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

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Armoise...

Day 508:

You're not gonna believe this, but I found ramen in France! Okay more on that later. First I must show you Lyon and our lunch at a bouchon. No, not a restaurant. A bouchon!


With the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière watching our every move, this second largest city in France was more than I could handle. I wanted to go here and here and here and here and here but since we would be leaving for Switzerland in the afternoon we decided to just experience the food that Lyon has to offer instead.


I'd say we made a good decision. I've never really experienced real French food and this would be as real as it gets.


Palate cleansing...


Saucisson chaud et sa cervelle de canut. Translation: Daaaaam gina! See that white stuff? It was some type of cheese that I couldn't get enough of. I'm still dreaming about it.


Gigot d'agneau aux herbes. Translation: Tender strips of succulent lamb covered with herbs that will melt in your mouth and make you drool for more.


Pièce de bœuf grillé aux herbes. Translation: Beef...French style!


Ile flottante. Translation: Will make your girlfriend float.


You bet I am!


Now back to the lecture at hand. We found ramen in France!!


Okay I know what you're gonna ask me. Do I really need to go there?


Yomogi is a ramen shop in the heart of Lyon. Benjamin, the owner, studied ramen in Matsumoto after his Japanese friends encouraged him to bring this coveted art to France.


The gyoza, I'd have to say, are top notch. Meaty, garlicky, and great.


The ramen...well...as Benjamin would admit, is not perfect. But I'd like to say that it was a lot better than I expected.


The homemade noodles, as I expected, tasted more like pasta. It turns out that kansui is difficult to obtain here (maybe even illegal?) and without a proper noodle-making machine, a pasta press is used. All in all, I see a lot of potential for ramen in France. Perhaps someday I will be able to help improve their efforts.


Speaking of which, after I introduced myself to Benjamin he was quick to offer me a job. He even said he'd fill out the papers for my visa and let me use the open loft upstairs for free. With the girlfriend planning a move to France for a year, it was tempting. I politely declined (for now), but he said the offer will always remain open. I guess I have something to fall back on... Merci Benjamin!!


Then it was off to Switzerland to visit my cousin and fam. After a CRAZY five hour drive through some of the hardest rain I've ever seen, we finally made it. Btw, this is not my cousin.


おつかれ!!


It feels SO good to be around family...

3 comments:

  1. wow..... i really-really like the scenery pictures you took in your last 4 posting......

    I'm gonna show the pics to my wife, I hope in the near future we can go to france too....

    Keep posting Keizo

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cool Blog, love your pics and content. Momofuku ;)
    JTLNagai

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  3. I live in the south of France and have been following your adventures for ages - yet this is my first post here on your blog.

    Just like you I have been slurping Ramen since I have been little (asian mom). I really admire what you have accomplished and thank you for sharing your dream with us! I wish I could go to Japan and learn to make Ramen just as you have... If ever you can do something for Ramen in France one day, that would be godsend.

    If ever you visit Paris, you can find some decent Ramen there.

    Regards,
    Christopher.

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