JAPAN 2012 PART 4: Tokyo Ramen

I left the last Japan post for all the different types of ramen we had in Tokyo. Before doing research for the trip, I had NO idea how many different kinds of ramen there are... Soooo many options and so little time. :(

We tried a variety of ramen in different areas of Tokyo. None of them were the same.

First up, Yasube Ramen. They have many locations and we went to the one in Shinjuku. It's a tiny little shop with a bar with maybe 12 seats. We got there 10 minutes after they opened and there were already 4 people in front of us waiting in line. The place is very efficient. They get the food out and people eat quickly and the turnaround is very fast. We didn't wait very long at all. It was a cool experience.

They are known for tsukemen, where the noodles and soup are served separately and you dip the noodles into the soup a few bites at a time. The broth tends to be thicker, more like a dipping sauce and heavier in flavor. Also, at Yasube you can choose the amount of noodle 220g, 330g, 440g all for the same price. We both selected the 330g.

- Spicy Miso Tsukemen 720Yen~ Huge pile of noodles... wow. Cooked to perfection. I love that tsukemen has thicker, chewier noodles, which I definitely prefer more. I liked the soup. It wasn't really that spicy but you can definitely still taste the spices. A great start to the ramen tour!

- Soy Sauce Tsukemen 720Yen~ We actually had no idea what we ordered since the vending machine was all in Japanese. haha. So this is what we got. I didn't like the flavor of the broth as much as the spicy one. I noticed their soups both had a slight sweetness to it. It was very interesting and different than any ramen I've ever had. I absolutely LOVED the noodles and I liked dipping it so it's not constantly soaked in the soup. The only thing we both didn't like was that the noodles made the soup cold after dipping in it constantly. If only the soup could stay hot then it would've been even better.

That night, we hit up Nagi Ramen in Shibuya. They also have several different locations. The interesting part about Nagi is that after you make your order at the vending machine, they give you another form (they have English version! :) where you can designate how thick you want the broth, amount of oil/garlic/spicy, and noodle texture and other options.

 

- Buta King Ramen (Pork bone based soup) 700Yen~ This was my bf's choice. Nagi uses the thin noodles, which I'm not a fan of. But it was cooked perfectly and had good texture. I'm just missing that chewiness from the thicker noodles. The broth was super flavorful and creamy.

- I got the Red King Ramen 850Yen~ Of course I had to go for the spicy red one. hehe. It had the same noodles. The broth is extremely thick and rich with flavor. A little bit too salty though. I think that was my doing because I wasn't really sure what spices and add-ons I checked on the form. haha. Even though it was in English, we still weren't quite sure what we were ordering. The flavor was good, just too salty.

- Butao Rice (pork over rice) 150Yen~ My bf also ordered this. There was a ton of pork on top which is awesome. But it wasn't the normal grilled pork belly like other places. I didn't like the pork as much. Flavor was good though.

The next night we went to Gogyo Ramen in Roppongi. **NOTE: make sure you search for "Gogyo Ramen" in google maps. We made the mistake of typing just Gogyo and ended walking about 25 minutes in the opposite direction. There's another restaurant just called "Gogyo" within walking distance from the Roppongi station. haha...**

Gogyo Ramen caught my attention because they are known for their burnt miso ramen, where the broth is almost black! How interesting!

- Kogashi Miso (burnt miso ramen) 850Yen~ Of course we had to try this. The soup was indeed super dark. They also used skinny noodles. D'oh! The soup had so much flavor, a bit too heavy... The style actually reminded us of Ippudo when we went in NYC. I wasn't a fan really...

- Shio-Men (special blends of salt soup) 850Yen~ I got with half noodles which was -200Yen~ It was pretty standard. I wasn't super impressed.

- Bowl of Rice with Roast Pork 350Yen~ This is like a staple side for us. Had to try it. Unlike Nagi, it didn't have much pork in it at all. :( Still tasty though. I'd say this was my least favorite of the bunch.

Last day in Tokyo, before heading to the airport, we hit up Ramen Street in Tokyo Station. They have 6-7 different ramen places in one area. They all looked soo good. It was hard choosing which one to try. We ended up at Junk Garage x Media Ramen because of all the posters of their ramen outside the shop... Epic bowls of noodles piled sky high. We HAD to try this. It's our last day...gotta go out with a BANG!

Their specialty is that their ramen portions are massive and not for the calorie watching types. haha. They also ask you if you want extra garlic, pork, oil, etc...

