cr: prot0530

SO CUTE! I think I like this better than the previous one.

Here’s the BTS video of the CF.

cr: prot0530

I love the scene where they sit on the car roof
But too bad there’s only eight of them on that scene. Based on the  BTS video above, it seems like Sunny Bunny is the one missing. The ending with the  loooong orange scarf is so adorable too. Wait. Sunny is nowhere to be found in that scene either D: D: D:

Ugh. It sucks that Sunny was half-missing from this CF. I want my OT9!!!
The shortie is quite busy these days, if not the busiest member of all nine. She’s now a regular in three shows, KBS Invincible Youth, regular guest (?) in KBS Star Golden Bell and host for  MTV the M. Well, at least she’s kinda getting more attention from her IY and SGB guest appearances.

I’m not sure if this has been shared before, but here’s a cut from her recent SGB episode.
cr: toebeast

My daughter loves Ramen noodles. She would eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But I don’t go for that! There isn’t enough nutrients for her growing body. To make us both happy I came up with this recipe to make her Ramen for breakfast and make it healthy.

Ingredients: 1 celery rib (the center rib with the leaves works great), 1 small carrot, 2 garlic cloves, 1/4 cup shelled edemame, 2 thin slices of smoked salmon, 3 eggs, 1 package chicken flavored Ramen, sunflower oil (olive oil is fine). parsley

1. place Ramen in small pot and cover with water. pour packet in and add edemame. heat over med. high heat. once water starts to boil turn off heat.
2. heat skillet over med. heat. finely chop carrot and celery. drizzle oil in pan and add carrot and celery. give smoked salmon a rough chop and add to pan. finely chop garlic, add to pan. mix it all up.
3. crack eggs into pan, season with a pinch of salt and cracked black pepper. break yolks and mix everything together in pan.
4. with a pasta spoon or slotted spoon, pull Ramen out of water and add to pan. finely chop parsley and add to pan. mix everything together a few more min. until Ramne is coated with eggs and veggies.

Pile it in a bowl and Eat!

Me një gjuhë të pazakontë kryeministri Berisha ka sulmuar në mënyrën më të ashpër kreun e PS-së Edi Rama. Duke folur nga salla e Kuvendit Berisha e cilësoi Ramen si të degraduar moralisht madje duke mos kursyer as familjen e tij. Berisha tha se po i përgjigjej Rames me të njëjtën monedhë për shkak të akuzave dhe sulmeve që kryesocialisti ka bërë ndaj familjes e tij për muaj të tërë.

“Meqënëse nuk jam përgjigjur akuzave ndaj familjes sime unë sot jam këtu për tu përgjigjur. Ti zoti Rama vuan nga një kompleks patologjik i tmerrshëm, si askush tjetër. Kujtdo i kanë ndodhur ndarje, bashkime, fatkeqësi, burgosje, por cdo njeri në jetë sado të rënda ti ketë patur traumat, është përpjekur.
Familja është vlerë kryesore e njerëzimit, e shoqërisë. Para këtij parlamenti do shtroj pyetjen. Cili është ai burrë, cfarë burri është ai që bashkëshorten e vet e akuzon se ka fëmijën me të atin e tij. Cili është ai baba që i mohon djalit kafshatën e gojës. Cfarë do te këtë bërë djali kafshata nuk mohoet. Aq më tepër kur ai është i mitur.
Rama të ndodhi me bashkëshorten e parë, artiste e nderuar për të cilën kam patur dhe kam respektin më të madh , cndodhi pastaj. Cili është ai burrë, shqiptar ballkanas europian që nxjerr gruan e tij lakuriq në plazhet e botës. A mund të na thuash pak zoti Rama , ti që përmend familjen cdo ditë dhe cdo natë, a e di ti që ajo është një nënë motër, një bijë , nuk i bëhet kurrë ajo që kë bërë ti, dhe e ke fotografuar.
A e di ti që sot ajo shëtit rrugëve të Tiranës dhe e ke ndarë. Cili je ti që lakon familjen cdo ditë duke dëshmuar kompleksin e tmerrshëm që ke, urrejtjen patologjike që ke për familjen. Cili është ai burrë që ngrihet nga shtrati i së shoqes dhe shkon në shtratin e dashit e të deshëve dhe detyrohet të largohet natën e lemeritur. Rama ke muaj të tërë që më lakon për dicka që unë e kam një krenari shumë të madhe. Cili është ai burrë zoti Rama që i mbush fytyrën me gjak bashkëshortës në prani të personaliteteve shqiptare e kosovare, je ti. Ky është koncepti yt për familjen, urrejtja jote për familjen.”

Përsa i përket ultimatumit të opozitës për kutitë e votimit Berisha tha nuk do të lejojë asnjë përshkallëzim të situatës, pasi në të kundertën përgjegjës do ishte vetëm lideri socialist.

“Ky zotëri kërkon të dëmtojë vendin. Thotë po u dhanë vizat ne morëm fund. Je i pashpresë. Ky zotëri jep ultimatume, në emër të kujt i lëshon ultimatumet, provoje po ta mbajti. Të jesh i bindur zoit Rama se për cdo gjë që mund të ndodhë në këtë vend do ketë vetëm një përgjegjës dhe ky do jesh vetëm ti. Një kapitull i ri hapet gjatë ditëve që vijnë mbi aleancën punisto mafjoze” tha Kryeministri nga foltorja e Kuvendit.
(e.n/BalkanWeb)

The food: ramen in New York, pho in Toronto

Classic ramen at Ippudo, New York

The story:

As part of my ongoing quest to find noodle soup as wonderful as the ramen at Kintaro in Vancouver, I stopped in at Ippudo, a ramen shop in New York, near Union Square.

