Searching for the Best Ramen in Tokyo

29 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Food & Drinks, Japan, Searching for the Best . . ., Tokyo

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Asia, Food & Drinks, Ichiran, Japan, Kyushu Jangara, Menya Musashi, Ramen, Rokkakuya, Tokyo

Mr. Selfish and I knew that as soon as arrived in Tokyo, we would start our search for the best ramen there. We went to three new ramen shops, as well as an Ichiran, which we loved in Fukuoka.

Kyushu Jangara

First, we went to Kyushu Jangara, which is located in Harajuku (located at Shanzeru Harajuku II 1-2F, 1-13-21 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo). They serve tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen with a boiled egg, pork chashu, and thick slices of pork belly.

Verdict: The ramen was quite tasty, especially with the two different types of pork. The broth was porky and flavorful but the noodles were just standard.

Score: 8.0.

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Slurping Udon, Soba, and Ramen in Kyoto

17 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Food & Drinks, Japan, Kyoto

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Asia, Food & Drinks, Japan, Kakutani, Kissyoumaru, Kyoto, Marugame Udon, Noodles, Ramen, Soba, Udon

Mr. Selfish and I certainly enjoyed our fair share of noodles while in Kyoto. We loved the variety of udon (thick wheat flour noodle), soba (thin buckwheat noodle), and ramen (thin wheat noodle) shops all around the city. In particular, we enjoyed the following three noodle shops.

First, we loved the customizable udon at Marugame Udon (located at Kyoto-shi, Nakagyo-ku, Kawaramachi-dori, Sanjo-sagaru, Daikoku-cho 54-1). The first step is to choose the type of udon you want from ten different types. Mr. Selfish and I tried three types: (1) udon with a raw egg and a dipping sauce, (2) udon with a curry broth, and (3) udon with broth. They were all delicious and made fresh on the premises.

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Reliving the Johnnie Hillwalker Tour in Kyoto

13 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Food & Drinks, Japan, Kyoto

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Asia, Food & Drinks, Higashi-Honganji, Japan, Johnnie Hillwalker Tour, Kyoto, Kyoto Station, Nintendo, Nishi Honganji, Ramen, Selfish Years, The Selfish Years, Toyokuni Shrine

Back in 2010, Mr. Selfish and I went on the Johnnie Hillwalker tour of Kyoto. It’s a five hour walking tour taking you through the back streets of Kyoto. The tour starts at Kyoto station and ends in Higashiyama near Kiyomizu Temple. It was a fun walk and only cost about 2,000 yen per person. I highly recommend it.

This time around, we decided to primarily visit the same sights on our own. Our apartment was in Higashiyama so we did the tour backwards and ended at Kyoto Station. First, we went to Toyokuni Shrine, which was built in 1599. This Shinto shrine is dedicated to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who was a famous warrior and general and was best known as being responsible for the restriction that only the samurai class could bear arms.

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One Night to Sample the Delicious Food in Fukuoka

25 Saturday May 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Food & Drinks, Japan

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Asia, Food & Drinks, Fukuoka, Gyoza, Ichiran, Ippudo, Japan, Ramen, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Tonkotsu, Yatai

Upon leaving Seoul, Mr. Selfish and I flew to Fukuoka, which is the sixth largest city in Japan and is located about 680 miles southwest of Tokyo. We had read online that tonkotsu ramen originated from Fukuoka and knew that we had to try it there.

Tonkotsu ramen is made from boiling pork bones, fat, and collagen for an extended period of time. The broth is typically thick and creamy. The first place we tried was Ichiran (1-2-22, Sumiyoshi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka). Ordering your ramen at Ichiran is an interesting process devoid of all human contact. First, you pick what you want to order and pay for it at a vending machine.

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Flashback Friday – Japanese Food

04 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Flashback, Food & Drinks, Japan

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Aronia de Takazawa, Flashback, Flashback Friday, Go Go Curry, Japan, Kyoto, Ramen, Tokyo, Udon, wagyu, wagyu beef, yakitori

Orlando had limited Japanese food offerings. The vast majority of it was sushi, and there was one good ramen place. So, when Mr. Selfish and I went to Japan in 2009, we sampled all sorts of Japanese food.

First, we sampled plenty of udon and ramen. Each time, the broths were so flavorful that you could tell it had been cooked for a looooong time.

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Opera and Le Petit Tokyo in the 9th Arrondissement

17 Saturday Nov 2012

Posted by mrsselfish in Europe, Food & Drinks, France, Paris

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9th Arrondissement, France, Higuma, Japanese Food in Paris, Kunitoraya, La Petit Tokyo, Opera, Palais Garnier, Paris, Ramen, Sapporo, Udon

The beautiful Palais Garnier is in the 9th Arrondissement of Paris. It is the opulent opera house of Paris. Mr. Selfish and I looked into going to an opera but the prices were outrageous. Instead, we just walked by and admired.

But, the main reason that we kept coming back to the 9th was because Le Petit Tokyo is there. When we were sick of French food, we ate ramen and udon to our heart’s content. We went to three restaurants in particular and found each of them to be respectable.

First, at Higuma, we enjoyed gyozas and the shio and syoyu ramen, which was called “lamen.” The broth was tasty, and it hit the spot since we were craving ramen. I also liked the demonstration kitchen because the chefs really seemed to enjoy their cooking stations.