- I got one of the Tsukemen (with 2 dipping soups) 1,000Yen~ There was no English so we basically based our choices off of the pictures. You can choose 4 different levels of vegetable toppings. I went with Level 2. Their noodles were even thicker than Yasube. Again, cooked perfectly...the texture was amazing! The 2 soups were basically dipping sauces. They were similar, yet different. I can't really describe the flavors. Plus after eating one bite of one and then the other, all the flavors blended together. haha. I also loved all the veggies on top. That was one thing about ramen is that they usually don't have enough veggies for me. This was great!

- My bf chose one of the Ramens 920Yen~ He went with Level 3 Vegetable toppings.

O.M.G. It was like a mountain of bean sprouts on his bowl. I'm impressed it didn't topple all over the place! Can you believe that there's ANOTHER level more than this one?!? It took him a long time to make it to the actual soup. hahaha. He also loved the noodles. The broth was super flavorful. The pork slices were super thick and fatty. And yes... they put lard (pork fat - white stuff under the bean sprouts) in the bowl to add extra richness and pork fattiness.

Delicious!!!! I normally watch what I eat, but hey, we're on vacation and it's our last day! haha. This was definitely the most memorable ramen place. EPIC!!! And you know what? We both finished ALL OF IT.

Ramen in Japan is amazing. So many different choices, styles and flavors. Everyone keeps asking me which was the best and I tell them I really can't say. They were all so different... I would actually take elements from each one and put together my favorites from each. But actually, the best noodle dish from the entire trip was the cold noodle in Hi-Hi Town in Osaka. haha. But everything was good. I enjoyed it all. And I had the extra weight in my belly to prove it. :P

Japan was such a great place. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The food was fantastic and so many different options. The people were super nice (unlike most other Asian countries...haha) which was a great surprise. And so many interesting things to see. I will definitely go back...hopefully sooner than later! :)

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Coffee House Cafe

Last Friday before hitting up a movie with some friends, we went to Coffee House Cafe on Frankford and Preston. I had heard about this place when it first opened and it seemed interesting. A coffee house that also sells alcohol? However, when it first opened the hours were a little weird. I believe they closed at 4PM... A place that serves alcohol but closes so early? Needless to say I never made it there and kind of forgot about it.

Coffee House Cafe
6150 Frankford Road
Dallas, TX 75252
(469) 248-0554
http://www.coffeehousecafe.com/
Price: $$
 
My friend suggested it, she stumbled upon it awhile back and was very impressed. Plus they now serve dinner!

The parking lot was a bit bare when I arrived. But I was immediately impressed because the hostess had already opened the door and was standing there waiting for me. I hadn't even locked my car yet!! What service!

Walking in, I was a little shocked by the row of waiters standing by the front door to greet me. I was immediately led to our table since my sister had already arrived. This place is WAY bigger than I thought... and the decor is pretty cool! Wood pallets on the ceiling, and coffee burlap sack designs lined the walls.

The waiter came by to see if I wanted anything else than water. We were still waiting on another friend so he said he would check back. Once everyone was there, the waiter came back. He was super nice and gave us the specials of the day and answered all our questions. It's really cool that they serve the breakfast and lunch menus all day. Sooo many tasty options, it was really hard to make a decision.

I settled on the Chicken Apple Sausage "Hash" (two poached cage-free eggs served atop chicken apple sausage hash, chipotle hollandaise) $11.95~

The waiter said it's really good. And he was right! It looked a bit small but was actually quite filling. I loved the sear on the outside of the sausage...gave it a nice crisp. If they had done the same to the potatoes, it would've been an amazing dish. The poached eggs were cooked well. And the hollandaise? AWWWESOME! I loved it. Everything worked together so well. I'd totally get this again.

My friend got the Spinach & Mushroom 3 Egg Omelette (fresh spinach, sauteed mushrooms, monterey jack cheese) $9.95~ Substituted her side of potatoes with a side of Pancake (Lemon Ricotta Pancake). She also got a Side of Bacon $2.95~

The waiter told us their lemon ricotta pancake was really good so she was sold on it. haha. It was tasty! Light from the ricotta and a hint of lemon throughout. You don't even need syrup on it. The omlette was a good size. My friend said the ingredients were all really fresh and tasted good, she just wanted more cheese. 

My sister got the Special of the Day: Scallops and Pasta.

It comes with squash and zucchini in the pasta but she substituted with a side of sauteed spinach. The veggies were normally mixed in with the pasta but the waiter said they can take it out and do something on the side if she wanted. They were so accommodating! The dish looked a little puny on the plate and didn't have much color. But the scallops were cooked well and my sister said it still had a lot of flavor. She enjoyed it a lot.

The waiter was awesome. He was super attentive and so nice. I had a hot water and it was refilled throughout the night. Normally when I get hot water, it maybe gets refilled once and then they forget about it unless I ask them to refill it. This was a definite plus on their service. All the other waiters were really great as well. My friend was looking for the restroom and one waiter dropped what he was doing and showed her the way.

