Shoichi Fujimaki, the owner/chef of Tokyo’s Fujimaki Gekijyo is planning to open a restaurant in L.A. by this August. The star of the restaurant? His “Five-Taste Imperial Blend,” a 10,000 yen bowl of ramen (appx $110 American dollars…or more like about 150 bucks come August, the way the yen’s been appreciating). The ramen has over 20 ingredients and takes over 3 days to prepare.

The Reuters article quotes one customer: “It’s certainly expensive, however, I think that it is sometimes better to come here and spend ten thousand yen than to go to another place and spend a thousand, ten times,” said Hideko Furusawa, a 49-year-old diner.

Since you put it that way…um…yeah…I totally agree…

I’m not sure if it’s the same ramen pictured here, but wow…that’s a small bowl.

Better start saving up, boys and girls!

via stick a fork in it

New York Times travel writer Matt Gross slurps his way through Tokyo “One Noodle at a Time.” Find out more about Tokyo’s ramen culture, and learn about the hottest Tokyo ramenyas in and Tokyo ramen blogs!

First of all, an in dispensable master of our event, “Shina Soba” of “Chibakiya Ramen”.
The secret of soup “light yet rich” is a blend of chicken, pork bone, and seafood. The thin curly noodle topped with a soft-boiled egg, and other all ingredients are chef-d’oeuvre of his 20 years career. It is definitely authentic and excellent.
10/22(Thu) – 25(Sun) Torrance Store
10/29(Thu) – 11/1(Sun) New Jersey Store

Secondly, “Tan Tan Men”, “Sung Hon Men”, “Shoyu Ramen” of “Gomaichi Ramen” will make their first appearance for this event.
Gomaichi is a fine Japanese noodle shop in Honolulu founded in 1995. Gomaichi’s symphony of savory flavors will delight the locals’ and visitors’ palates. Specializing in authentic Japanese and Szechwan style noodles, Tantan Men. It has great sesame flavor. Tender char siu is simmered in soup for 12 hours. Healthy sesame seeds are imported from Japan and roasted everyday!
10/22(Thu) – 25(Sun) Costa Mesa Store

Also, an instant version of Chibakiya’s ramen will be available at the Torrance and Costa Mesa store this weekend. Have fun!

Click on the Ramen Lapel Pin link on the menu bar above or click here to buy!

Looks like all I need is 20 million yen…oh, and handmade noodles…oh yeah, and maybe a soup recipe…sigh, guess I’ve got a ways to go before I can have a fresh bowl of ramen every day…

source: the mainichi daily news via the official ramen homepage and gizmodo

For those of you in the Bay Area next week, what’re you doing Wednesday night? If you’re a ramen fan, the answer should be “I’m gonna be at the For the Love of Ramen event! Duh!” That’s right, next Wednesday the 24th, the Asian Culinary Forum is hosting a panel of “noodle experts who will explore how a dish born of extreme need after World War II was transformed into a meal of luxury, endless regional specialties, and then, finally, an iconic convenience food that so many of us crave.”

Join panelists Eric Nakamura, publisher and co-editor of Giant Robot magazine, Andy Raskin, author of the Ramen King and I, George Solt, assistant professor of history at New York University, and Thy Tran, director of the Asian Culinary Forum, at the San Francisco Ferry Building for a night of fun, education, and Japanese nibbles and drinks.

You can register online for the forum. Admission is $20, or $15 for full-time students with an ID. Over 70 people have already registered, so get there early to get the best seat in the house!

And if you prefer miso ramen and/or live in Torrance:

Ezo Fukuro will be there with their Miso Butter Corn Ramen
6/4(Thu) – 6/7(Sun) Torrance Store

Sorry folks, I’ve been too busy to post much, so I’m just going to refer you to the Mitsuwa web site for more details. Have fun!

Those of you who missed out on the limited edition at Santouka last month now have another chance. The Santouka Ramen in the Torrance Mitsuwa is now offering the Awase Aji ramen. As with before, the ramen is limited to 20 bowls a day, and the event is going on from Friday 4/24 to Monday 4/27.

If you get the chance to try this ramen, leave a comment and let us know what you think!

Santouka Ramen
(inside Mitsuwa Supermarket)
21515 Western Ave.
Torrance, CA 90501
(310) 782-0335
(Cash only)
Santouka opens at 11am.

They’re doing it again! A few weeks ago, Santouka Ramen offered a special toromi shoyu ramen, limited to 20 bowls a day. Now they’re back with another special ramen, also limited to 20 bowls a day, and limited only to the Costa Mesa store for their 20th anniversary. This time, the ramen appears to be a miso base, and is called the Awase Aji Ramen.

I’m not sure if this is a cool new trend, or a marketing scheme gone berserk. Either way, if the ramen is good, I’ll keep coming back for more!

The special is happening this weekend, Friday 3/27 through Monday 3/30 and only at the Costa Mesa Mitsuwa.