Mikawaya Noodle Factory...

Day 1242:

Kenshiro flew into Tokyo last night just so we could go here...

The new Mikawaya Seimen noodle factory. And just like the last time, the only pictures I could take were in the men's restroom. haha. Anyway, this factory is amazing. Amazing!

After a tour and an inspiring meeting with the Mikawaya boss, he took us to Bario (らーめん バリ男 吉祥寺店) in Kichijoji.

"Ramen of the man, by the man, for the man. (Ladies also welcome)"

Bario is another shop that they call Jiro-kei or Jiro-inspired.

It's a beauty.

And for those of you who live in LA, the soon-to-be open Tsujita Annex will feature a ramen based on this one.

A man always finishes the entire bowl. hahah.

The rest of the day was spent at Nakamuraya...

in Ebina...

And after a quick meetup with Jiraigen Boss...

It was back to Bassanova so Kenshiro could sample our noodles.

And then we partied.

Nakamuraya re-reunion...

Day 1129:

Ebina is far! haha. I still can't believe I used to commute here everyday.

Anyway, today I came to visit my friends.

And try the new Ginger Shio Ramen (生姜塩らーめん).

Ginger is perfect for Winter. It really warms you up.

And these Tori Dango's were like chicken meatballs!

One bowl down. I think I still have time for another.

I couldn't leave without sippin' on some shoyu.

Hirauchi-style.

Okay, now I'm full.

Thanks to the awesome Nakamuraya crew! Looking good, as always!

Looking forward to that collabo we've been always talking about...

Nakamuraya reunion...

Day 945:

It's been over a year...

And we still remain good friends!!

A spicy cure...

Day 617:

Having exhausted almost all the ramen options in Ebina (the few that are there), Fujimatsu-san and I ventured into the Chinese Restaurant next to Daiso to brave what they had to offer.

The place looked authentic with a fascinating decor (okay so it wasn't that fascinating).

And a Mabo Ramen lunch set was cheap.

Unfortunately so was the taste.

Back to work. This is how we clean all the burners: Spray some highly toxic cleanser all over and then just let it burn. It's hot like 1134, but the grease just washes right off.

After work I watched my niece play with slime.

And ate a shrimp korokke.

For those of you that care, this is the new Yoyogi-Uehara Station. Complete with Burger King, Starbucks, and Subway (just to name a few).

Shall we get back to that spicy cure? Nakata Kyodai (中田兄弟) in Meidaemae has never been a disappointment.

And on this night, it was more than I expected. This Akakara Tsukemen was frickin HOT!!

I couldn't feel my tongue after this, but my body no longer ached. I was cured.

They ask you if you want lettuce with your tsukemen, which I thought was kinda strange. Do I eat it alone or do I dip it into the soup, I thought. Answer: Eat the lettuce by itself to neutralize the spiciness. I'm no scientist, but it works.

Butamen...

Day 603:

It's hot, but it's only going to get hotter. I was craving tsukemen so naturally we went back to Seisyomaru, the only shop in Ebina with a decent tsukemen.

濃厚味噌つけめん (Rich Miso Tsukemen). Mouthwatering...

Butamen?

After work I met up with Jamie at Bassanova. He's now three weeks into his IR+ experience and it was good to hear that he's doing well. Go Jamie!

Surprisingly, I decided to order the Tondaku Soba today. Something felt different, but it was still good enough to slurp the entire bowl.

Thanks for the material Jamie! It will prove to be very useful someday.

Blackout...

Day 601:

As we were finishing up our morning prep and getting ready to open, it happened. All of the lights turned off.

We first thought it was just our shop and that our breaker had dropped, but looking out the window it seemed the whole block went down. People were flooding out of the malls and traffic was getting backed up. Apparently (as I found out later), this power outage was not associated with the rolling blackouts I had mentioned in an earlier post. It lasted about 20 minutes and we were able to go on with business as usual.

The business of making ramen and eating it.

On my way home, I stopped by Ryu-chan Ramen for some Spicy Shio ramen.

With extra chashu! 旨い!!

Made in paradise...

Small room went boom...

Conserve...

Day 596:

Summer is officially here. And the kitchen is officially a sauna. But as if we didn't sweat enough while working, my coworker and I went to sweat some more for lunch. I was in the mood for San Raa Tan (Hot & Sour Ramen) and a local Chinese Restaurant behind our shop had exactly what I wanted. Bingo...that hit the spot!

Watermelon!!

Although Summer makes me want to drink 11 beers, I decided to conserve. After all, that is the theme.

With Boom at the helm, we wound up eating ramen at Maji (吉祥寺 真風) in Kichijoji.

I ordered the black ramen that wasn't very black.

I remember it being a little fishy, but honestly I can't remember much else. マジです。Nothing about it really stood out.

I'll do my best.

There's also a concern that with the summer heat Tokyo and the surrounding areas will begin having rolling blackouts again. If that is the case, let's all do our best and try to sweat it out.