Mirror mirror on the wall...

Day 294:

[Insert corny question here]. Some days are just better than others. And this was probably one of those days. A day that I wouldn't mind living over again.

I'm not sure why I've been on a wonton kick lately, but this time I was craving a bowl from the Daitabashi Taishoken.

Sometimes the slippery wontons without much meat are a lot more fun to eat.

And time sure does fly when my friends stop by. Peace!

Even the stray cats were able to relax.

I'm actually gonna miss hanging out like this after work until the sun comes up...

Multivitamins...

Day 293:

Vitamineva was in town for a few days from New York via Seoul and needed a quick ramen fix so I had her meet me at the Ramen Street inside Tokyo Station. I initially wanted to take her to Rokurinsha...

But the two-hour wait would have made me late for work. No wonder why the original location will be closing on the 29th.

So instead we went to the least crowded shop of them all, Mutsumiya (らーめん むつみ屋). Check out Brian and Daniel's Collabo Ramen video for more info!

Mutsumiya is from a town called Tsukigata in Hokkaido, about an hour and a half northeast of Sapporo. Vitamineva and I both ordered the Miso Ramen.

I gotta say that I've come to love miso ramen ever since my trip to Hokkaido and unfortunately, every miso ramen I have from now on gets compared to those amazing bowls I had in Sapporo. I hate to say this, but Mutsumiya was more like Mutsu-meh-ya.

At least I had great company! Speaking of vitamins. Kids, make sure you take them daily! I actually do take a multivitamin after every meal to compensate for, say, my lack of vegetables....haha.

In other news, it looks like we found Komuro-san's replacement. Stay tuned for a proper introduction in the coming weeks!

Lost dreams...

Day 292:

I often get lost in a bowl of ramen. Instead of trying to meticulously analyze the ingredients of what I am slurping, I often just let my mind loose as it begins to dream about anything and everything. Within that ten minutes it takes to finish a bowl, I enter a relaxed state that puts any worries to rest. Perhaps that's why I can eat it everyday without getting sick of it. Ramen is my drug...

Anyway, I was back at Ryo Tan Tei once again getting lost in their wonton men. It makes me miss Wonton Forest.

At work, I feasted upon this Tora Shokudo Nama Ramen that Komuro-san brought back with her after visiting her hometown.

Tora Shokudo is probably the most famous of ramen shops in Shirakawa. I can't wait to go to the actual shop someday. Until then, this nama ramen will have to do.

The soup is a solid shoyu that makes me want to try the real thing even more. And the noodles, even in instant form, scream Shirakawa. Thanks コムタン!

Do you ever get lost in food?

Ramenation...

Day 291:

"nakanobu station on the asakusa subway line at 2pm." That's the exact text message I got from Nate last night. I didn't reply to ask why and I didn't need to. I just knew I had to be there. For this is Nate's last week in Japan and quite possibly the last time (for a long time) that Nate, Brian, and I get to grab a bowl together. Unfortunately, we arrived at Infinitus0 (インフィニ) just after they closed for their afternoon break. 残念。So with time running out, our only option was to head back towards Shibuya.

The last slurp. The final ramenzvous. Call it what you want, but this is a sad, sad day. Not having Nate around will be like losing our ramen dictionary and never knowing what anything means.

In any case, we decided on eating abura soba at Tokyo Aburagumi-Souhonten (東京油組総本店).

Pleasant...

Like most abura soba's, you add vinegar and chili oil then mix well.

Not bad.

Nate, it's been a pleasure getting to know you and grabbing a few bowls here and there. I'm honestly sad that you'll be leaving. Our trio will never be the same without the meticulous research you do.

Good luck with the new career and make sure you try to visit as often as you can. Take care bro!

Open minds...

Day 290:

Whenever I visit a new ramen shop, I try to keep an open mind. Unfortunately for Ramen Renge (らーめん 蓮嘉) in Umegaoka, that mind had quickly closed shut.

I was not digging this ramen at all. The two guys working together behind the counter didn't seem to be digging each other either. There were a couple times where I thought they would come to blows. haha. It reminds me of a time when...nevermind.

Anyway, I still ate it all. Time to go cleanse my palate...

At Bassanova!! My bro was in the mood and it was my night off. How many people can actually say they like hanging out at their workplace on days they're not working? Gotta love my job.

My bro wanted to try my version of shoyu ramen so I hooked him up. And he gave me mad props. Thanks bro!

I ate our Tondaku Wadashi. Wow, I didn't realize that the wadashi would be so much darker than my shoyu. Interesting.

This is what happens when you forget your wallet and can't pay for your ramen. jk.

Whoa, now this is a rare sight. A rare, lovely sight.

Kakuni! Shuga brought us some kakuni to try. From what I can remember (before my bro inhaled most of it) it was shugalicious.

And then...fresh from attending the premier of the new movie Eat, Pray, Love, Michael McAteer was in the building! I may have drank a little too much, but what an awesome night it was.

Time to capture the vision...