Boosha...

Day 805:

Someone told me that Manraiken (萬来軒) near Daitabashi was good. The Tantanmen was average. Maybe they were talking about the non-ramen dishes.

Anyway...

Time for some shabu shabu!

Boosha!

As always, thanks mum!

Afterwards, I stopped by a new bar that opened up near Basa called Kannana Bar (環七バー).

It's a great bar and the owners are really cool. There's even ramen on the menu. I tried to order it but was refused. haha. The owner won't ever let me eat his ramen.

It's cool. I understand.

I think I'm gonna like this place...

Birthday dinner with mum...

Day 741:

I would always see Wadachi (和風つけ麺 轍) from the train when passing through Shinsen on the Inokashira Line, but never actually got off to try it. So after getting rejected from another nearby shop for the third time, I headed for the mildly famous Almond Tan Tan Tsukemen

The shop had a nice feel to it, but I'll save my complaints for another time. This Almond Tan Tan Tsukemen was a nice change of pace. It was definitely interesting. I've never slurped something that was this almondy before.

But I should have gotten it spicier. I didn't realize until after I ordered that there were different spice levels to choose from. Oh well.

Anyway, time for dinner with mum!!

This time it was at a new Kushiage Restaurant in Bunkyo-ku called isa.

Kushiage is fried food on a stick, but it's much more elegant than that description.

Fried Soba

With 26 items on the menu, they just keep feeding you until you say stop.

Mushrooms

I think I made it up to 17, but these were some my favorites.

Fried Salmon topped with Ikura

I am so lucky...

Fried Squid topped with wasabi-flavored Flying Fish eggs

And for dessert...SUSHI!!!

Thanks mum!!!

Puff the magic Keisuke...

Day 685:

Keisuke is at it again and this time he's full of smoke. One of his latest, in what is now a total of 12 shops, Shio Ippin Godaime Keisuke (塩逸品 五代目けいすけ) is located in the heart of Shinjuku Station on the 7th floor of Lumine Est. And having recently been contacted by a German news site for an interview, I thought this would be the perfect place to kill two bowls with one spoon.

After a minor wait, Ole and I were ready.

I've heard good things about this Keisuke and I was looking forward to getting a puff of my own.

What's that dude doing? And what's up with this lid? Apparently the latest Keisuke gimmick is to pump a few puffs of smoke into their bowls and capture the audience with a smoky aroma. Does it work? It gives it a twist, I guess. But after a few seconds you'll forget that it was even there.

There are two types of shio ramen you can choose from. I went with the lighter (assari) Kohaku.

And Ole went with the heavier (kotteri) Paitan.

Both weren't bad, but the Paitan had a fuller, more bold, chicken flavor. The Kohaku was a bit on the tangy side.

And the smoked hanjuku egg...

Tasted like a smoked hanjuku egg.

On to the next one...

Btw, they feature a different smoke chip everyday. Today's was Sakura.

Since we were in Shinjuku, I thought I'd go show Ole one of my favorite shops. What?! What happened to Wakatsuki??

Nevermind, time to get Chanko!!

Thanks again mum!

Surprisingly, the assistant and I were still hungry and a new ramen shop was on our way to the station. Shiosobaya (らーめん 汐そば屋) in Kasuga opened only a few months ago and it sounds like they specialize in shio ramen.

So what did we get? Shoyu Ramen!

Okay, I'm full.

Let's go home.

Heart land...

Day 618:

Tokyo is definitely a great city. As hot as it is, scenes like this always appear with perfect timing to massage your mind. Suddenly, a 20-minute bike ride in the heat doesn't feel so bad.

Shinkyotei (進京亭) in Shimotakaido has eluded me for some time now. Whenever I've tried to come here (about 5 times), they've been unexpectedly closed. So imagine my delight when I saw the noren hanging out front.

This is another old-school ramen joint. The kind where the master seems unapproachable from the years of wear-and-tear on his face, but is actually a really nice guy. These are my kind of joints.

I've dreamed about trying this Toriniku Soba for months.

Especially with their famous handmade egg noodles (名代玉子入手打そば). So was it worth the wait? Yes! If I could, I would eat every meal here.

But...then I would miss out on this.

Mum knows all the best restaurants. Thank you again for the lovely dinner.

"In every spirit & every season, everywhere"

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。