A new fortune...

Day 962:

After trying for about a month, I finally made it out to the new Ichifuku (一福) in Hatsudai to say hello to one of my favorite ramen chefs.

Ishida-san!!!

Ahh...still one of the best curries!

And one of my favorite bowls...Irori Ramen (囲炉裏麺).

Of all time.

Hatos Bar!!

In the evening I went back to the best bbq joint in Tokyo. What up So!

And then called it a night after slurping a bowl at Kiwa.

As always the master was his friendly self. Only this time he said that I've changed.

Hmm...I wonder what exactly he meant.

Barbecued...

Day 847:

Since I was up bright and early and couldn't stand the smell of my apt, I left to go grab a bowl at Toride (麺の坊 砦) in Shinsen.

Toride is known for their Tonkotsu Ramen, but today they had a special Shoyu Ramen and my hunger locked on to it.

It was actually pretty nice. It had a sweet, yet rustic taste to it. Or is that cuz everything just tastes like smoke? Haha.

Anyhow, back at basa, after a little prep, I quickly downed Nobo's omiage from his recent trip to Taiwan. Thanks Nobo!

Hey look! Bassanova in Setagaya Life Magazine!

Okay, I've been craving some good AMERICAN barbecue lately and I remembered a friend telling me about Hatos Bar in Nakameguro so I went to go check it out. Craft beer and barbecue...now this is my kind of place.

Chili fries!!

Baby back ribs!!!

Mac and cheese!!!

Craving definitely satisfied! Seriously, if you too are yearning for some good bbq in Tokyo, then GO to Hatos Bar! And tell them Keizo sent ya!

Any normal person probably would have gone home and slept after a heavenly meal like the one above, but Nobo and I are definitely not normal. Yup, we decided to wash all that bbq down with a bowl from Dyurumen Buta-aji (づゅる麺 豚あじ 恵比寿神社前) in Ebisu.

Nobo got the NBS48 ramen, which is supposedly made with 48g of niboshi. It tasted a lot like...niboshi.

I got the Tokusei Tsukemen.

What was I thinking?

Cheese senbei!!!

What was I thinking?

Slimed...

Day 755:

After a long weekend of working back-to-back 15 hour shifts, Mondays are no longer to be hated.

Daitabashi Taishoken

Especially since Mondays are my days to only do prep. So Ebisu here I come!

Woah, Dyurumen Buta-aji (づゅる麺 豚あじ 恵比寿神社前) has a new Showa Era Chuukasoba (昭和の中華そば)!

I guess I gotta try it.

Not bad, a little sweet, but the tsukemen here is the way to go.

Dammit, I hate last train.

I stopped by the local Family Mart on my way home and saw these new limited edition Slime nikuman's and just had to get one.

Sorry little guy...

It tasted like a normal nikuman, but felt like I was eating a smurf...

Arm exposure...

Day 721:

So today is the big day that Bassanova gets to be on TV.

Before our debut, I stopped by Ranchu to say wassup to my dreaded friend.

Oddly enough, I tasted clam in the soup. But when I asked him about it he told me that he doesn't use any clams.

Apparently when you boil niboshi for a long time it starts to taste like clam. Who knew?!

Action! My friend Mihoko was kind enough to invite us over to her place for a viewing party. Thanks Mihoko!

Damn, that looks good! Kentarou claims that when he gets a ramen craving, Bassanova is the only place he goes. Nice!

My arm!!! Haha. Initially, they were gonna feature a segment on me and my dream (no joke! the director spent an hour interviewing me and having me say lines into the camera), but then they just couldn't find a way to fit me into program. No worries, my arm was shown at least three times.

The after party was spent at an izakaya in Ebisu. (You guys made the blog! lol)

I think Ebisu will become our new hangout.

After a few drinks we walked across the way to Chuukasoba Kiwa.

The master remembered me and was so excited that I came back he gave us a free beer. And not just any beer. This was some premium ish.

Then he looks straight at Tak and says: "You look just like Abe Hiroshi."

Uuuuh...really?

The ramen was great, but I still think it could be stronger.

Kanshoku.

I have a feeling this week will be busy...

!!!CUPNOODLES MUSEUM...

Day 715: Part Two

"Boom! You're looking the wrong way. It's behind you!"

So we decided to ditch Noodle World and head down the street to the new Cupnoodles Museum in Yokohama.

Opened only last month, the new Cupnoodles Museum was built to commemorate the 40th anniversary of cup noodles. And it's fricken huge!

Similar to the Instant Ramen Museum in Osaka, the walls are lined with all the different Nissin products dating back to the first Chikin Ramen.

Recognize any?

I'm sure you do.

Wait. Kalbi? Bacon? Now that's what I'm talkin' bout!

Time for the red room!

I took video of this film, but I'm afraid to post it publicly.

It basically told the history of Momofuku Ando and how he never gave up despite failing several times.

And it reminded us that it's never too late to follow your dreams. Momofuku Ando invented Chikin Ramen at age 48, Cup Noodles at age 61, and Space Noodles at age 95.

A true instant G.

Very inspirational!

The rest of the museum just reiterated the video in more detail.

And there was some cool cup noodle art.

This map/graph depicts how much cup noodles is consumed around the world. Dang! China is king!

Word. Hey that guy looks familiar!

Me and the man.

Remember when I made my own cup ramen in Osaka? Well, you can do the same thing here, but all the tickets were sold out by the time we arrived.

The school was sold out too.

So we could only watch...

And enjoy the view of Yokohama Bay.

Cup Noodles Store!

Okay, all this ramen viewing was making us crave more ramen. So on our way home we stopped at Miharu (らーめん 瞠恵比寿店) in Ebisu.

Hmm...it tasted a bit like Watanabe.

And what do you know, they have a history.

Good stuff, but there is an aftertaste that tends to linger.

The Bassanova Sunset.

Check out this view. Can you see Tokyo Tower?

Anyway, I met the assistant in Ginza for dinner.

I'm gonna miss nights like these. In fact, I already do.

Crepe!!

Hmm...maybe someday there will be a !!!GO RAMEN MUSEUM. I'm allowed to dream, right?