the ramen blog & other goodies!

There is a new 4-min “intro to ramen” video on the Web Japan web site. It’s fluffy but fun. Check it out!

(found via the tokyolifer blog)

I just read an interview with Brittany Murphy, who’s in the upcoming “Ramen Girl” movie. It’s not particularly exciting, to be honest, but hey! There’s a movie coming out about ramen!

I seem to be cursed when it comes to Daikokuya. The first time I tried to go, the owner was on vacation, and they were closed. I ended up at Kouraku across the street. Then as I typed up this review and was *almost* finished, my browser decided to crash. So let me try this again…

I’ve been anticipating a visit to Daikokuya for a long time, after reading some rave reviews. As I stepped into the restaurant, I felt like I was transported back in time to a 50’s (or maybe 60’s?) Japanese diner. The restaurant has a great nostalgic atmosphere, from the red diner stools to the vintage signs and props that decorate the place. Since I arrived at an off-hour, the place was empty and the service was fast.

Daikokuya serves only one style of ramen: the Daikoku ramen, with kurobuta pork (”the pork for royalty”) and a tonkotsu soup lovingly cooked for nearly a day. The best value at Daikokuya is the ramen/rice bowl combo, which comes with your choice of 8 different rice bowls or fried rice. I chose to go with the tempura don, which was quite good…nothing spectacular, but good. Read the rest of this entry →

We proudly present…the ramen lapel pin! Let the world know about your unhealthy obsession with ramen!

Only $4.95 ea. plus $1 shipping (for up to 2 pins)!

Introductory offer: buy the pin before October 31 and get a dollar off! Only $3.95 each! Buy one for all your friends!
(Please note that clicking on the Add to Cart button will take you to a Paypal checkout page.)

Ah yes…good old Nissin Cup Noodles. If you like Cup Noodles, you’ll enjoy the Souper Meal. It’s basically just an oversized Cup Noodles, with a special packet of “finishing touch flavor enhancer,” which sounds both scary and interesting at the same time. It smells like a packet of beef bouillon mixed with plenty of MSG. Mm-mmm goodness. The noodles are very typical Cup Noodles, a bit limp and not particularly interesting, but not bad. The soup is very “beefy,” probably due to the “finishing touch,” but the smell is a bit too *unnaturally* beefy. If you prefer quantity over quality, you’ll enjoy this. Overall, it gets a 6.

Shin-Sen-Gumi is a restaurant chain in Southern California that features hakata style ramen in a tonkotsu broth. They also have a robata restaurant next door. Both places are always packed so be prepared for a wait.

Upon entering the tiny (seats maybe 20 people) restaurant, you’ll be greeted with a loud chorus of “irrashai-imase” (welcome!). Part of the attraction of Shin-Sen-Gumi is no doubt the hospitality and service. These people seem to love what they’re doing and it shows. Whenever I go to there, I actually feel like I’m stepping into a little ramen stand in Japan. Ah, memories. But I digress…on to the food…that’s what you came here for. Read the rest of this entry →