tonight. I'm sorry I couldn't be more lively, but it was great to see all of you.

Alright, just one more full day left. Are you ready for a party?