Upstairs...

Day 428: Part 2

From one lavish feast to another. Nomikai at naginicai!!

naginicai is literally upstairs from Nagi in Nishi-Shinjuku. Hence the name naginicai.

The challenge is actually coming down these steps after a few drinks, but anyway we'll get to that some other time.

BMac had reserved the loft for us and it was time to get reacquainted with Nagi.

I was already extremely full, but I wasn't about to turn down a meal with friends, old and new.

I can't remember much about this Ramen Shop Omelette...

Nor this Oven-baked Camembert Cheese topped with chashu...

Nor this gyoza topped with ratatouille sauce...

Nor this Cheese Yaki Ramen...

Nor this Yoru No Ramen with mussels and clams...

But I can remember having a blast with our new friends Jason and Kate. Cheers to the future of ramen!

Just kidding. I remember all the food being great. Although I did raise a brow from the seafood ramen. The assistant felt the same, but it could have just been the bitter beer. Btw, the hub just ain't the same anymore...

A lavish feast...

Day 428: Part 1

An invitation awaited and soon I was experiencing a lavish meal at one of the finer Sichuan restaurants in the city. For Sen Goku Shi (川国志) is a favorite among friends and I was the lucky guest for the evening.

With a few sips of some 10-year-old Shokoshu to cleanse the palate, the feast was ready to begin.

Pickled cabbage.

Pig tongue and cucumbers.

Pea sprouts.

Abalone.

Peppered spare ribs.

Asparagus shrimp. I instantly fell in love with this dish.

Mabo Tofu. Hot!

A special 'off the menu' garlic beef dish.

Handmade gyoza.

And now time for the main event: SuRaTanmen aka Hot & Sour Ramen.

By far the best SuRaTanmen I've eaten in Tokyo. I will definitely be back for more.

Thank you for spoiling me.

Sayonara DNo!

Day 427:

Tokyo just won't be the same without you.

With DNo gone, BMac called me up to go grab a bowl in Ikebukuro. Having already tried King Kong earlier in the week, Brian wanted to check out the shop next door which had a line twice as long.

Mamiana (馳走麺 狸穴) is another new tsukemen shop on the scene serving another bowl of gyokai-based tsukemen.

Yeah this stuff is good, but someone needs to take it up a notch cuz they're all starting to taste similar to me.

Anyway, the noodles here were great.

And the chashu was tender and fat.

But the sweet hanjuku egg was the star.

The yuzu added when asking for soup-wari was a nice touch, but I might lay off these thick gyokai broths for awhile.

It was cold outside. So what better than to stay inside and cook up some kimchi nabe. We planned on ending it with kimchi ramen, but we were too full. Perhaps tomorrow.

Seriously though, I'm gonna miss my best friend...

Stuffed...

Day 426:

Before I set out to meet my relatives for dinner and get stuffed, I was craving an old school shoyu ramen. With most shops still closed for the new year, I found a branch of Harukiya (春木屋 吉祥寺店) in Kichijoji that was still open.

Talk about hitting the spot.

Harukiya's handmade noodles have always been impressive. Sometimes you can really taste the wheat.

Time to get stuffed!

Opus One anyone?

Please pour me a glass.

Red meat!

Dessert!

Stuffed!!

Ramen Resolution 2011...

Day 425:

Happy new year!!

As I slurped my first bowl of 2011 I began to think: "HOW can I do EVERYTHING I want to DO this year?" Answer: I can't. That is, I can't do what I want to do by myself. BUT, who says I need to walk this road alone? What I lack in time and knowledge and skills and creativity and passion, surely there is someone out there that can complement these needs. So without further ado, I am pleading for your help. YOU have the skills I need and WE together can create a worldwide RAMEN BOOM. For ramen is definitely on the rise and you and I are at the helm.

My ideas are endless. From ramen books to ramen tv shows to worldwide ramen databases to ramen pda apps to ramen schools to ramen museums to ramen care packages to ramen tshirts...etcetera, etcetera. But between working 12 hour days and keeping this blog going, I rarely have the time to work on any of these. I realize you are very busy as well, but between you and I together we can speed up this ramen revolution and take it where we want it to go. Bottomline...I need your help and can't do this alone. It's not about the money. It's not about the fame. It's about the love we have for ramen and how we want to share this love with the world. This is our time. Seriously, let's do this! It's now or never.

As I mentioned before, I'm in the process of writing a photo/guide book and I've been fortunate enough to meet someone who has the skills to help me get it done. I've also met people that have expressed interest in helping me with my tv show idea. Hopefully, we'll be able to at least film a pilot in the coming months. That's what is amazing and wonderful about this blog.  I get to meet so many people from different backgrounds with creative ideas and amazing skill sets who are willing to help me live my ramen dream. But I want this to be more than just my dream. I want it to be OUR dream. So are you in? Email me and let's share ideas and show the world what ramen really is!!

Thanks go out to my Uncle, Aunt, and cousins for having me over for dinner tonight. There's nothing like eating ozoni and osechi with family on new year's day. あけましておめでとうございます。今年もよろしくお願いします。