Holy Shinachiku!! It's Ramen!

I got home from work today and noticed a strange package hanging out by my front door. Airmail? From Japan? What could it be?


Holy Shinachiku!! It's Ramen! Direct from the ShinYokohama Raumen Museum in Japan! I don't know what to say. It's like Christmas...in May!


Between the Umaimono Gourmet Fair and all this incredible 生 らーめん, it looks like I'll be in for a busy ramenlicious weekend. Mmm...I can taste the Hachiya and the Fukuchan and the Taishoken もりそば. I just might have to begin tonight after I get back from playing basketball. Be on the lookout for the reviews! If you can't wait, then maybe this will help. Hmm...maybe I'll even save one for a lucky reader to try...


Thanks go out to my bro and sis-n-law back in Tokyo for the shipment! Keep them coming!!

GO GYOZA! The top 5 ramen sidekicks!

At almost every ramen-ya around the world, there is a dish that understands its supporting role and rarely seeks the spotlight. A potsticker, a dumpling, or a pansticker. You can call it what you want, but nothing goes better with ramen than a plate of moist, juicy, garlic-infused, lightly-crisped gyoza. So before the soup cools, I give you the top 5 ramen-ya gyoza in Southern California:

1. Foo Foo Tei (Hacienda Heights): Don't let its hairiness fool you. This unusual looking gyoza is by far the most flavorful and juicy. And don't mistake this Foo Foo with the Monterey Park location.
   



2. Daikokuya: Overrated or not, this gyoza is still one of the best. Its unique shape and blanket of green onions shall please all Seven Gods of Fortune.
   



3. Shinsengumi: Despite their small size, these 一口 gyoza can knock your taste buds out!
   



4. Chabuya: Gyozahh from Chahbuyahh...enough said.
   



5. Kairakutei: These fat-stickers are clearly homemade and out to kick some butt!
   

So there you have it. Don't forget to mix the shoyu with vinegar and a few drops of rayu. GO GYOZA!

Orochon Special 2 Challenge

For the record, I can eat them but am not a huge fan of spicy foods. Nor am I huge fan of Orochon Ramen. With that said, you won't be seeing me on the Wall of Bravery this month (although I did make the sad attempt). But as a promise to the man sitting next to me who finished the Special 2 Miso with blazing speed, this post is for you Ken!


Here's how it began:


And here's how it ended:


And unlike Orochon, where the polaroids are taken down every month and probably sold to the government in case they need to recruit an army of spicy ramen slurpers, this post will be here for the world to see forever!

If any other brave soul has accomplished this challenge, send in your pics and let me know how it was! I want to hear from ya!

This is how far I got. Not that it's an excuse, but I did eat at Shinsengumi for lunch. And it's not so much the spiciness, but its massive size and scorching heat. Well, at least I gave it a shot.

Tokyo Ramen Dream

I had a dream last night that I was back in Tokyo just cruising around Shibuya and stopping at every ramen-ya in my path.

First stop was Tsukumo Ramen:


Then it was on to Taizou for their こってりたいぞうらーめん:


And then a quick trip to Santouka (with real spoons...haha):


And who can resist Ippudo:


And of course, Ippudo was open just for me:


Ippudo's Shiromaru Moto-Aji--pure heaven. Please don't wake me!


Beep! Beep! Beep!...

Yup, this was all just a dream. Too good to be true. Thanks to Lori-san (the biggest Go Ramen! fan in Tokyo!) for sending in all the pics!! I truly am jealous. :P~~

The 26 Types of Ramen (ShinYokohama Raumen Museum)

During my visit to the ShinYokohama Raumen Museum back in January, I came across a huge wall that listed all the different types of ramen in Japan. And I've been meaning to translate it since I got back, but never had the time to actually do it...until now. Feel free to click on the flags on the map below to see a little rundown of that type of ramen. The most intriguing stat is the total number of ramen-ya's in all of Japan--10,408. Daaam! It looks like I still have a loooong way to GO!

This is a straight translation of the wall in the museum and all credit goes to whoever created it, so please don't sue me for sharing. If you want to see a more informative explanation of these various types, I still suggest that you grab a copy of edjusted's ramen glossary and visit rameniac's ramen styles of japan--a perfect way to school your own noodle!


View Larger Map

I'll eventually get around to adding the pics of the wall to this google map, so stay tuned for any updates!