Men-Kui-Do

It's been a long time since I went to Ramen restaurant last time.
Today, my wife was busy in the evening, and I went to Men-Kui-Do (麺喰堂) which replaced Guts Ramen several months ago.

The above right is my choice today, a soy source soup ramen with an additional egg.
I was a bit surprised because the soup looked like pork bone based one and tasted strong dried bonito. According to this article, owners of the restaurant changed and they changed menu. The point is that taste of their ramen was downgraded. :(
But, anyway I like it, and more than anything else, they are cheap. :)

Kodaira Udon

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As I wrote several times before, there are lots of good ramen restaurants around my house.
Today, it's a topic on a new Udon shop along the ramen avenue.

• http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1328/A132804/13087964/

The above right is my choice at today's lunch time, Niku-Udon (400g) (肉うどん(400g)).
Compared to common style Udon, they offer very strong and thick noodle, and its soup with sliced pork is served separately. I felt the soup is a bit salty, but it's because the soup is also strong, I think.

Furthermore, it's not expensive! :)
It's worth trying at least once for ramen freaks. :)

Bubba Gump Shrinmp Co. ?

Today, I had free time to walk around Toyosu station.
So, I walked to Urban Dock Lalaport Toyosu.



Actually, I wanted to look for some books at Kinokuniya Books there, but I was surprised a bit seeing a sign below.



The restaurant seems to be inspired by Forrest Gump of course, and I want to have lunch there once. :)

BTW, now my mother in law stays our home. When I talked about the restaurant with my wife and her, she mentioned that she loves a famous phrase which Forrest Gump often says in the film. Actually, I didn't know that, but after Googling some time I got it. :)

• Like peas and carrots

I also felt it a nice phrase, and I hope our family is like peas and carrots. :)

BTW, I guess I didn't know the phrase because I saw the film in Japanese language mode...

Doughnut

Now, my mother in law is staying our house to help my wife's household works for a week.
She is very good at cooking, and her repertry covers from a bit formal style dishes to handmade cookies.

Among them I love her doughnut, and today I enjoyed it very much. :)

Hakodate Ramen Shio-no-Kura

Today's lunch at Hakodate Ramen Shio-no-Kura(函館ラーメン塩の蔵) in Kokubunji station building.



Actually, I don't like it well. :(

Nishi-Dori Pudding

Today, I met old friends about 5 years interval and had a drink with them in Tachikawa.

On my way back home, I found a nice pudding shop within JR Tachikawa station.
Nishi-Dori Pudding ('西通りプリン') seems to be a Fukuoka based hand made pudding shop. It looks like the shop I saw does not regularly open there but now they are placing a limited time branch shop in various areas around Tokyo.
So, I was lucky. :)

Ichiro Ramen

Today, I went to Menya Tenho after a long interval.

My choice of today is Ichiro Ramen, a pork bones soup with sliced roasted pork ramen.
But, I'm not sure if the name comes from Ichiro. :o

Osaka Groumet?

Today, I was sent to Osaka in order to do a kind of trouble shooting work.
It's a damn all-night work :( , but it's not the point of this entry.

It's my second visit to Osaka, and there were some discoveries for me.
For example, in Osaka there are good and cheaper plate menu restaurants than Tokyo. :)
The below is a photo of tonight dinner.
Well, the plate has a hamburger stake, a cream croquette, some pieces of fried chickens and a boiled sausage. It seems to be more than 1600K calories! :o

In addition, free for another bowls of rice.
Anyway, I had a happy dinner time tonight. :o

The below picture is a barbecue restaurant I saw on my way to the destination.
The red signboard says "情熱ホルモン" (Jo-netsu Hormon) in Japanese which roughly means "A Passion Barbecue." :o



If it was not before the work, I must have had a happy dinner with beer at the restaurant. But, unfortunately it's not... :(

Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant, NY

I wrote several times about the Tokyo branch of Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant, and I love the bar veeery much. :)

Today, finally I had a chance to go to the head quarter in New York. :)



Oysters were good, but the catfish plate I had was too well-done and actually it was a mistake. :(
According to a Japanese guy with me there who lives in New York, the Shinagawa branch is better, and now I'm feeling he is correct...

