Meant to be...

Day 324:

Call it fate or call it destiny, but when things are meant to be, things are meant to be. Today was my day off and since I'll be working the next eight days straight, I wanted to just eat ramen and relax. So after a visit to the gym to keep this ramen-body of mine in shape, I headed back to Takakura to enjoy a nice bowl of Kitakata-style ramen.

This was a good bowl to relax with.

And this negi-salad was nice and refreshing.

Over the past year or so I've been lucky enough to experience several serendipitous events and I guess today can be considered another one. I didn't initially plan on going into Bassanova, but as I sat on my brother's couch sore from my workout, something was telling me to go in. So I hopped on the bus with my laptop in hand and decided to write my previous post from the comforts of my workplace. No more than 30 minutes in, the door slides open and a young man approaches me and says "Keizo?" Eugene and I had exchanged a few emails several months ago about pursuing his dream of opening up a ramen shop in Melbourne, Australia. Eugene and his wife Lillianne were in Japan on vacation doing some research for that fact and we just happened to have some very good timing. If I hadn't have come in we may have never met and if it weren't my day off we couldn't have had the great conversation we did. Best of luck Eugene! I will try to help you in any way I can.

Afterwards, it was time to go home and get some much needed rest. But I was hungry. And when I got off the bus I noticed a new Italian restaurant had set up shop in my neighborhood. Being curious, I walked in and sat down.

Mmm...not bad. It was a nice change of pace I guess.

But I should've gone to get ramen.

Exposure...

Day 323:

They say things happen for a reason. But does that mean you don't need a reason for something to happen? I have no idea what I am saying right now so let's just move on. Big boss called and wanted us to deposit money in the bank a little earlier than normal so Shuga and I miraculously met up before noon. And since I was up and in the neighborhood, I decided to go back to Soul Men to try their Tori Paitan Paiko Ramen. This time I chose to get it in shoyu form with their regular thin noodles.

I must say, the thin noodles were pretty impressive but they better be if they call themselves a factory, right? The shoyu wasn't as good as the shio though, but the paiko (normally fried pork but fried chicken in this case) was outstanding.

Hmm...so how shall I continue? A tv program came into Bassanova to tape part of their show today. I can't name the show or the network, but this could be huge for us.

I would like nothing more than to see my favorite ramen shop in Tokyo get full exposure.

When it was all over, I tried to get a picture with the crew but was denied. Haha it's cool. But the cameraman was more than willing to make an appearance on my blog. Sudou-san ありがとう！

And then...later on another tv program made an appearance. The comedian that came was hilarious. Apparently he had eaten at five ramen shops before ours and said our chashu was the best. Awesome!

Nice!

A deep breath...

Day 322:

As the summer heat begins to dissipate into the cool autumn breeze, the explanations of life slowly begin to breathe.

With a quick slurp and a few bites, exhalation begins to feel trite.

But no matter which way we are forced to lean, we are reminded that things are never what they seem.

Breathe deep and put your mind at ease, for one should never give up on their precious dreams...

Happy Birthday Bassanova!

Day 321:

Eight years ago on this day, Bassanova was born. Happy Birthday Bassanova!

After my usual morning chat with friends, I decided to explore for ramen shops in a different direction. My original plan was to go to a shop in Sakurajosui, but that shop was having plumbing problems and had to close early. So I ended up riding my sorry excuse for a bike to Shimo-Takaido and eating at Menya Nishikidou (麺屋 錦堂 下高井戸店) instead. Yeah, I hate my bike and need a new one badly. But that's a whole different story.

Nishikidou also has another branch in Sakurajosui, where I was initially, but stupid me forgot about it and came here. No matter, the ramen was decent and fairly good. The thick gyokai blend wasn't too fishy and had a nice feel.

The noodles were super chewy and matched the soup. I've heard that the Sakurajosui branch is better. Maybe someday I'll do a comparison.

When I arrived at work, Shuga had stopped by a local festival and bought some takoyaki. Woah, there's nothing like fresh takoyaki from a matsuri!

Later on, I got a visit from some followers of my blog who arrived this morning and came straight to Bassanova for their first bowl. F'ing awesome! I apologize if I get your names wrong (I'm terrible with names), but Justin (middle) and Lukas came from Chicago and New York, respectively, to travel around and eat ramen for a week. Justin had done his research too. With the help of my blog and Brian's, he had his tour totally mapped out. Impressive! Have fun dudes!

Alright, time for some natto-chazuke. Mmm...natto!

As Shuga and I were getting ready to close up shop, surprise surprise look who shows up....

Blankness...

Day 320:

I often wake up, sit in front of my computer and draw a blank. There are so many ramen shops to try and so little time to do so. But today was a bit different. I turned on my computer and discovered a new shop near my house that I've never been to nor seen before. What used to be a blank on the ramendb map suddenly had a star. Chuuka Soba Ranchu (中華蕎麦 蘭鋳) apparently opened back in July and has been under the radar ever since. But a bowl was calling my name. So, like Blankman, I packed my electric chopsticks, activated my jet powered roller blades, and clumsily went searching for said ramen shop.

Surprised by how close the shop actually was, I walked in and ordered the Tokusei Soba. It's basically the ramen with everything on it. Two large pieces of juicy chashu, several sticks of menma, and an egg that leaves your mind blank.

The noodles are from the ever-impressive Mikawaya Seimen, which match well with this fish-based-chicken-and-pork-blend soup.

Wait, now I can't remember what I was gonna say.

Blankness...

Have I told you that I love my job? There's nothing blank about that!

It's times like these that make it even more fun. Shuga forgot to tighten the cap on the sesame seeds bottle and when Boom went to sprinkle some on a niku meshi....well you get the idea.

Now that deserves a blank stare. Hahahaha.