We were pretty full by the end of the meal but my friend had a coupon for Beignets (made to order) $4.95~

The order comes with 6 beignets. Perfect! 2 for each of us. hehe. The waiter came by and asked if we wanted honey and then informed us that they also have chocolate sauce... Ooooo! We asked for the chocolate sauce. hehe. The beignets were not like Cafe Du Monde or anything but were still good. I liked the texture and loved it with the chocolate sauce. It was a great recommendation by the waiter.

I'm so glad I got to try Coffee House Cafe. It was so much more than what I had expected. It's not just a coffee house, it is a full restaurant. And they serve some delicious food. In addition, the service was top notch. We felt welcomed and comfortable there. I definitely recommend this place. And I will be back, hopefully in the near future. I can have breakfast for dinner at a place other than IHOP now! hehe.

Quality of Food:

Service:

Ambiance:

Value:

Overall Experience:


~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

JAPAN 2012 PART 3: Tokyo

First night in Tokyo, we found this restaurant close to our hotel around Asakusa-bashi Station (East Exit).
Everything 299Yen~
You use a touch screen to order at the table. Everything is in Japanese but they have pictures which is helpful...

 

- Salad

 

- Ramen

- Chicken Karaage

 

- Yakitori: Crispy Chicken Skin, Chicken, Jumbo Chicken and Green Onions

Yakiniku Gyu-En. The hotel found this place for us. We wanted an all-you-can eat place. And we actually lucked out cuz the waitress didn't speak any English and they didn't have an English menu. So after some awkward staring and gesturing, she hesitantly asked if I was Chinese. YES!! Turns out she was born in China and so explained everything to me in Chinese and I ordered in Chinese. Awesome!!! :)

 

All You Can Eat for 1,280Yen/Person (60minutes). They usually put a time limit on all you can eat places since most places have high traffic and need to have fast turnaround.
- Chicken, Pork Belly, Sausage, Beef, Steak, Pork Chop

- Side of Bean Sprouts, Kimchi, Salad, Rice

 

Sooooo full! And sooo delicious! :)

Vie De France Cafe - Akihabara
- Melon Cream Cake 179Yen~ Didn't buy, just thought it was interesting.

 

- Flower Shaped Chocolate & Custard Bread 168Yen~

 

- Milk Tea and Green Tea Latte (the drinks here are so tiny... Their large is the same as a tall at Starbucks. :( And more expensive.

 

Matsuzo Potato - Tokyo Station
- Roasted Sweet Potato 231Yen~ per 100g. Looked good but a bit too pricey so we didn't get it.

 

- Sweet Potato and Peach Tart 241Yen~ Really yummy. Tasted like a roasted sweet potato/pie. The slices of peach with it was an interesting combo.

Italian Tomato Cafe Jr. - Tokyo Station
I love Asian Italian food. They always cook the pasta PERFECTLY! :)
- Bolognese (Meat Sauce) 550Yen~

 

- Pepperoncino of Grilled Salmon and Mushrooms 580Yen~

 

- Avocado Salad (sm) 330Yen~

Walking around Harajuku:
- Pearl Milk Tea 190Yen~ Tiny!! And they didn't even fill it all the way to the top! T_T You can skip the pearl milk tea in Japan (IF you can find it).

 

- Italian Street Food: Gelato Bon-Bon (Chocolate) 360Yen~ Fluffy fried donut with ice cream and chocolate sauce in the middle. What could be bad? hehe.

 

Genpin Fugu - Asakusa
Fugu is blowfish (which can be poisonous...kind of.) So it's kind of a cool thing to try and I was excited to try it. My bf had tried it before when he went to Japan and said it was a very memorable experience.

 

"Kiwami" Course Menu 5,780Yen~
- Yubiki (Boiled Chopped Skin, with ponzu sauce)

- Butsusashi (Thick-cut Sashimi with green onion and cabbage)

- Yakifugu (BBQ with Charcoals)

- Tettiri (Hot Pot) The water in paper and basket is a really cool way they do the hot pot. Nothing leaks! The water boils in the paper and you cook everything in there. Neat!!

- Zousui (Porridge of rice and eggs with soup) My favorite course in the meal and it had no fugu in it.. :P

- We added Torafugu Karaage (Deep Fried Fugu) My favorite fugu dish.

- Hireshu (Hot sake with dried fin of blowfish) 780Yen~ Pretty cool. They torch the fish and dunk it in the sake. Then you close the lid for 10+ minutes then drink. It's a HUGE cup of sake... I only managed to drink half since it still tasted gross to me. haha. But the longer you let the fugu soak, the stronger the effects of alcohol. I was totally feeling it at the end of the meal...

