いらっしゃいませ!

Welcome to my ramen dream... Currently being interpreted in Ramen Burger Land... Looking for a good slurp? Email me ! - Keizo

Monday, January 31, 2011

Yum yum...

Day 455:

There's nothing like waking up and grabbing a bowl of ramen from Eifukucho Taishoken.


I've done this countless times now and each time I end up complaining that I ate too much.


But this is all part of the ET experience. You subject yourself to ramen torture, complain about it, then wind up craving it again and again. The assistant is now a believer.


I hardly ever eat "instant" ramen anymore, but we just happened to have a few packs of these lying around work and I was curious to taste just how yum yum it really was.


Yum...


Yum.


Anyway, I took a cab home after work (since I don't have a bike anymore) and it was the smelliest cab ride ever! The driver must have taken a dip in the Bog of Eternal Stench.


If I think about it, the driver actually looked a lot like Ludo...

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Aleisha McCormack...

Day 454:

A couple days ago, a young couple from Melbourne named Aleisha and Rich came into Bassanova to try our green curry ramen (pictured below is another experimental ramen). After striking up a brief conversation and introducing myself as the guy with that ramen blog, Aleisha became fascinated with my story. So as they were about to leave, she turns to me and asks if she could do a story on me. Apparently she is a writer and thought my story would be a interesting way to introduce ramen to the people of Australia.


In any case, they came back today to take pictures and interview me. It was great. And after doing a little research for myself, it turns out that Aleisha is none other than Aleisha McCormack, "a talented writer, performer, comedian and producer with a growing reputation in TV, radio and live performance." Dude, she's interviewed the cast of Glee! Anyway, I just wanted to thank both Aleisha (always doing her best) and Rich for coming in and I wish them the best of luck in living out their dreams.


Now for some gyoza.


Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that my bike got stolen AGAIN last night from right in front of Bassanova. Scandalous!!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Just fuumin' around...

Day 453:

I was lacking sleep, but I wasn't about to pass up another invitation to Fuumin. Heck, I can just take a nap later (or so I thought). Anyway, I was back in Omotesando once again experiencing the magic of Fuumi Sai (斎風瑞). And getting stuffed!


The negi wontons (above) and the tarako tofu (below) are Fuumin classics.


The motsuni ramen is a gem.


But I came to try something new...the Gomoku Umani Ramen.


Freshness.


Natto chahan!


Dessert!


Strawberry Jam Tsukesoba?


Hahaha, I'm such a dork. Btw, I never got to take that nap. And I got the lunch shift tomorrow...

Friday, January 28, 2011

A little awkward...

Day 452:

As I was getting ready for work, I began to crave a bowl of miso moyashi from Nakamura. But as I rushed to get there before close, I was too late and the owner politely turned me down. So I ended up at The Bush, which is definitely not a bad second option.


Five minutes into my bowl, the owner of Nakamura walks in and sits down right next to me. I'm pretty sure he noticed me. I wanted to say hello, but I felt a little awkward and embarrassed. It was as if I had been caught cheating or something.


I was also about to be late for work so any type of conversation could have been detrimental. Anyhow, there will always be another day.


Back at work, a little lime juice can go along way.


I keep forgetting to take out the trash...

Thursday, January 27, 2011

A new crave...

Day 451:

The assistant was faced with a decision...ramen or rice? I'd say she made the right call.


The last time I was at Hakuryu, I saw someone eating the Niku Umani Ramen and instantly thought "I need to try that!" So here we were. Experiencing heaven.


Sometimes called Cantonmen, this ramen will definitely be a bowl worth craving for.


And speaking of craves...


I needed a green curry fix.


Sweetness...

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

iBeef...

Day 450:

I got an iPhone. Surprisingly it's a lot cheaper than my prepaid phone. Oh how it feels good to be back in the world of smart phones. But oh how complicated it was to get it being a foreigner and all. Thank you assistant!


Time for some beef!


Rebasashi!


Butt!


上ロース!


Kalbi Ramen! I love how almost all restaurants have a version of ramen.


These fusion bowls always make for good research.


Reimen!


Ishiyaki Bimbimbap!


Oh man I think I ate too much. 相変わらず。

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Field trip...

Day 449:

Every fourth Tuesday of the month, the staff at Bassanova gets a day off. So what does that mean? Ramen field trip!! At the Raumen Museum!!! Unfortunately, not everyone could make it. But with Kimura-san and the assistant on hand, Shuga and I were ready to rumble.


So...where shall we start?


How about a little Ganjya (頑者)...puff, puff, pass.


Ganjya hails from Kawagoe in Saitama and is the newest member of the ramen museum.


Their tsukemen is similar to the likes of all the other popular gyokai-tonkotsu shops that have been invading the scene.


But perhaps Ganjya adds a little something extra.


The spicy tsukemen by far was the better of the two.


Next up was Ryushanhai (龍上海).


Yeah, there must have been a little something extra.


Against the advice of others, I decided to go for a full bowl. After all, Ryushanhai deserves the full treatment.


Yes!


Ramen fork? I don't get it.


With the assistant taking advantage of the 30-min nomihodai and Shuga calling it quits, Kimura-san and I went to grab one more bowl (for Kimura-san that is) at Sakamoto (中華そば 坂本).


Sakamoto's deep chicken-based shoyu ramen is soulful.


Even after two bowls it still delights.


Like Kimura-san, I probably should have stopped at three, but stupid me just doesn't know when to quit. Kids, don't try this at home. A trip to the ramen museum without stopping at Ramen No Eki (らーめんの駅) is just implausible.


Not just cuz of their ramen, but because of their beer! Sapporo Classic can usually only be bought in Hokkaido. Man was that refreshing!


To change things up, I went with the shio ramen and not their traditional miso. Note to self: Don't change things up.


The newest attraction within the gift shop is this make-your-own-box-of-ramen section. You choose the base, the soup, the oil, the noodles and voila, your own custom box of ramen. You can even get your picture on the box itself.


But we decided to skip that and go for the cheaper purikura. Okay, time to go!


Otsukare!!


With yakitori from Katsu...


And a nice "Japanese-style" pizza.


Boom was racing around third...


And sliding into home.


Safe!!