The Stew

Today's dinner was one of my favorites, stew. :)



BTW, I love also "The Stew" by Akiko Yano, and I'm dreaming someday I sing the song with my daugher. :)

Kadoman : A Violent Soba Restaurant

Perhaps, the title might not be correct.
I mean a soba restaurant which offers violent soba. :o

Here, soba is a sort of Japanese noodle, and usually its noodle is thin.
But, as you can see in the picture below, it's like Udon. :o



Violent! Isn't it? :o
You can enjoy that at Kadoman (角萬 station of Tokyo Metro ) which is located along Kokusai-dori avenue near IriyaHibiya Line. It's worth trying once. :)

BTW, noodle freaks in Japan would bring Ramen Jiro to mind easily looking at the picture.
I found an interesting article (in Japanese), and actually some people say Kadoman's soba
"Kadoman is Ramen Jiro in the Soba world." :o

Thanks Tokuda-san for letting me know the violence at lunch time. :o)

Mini Taiyaki

Taiyaki is one of traditional Japanese sweets in the shape of Sea Bream.

Usually, the size is about 10 cm or so. But, today we found an interesting Taiyaki variant at Musashi Murayama Mu.

Here it is, and that tastes as good as usual size ones. :)



BTW, the size doesn't mean it's intended for my daughter.
She can't have even baby food yet. :o

Hokkori

Well, today's dinner at Aeon Mall Musashi-Murayama Mu. :)



Hitsumabushi of Pork Ribs at Hokkori.

Well, first of all, Hitsumabushi is a kind of Unadon, a popular Japanese rice bowl with eels.
There seems to be a manner to have Hitsumabushi.

1. Divide the bowl into 4 parts equally.
2. Have the first quarter as is.
3. Have the second quarter with spice served with the rice bowl.
4. Have the third quarter as Chazuke, one of popular ways of eating Japanese rice.
5. Have the last quarter as you like among the above 3 ways.
   

I like the Chazuke style. :)

Imo-Zenzai

Here is a picture of today's teatime at Musashino-Sabo (武蔵野茶房) in Tachikawa station. :)



Zenzai is very much similar to Read Bean Soup, and perhaps there is no difference in English.
You can find out some more examples here.
Also Imo is usually potatoes, but in this case sweet potatoes.

In Japan, the most popular thing served with Zenzai is chestnut. Otherwise, plain zenzai is common. But, anyway, Imo-Zenzai is also worth trying. :)

A Dinner

The above picture shows today's dinner, Sushi, Yakisoba, Jiaozi, Miso Soup.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sushi
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakisoba
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiaozi
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miso_Soup

Well, all the dishes except Miso Soup were bought at Lincos in Wakaba-Keyaki Mall. :o

Marufuku Coffe

Today, we went to Aeon Mall Musashi-murayama Mu again to buy several household things.

There is a Marufuku Coffee shop branch in Mitsukoshi building, and my wife wanted to have a cup of coffee and pancakes. According to her, their pancake is veery good. :)



Here is the pancake below, and left chocolate roll cake is my choice.


Both of them are very good. Especially, the pancake with maple syrup is worth trying. :)

BTW, I wrote about Komeda Coffee of Nagoya before. Marufuku Coffee was founded in Osaka.
Then, what is the most popular Tokyo based Coffee shop chain?
I talked about that with my wife, but what we came up with us were Cosy Corner and Renoir.
Does anyone have other ideas?

Quatre Quarts

We had guests on the day before yesterday.
They gave us cakes of Quatre Quarts in Koganei city.

I like the strawberry and cream cake below.
Of course the cup too. :)

Mentoku

Today I had lunch with a colleague of mine at a Ramen shop in Senzoku, Tokyo.

Mentoku (Senzoku) seems to be called as 'Jiro Inspired Ramen'
http://ramendb.supleks.jp/shop/12305

Jiro is a famous Ramen shop chain in Tokyo, and they offer a bit different Ramen from others.
First of all, their noodle is very thick. It's like Udon. :o
Second, their soup is very strong soy sauce based soup.
In case of Mentoku, the soup was with plenty of oil.
Thus, their Ramen was a bit too strong for me. But, according to the colleague, their Ramen is habit-forming one. There is a Ramen shop under Jiro franchise, and I'm wondering if I should go to the Jiro franchise Ramen shop or not. :o

The First Ramen 2008

Today I had dinner at Mr. Chen's Tanmen Shop, the first Ramen 2008. :o
I wanted a plenty of vegetables and weak (not too strong) soup Ramen today,
thus this is a very good choice. :)

Tha Last Ramen 2007

This is the last ramen of 2007. :o
The same choice with Oct. 14, I really like the special white pork ramen of Jinanbo. :)