- Walnut Ice Cream and Tea

Fugu wasn't all that. haha. It's a very bland fish and kind of chewy. Reminded me of alligator? It was very expensive but I was glad the restaurant let us share a course meal instead of getting one individually. I wouldn't hype this up one bit. I didn't think it was worth the money.

Asakusa - Sensoji Temple Area
This was my favorite area in Tokyo. Mainly because there was so many shops and STREET FOOD!! I was a little surprised that Japan doesn't have a lot of street food like other Asian cities, so I was bummed. This place made my dreams come true. haha.
Street Food:
- Red Bean Filled Dessert (7 for 500Yen~)

- Ice Cream Rice Cake Sandwich (Soy bean powder ice cream) 300Yen~

- Pumpkin Fried Bun 170Yen~

- Sweet Potato Ice Cream 300Yen~ Everything was yum! They had so many different flavors of ice cream everywhere!! I wish I had a bigger stomach to try more flavors. Tofu ice cream? How interesting and weird is that?!?

One morning we got up super early to go to Tsukiji Fish Market. They conduct tuna auctions there around 5AM, and you need to be there before 4:30AM if you want to get in line to see it. Unfortunately the subway doesn't run until 5AM and cabs are uber expensive so we didn't make the auction. We still went hella early though. Arrived around 5:45AM...
Daiwa Sushi - Tsukiji Fish Market.

 

This was one of the 2 popular places for early sushi breakfast. The other place had a line around the corner so we went to this one. Tiny little place with a sushi counter. Maybe 8 chairs or so?
- Set Menu (7 pcs Nigiri Sushi, 1 Roll, Miso Soup) 3,500Yen~

The Nigiri are: Squid, Fatty Tuna, Prawn, Tuna, Egg, Uni (Sea Urchin), Eel.

OMG! Probably the freshest sushi I've ever had in my life. And not like these tiny pieces we get in Dallas. Each piece had a thick slice of fish on top. The prawn was ginormous! So amazingly delicious. And it was my first time having Uni (I've always heard it's briny and fishy and not that great...). AMAZING! It was by far my favorite piece in the meal. I don't know if I want to have uni here now... don't want to taint my memories of it. haha. It's a pretty expensive "breakfast" but my bf and I thought it was totally worth it. Can't get anything fresher than just caught at the fish market! Definitely something worth trying!

Misc Food. Some I saw, some I ate. Everything looked yummy tho.
- Doughnut Plant: Green Tea Donut. I'm kicking myself for not trying these... Guess I'll just have to go back to Japan! haha.

- Green Tea Ice Cream from Vending Machine 200Yen~

- 7-Eleven: Fried Chicken Stick 105Yen~, Croquette (fried potato cakes) 80Yen~

- Chocolate Milk Tea. Sounds better than it tasted. Needed more creaminess.

- Wasabi Pretzel Sticks. Wooo! These got a nice kick!

- Danish Bar 120Yen~ The smell from this place drew me in. Smelled heavenly. It was like a croissant/donut/churro. Super yummy!

- Starbucks Kyoto Matcha Latte 290Yen~ The best green tea latte I've ever had in my life!! I sooo wish we had them here... :(

- Green Tea Oreo Sticks 190Yen~

- Pancake Pastry (with maple syrup and butter inside) Just like a portable handheld pancake!

- Maccha Tiramisu Chocolate (green tea white chocolate covered almonds). Awesome! Very expensive but I bought 2 bags of it.

- Blueberry Cheesecake KitKat. Tastes just like blueberry cheesecake!

- Raspberry KitKat. The flavored kitkats are sooo expensive. But it seems like you can only get it in Japan, so we had to! :P

Kushiya Monogatari - All You Can Fry!
We found this place from a blog. Our last night in Tokyo... need to go out with a bang! 90 Minutes All You Can Eat for 2,625Yen~ a person. SO. MUCH. FUN! You get your own personal fryer built into the table and you batter and fry your own food!! Genius!

- Skewers for frying

1. Dip in batter

2. Coat in breadcrumbs

3. Fry!

4. EAT!! NOM!!

- Salad Bar

- Rice, Noodles, Curry

- Drink Machines, Soft Serve Machine

- Dessert Bar

- Chocolate Fountain

This was one of the most memorable dining experiences on the trip. It's so much fun. I wish we had it here... I ate 30 skewers! Can you believe that? Pretty impressed with myself. hahaha.

Japan food is sooooo good! Stay tuned for my last Japan post. ALL ABOUT RAMEN!!! :)

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~