永福町大勝軒のお土産(Efukucho Taishoken Gift Pack)

永福町大勝軒のお土産



How ironic. The site of my recent motorcycle accident was only a minute from one of the best ramen shops in Japan, Taishoken. Fitting that a good friend would show up at my apartment with one of their famous gift packs.

These gift packs are unique. Instead of a manufactured soup, something made to resemble the original, Taishoken fills a big jar straight from the same pot the in-store customers dine from. Along with fresh noodles and a pack of their special menma, this is about as close to the real thing as you can get.



The soup, even when frozen, smelled fantastic. All that niboshi fishiness, with a hint of yuzu citrus. Fantastic.

And for someone stuck in a wheelchair on a 4th floor walk-up apartment, this was definitely something I needed.



To be honest, the noodles didn't come out so great. This is most likely due to human error. The Ramen Adventure's kitchen isn't a place for cooking ramen. The timing, as well as the amount of time it takes me to get from the kitchen to the table, wasn't ideal. So I dumped some white rice in left over soup. Good stuff!

Kiss me once, kiss me twice, give me niboshi-pork-chicken soup with rice!

If you live in Japan, you can order online here, and have a bowl in the next couple of days. How cool is that!

Ramen Live Hype Show

Ramen Live Hype Show!

We did an hour long Google+ Hangout to promote the upcoming Grand Tsukemen Fest! On hand, some fellow ramen nuts from around the world. We had Ben from Osaka (http://www.friendsinramen.com/), Sam from California (http://www.ramenshop.com/), and Hans from Washington (http://www.theramenrater.com/). With MC George Williams, we also had Tomita-san there to discuss the finer points of noodles. Tomita is perhaps the most highly ranked tsukemen shop in Japan. He is also the champion of last year's Grand Tsukemen Fest.

Check it out!



Key moments!

6:30 for Sam from Ramen Shop talking about their own signature California-style ramen.
13:40 for Ben from Osaka, on vacation in NYC.
21:00 for the most random comment ever from Hans the Ramen Rater.
27:00 for the Grand tsukemen summit with mega-ramen-master Tomita-san.

Ramen Adventures TV Spot! - スクール革命

スクール革命



School Revolution. You guessed it, a panel of famous people watch videos and talk about them.



Shinoyama-san is the son of a very famous photographer. His character is that of a spoiled school boy at a prestigious university. Yeah, every one of these talents has a specific character.



This one was a little strange. In our pre-production meeting, we just talked about ramen. Somewhere in that conversation I mentioned that I had recently been to Yamaguchi and Tsuta, and both were good. I also mentioned that the best shop in walking distance of my apartment is Gamushara. This was just some random ramen talk. So when the filming day came, they decided that my top 3 ramen shops in Japan would be:

• Yamaguchi
• Tsuta
• Gamushara

Sure, why not.

For the record, if I had to go on record, I might make a slightly different best-of list. TV doesn't count as going on the record.



We did a whole bit where I got behind the counter and made a bowl at Gamushara. It didn't make it in to the final cut. Too bad! We also filmed Shimoyama-san getting wrapped up by my pet snake, but that didn't make it in either. Too bad!

Paradise Dynasty in Ginza

Paradise Dynasty



Paradise Dynasty is the latest import from Southeast Asia. Singapore to be exact. And with Singapore's reputation for true fusion cuisine, an eight-colored serving of Xiao Long Bao is no surprise.



Original, ginseng, foei gras, black truffle, cheese, crab roe, garlic, and Sichuan pepper. It looks gimmicky. It looks delicious. The atmosphere of the shop, located in upscale Ginza, looks expensive.



Luckily, Paradise Dynasty's dumplings are affordable and tasty. The lunch set is just about 1500 yen for the dumplings and some sides.



Each one quite different from the last. A fun little culinary journey.



Saved the best for last. Sichuan numbing pepper.



How about the ramen? At lunch they offer, in typical Chinese restaurant style, half a dozen noodle sets. Creamy paitan ramen, a few kinds of hot and cold tantanmen, and a smattering of seasonal offerings.



The noodles are pretty poor. I have to say, the dumpling-only set, with all eight flavors and a side of soup and rice, is the way to go.



Official Site Here



東京都中央区銀座3-2-15
Tokyo, Chuo-ku, Ginza 3-2-15
Closest station: Ginza

Open 11:00-11:00