Ippudo on Fourth Avenue

The staff at Ippudo do the big enthusiastic greeting thing that is done at restaurants in Japan – when E and I walked in, a host-type person enthusiastically exclaimed something to us in Japanese, and when we were shown to a (communal) table, all the waiters and staff in the open kitchen yelled out something that could have been “Welcome suckers,” or, “My name is name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die,” but was most likely a Japanese version of Hey or Bon appetit.

After our young, Asian-American, English-was-her-only-language waitress (who confessed she’d had to learn and memorize the Japanese phrases being bandied about and spoke no others) explained what the lunch special set was (for $3 more, get a small bowl of rice with, for example, spicy fried chicken, alongside a ramen), we ordered one of those, and one ramen only, both ramen of the Shiromaru Hakata Classic variety.

Fried Chicken (Spicy) Over Rice at Ippudo

The chicken, a version of torikaraage with spicy mayo, was very good – and the pieces didn’t, in real life, look quite so penis-like as they do in the pic above (!). It was tender, not greasy, the mayo added a nice kick, and the rice was hot, fluffy and moist, the way Japanese rice should be. The ramen was also worth a return trip – the ton katsu broth had a lovely depth of (not spicy) flavor, and the noodles were thin and delicate (and made fresh on the premises), though I wished they’d been a bit more chewy and curly.

Back home in Toronto, after seeing a so funny scene that referenced pho in an episode of my new favourite sitcom Modern Family – see the scene here – I decided to try some takeout pho from Golden Turtle, a popular spot on Ossington Avenue.

Pho #1 with rare beef from Golden Turtle

I usually find rice noodles boring but the pho broth they were in was light, golden and fragrant (and again, not brackishly spicy or garlicky like the BAD broth like I’ve had at some other places – cough, KENZO RAMEN, cough). Though the beef had a tenderized quality that was a little weird, it slid easily and tastily down the throat, and the fresh garnishes of a lime wedge, bean sprouts, and branch of Thai basil (I think) made the meal in a bowl soothing and refreshing at once.

Cobra Starship are set to release their brand new single ‘Hot Mess’ on February 15, 2010, via Decaydance/ Fueled By Ramen.

It’s the second single to be taken from their forthcoming album of the same name (which debuted at number four on the billboard Top 200 chart in August), out the following week.

The band have also announced a UK tour which kicks off on February 5 and includes a date at London’s Shepherds Bush Empire on February 10.

‘Hot Mess’ follows their recent Top 20 hit single ‘Good Girls Go Bad’, released in October the track included guest vocals from Gossip’s Girl’s Leighton Meester. The track has so far sold over 1.6 million copies worldwide.

Currently on a sold out headline tour across the US the band are renowned for their killer live shows. The newly announced dates will be their first UK shows since May 2009 when they completed a sold-out UK tour (which included a date at London’s ULU).

Dates as follows:

February

Wed 10 LONDON O2 Shepherds Bush Empire

www.cobrastarship.com

www.myspace.com/cobrastarship

2009 has been a crazy year for anime, with ups and downs and all-arounds, but amidst a weakened global economy and an industry going through some serious growing (or shrinking) pains, I find there is still plenty to be thankful about.

I am thankful for…

Great shows being licensed or made available streaming so that when I say Glass Mask is a FANTASTIC SHOW, you can now go and watch it. And Monster is on TV!

Some stellar guests at anime conventions. Between Ishiguro, Tomino, and a whole bunch of others, this has been a highly informative and unforgettable year of conventions. Thanks to Ishiguro and Tomino as well, for telling me all about Nagahama Tadao.

An explosion of new blogs. As the years pass, they just keep coming and coming. Keep it up, the only way to improve your writing is to keep writing.

An industry which is still trying, despite what others might claim. There may be some “safe” shows out there, but we’re also continuing to see the mediums that are anime and manga being challenged and made better as a result.

An Eureka Seven Movie. Sure, it might not be quite what I’d like from an E7 movie, and it didn’t capture what made the TV series great, but I am still grateful that such a thing could be made 3 years after the original finished.

Genshiken 2 out on DVD! Get it as soon as possible. Ogiue is waiting.

The friends I’ve made and the people I’ve met through the fandom. Truly you have made this an unforgettable year.

I found this delightful little ramen place in Minowa called Ramen Andon. The chefs were meticulously filtering soup stocks and preparing noodles with jazz music and vigorous slurping in the background. As I waited for my shio tsukemen order to be prepared, I snuck a couple of shots of the chefs flaming up pork slices and straining noodles with my phone’s camera. And yes, everything is as delicious as it sounds.

“You couldn’t have done that?”

“Why not? It was all they had available.”

“But, but…it’s not ramen then!”

Backtrack a day, and I’m standing at my local Korean/Japanese grocery store.

“I’m looking for fresh ramen noodles.”

The shop assistant walks me over to the freezer, and pulls out a bag of frozen ramen, complete with frozen soup and all the fixings. The price? 6.99 for one portion.

“This is not what I’m looking for. I just want fresh noodles.”

“But why don’t you take these? I love shio-ramen…just add some hot water and dinner is ready!”

“I’m planning to make my own soup. I just want the noodles.”

She stares back at me with a puzzled face. I spot disbelief in her eyes. After all, how many people attempt to make ramen stock at home? I decide that showing off is the only way to go here.

“Yes, I’ll make the soup with konbu, shiitake mushrooms, pork and chicken bones and some vegetables.”

She continues to look at me in disbelief, but finally offers a kind word:

“I hear that some soups benefit from a handful of niboshi (dried sardines).”

Turns out they don’t have fresh ramen noodles, which sucks because I was preparing for a noodle cook-off. “A” challenged me a while back to outdo her mom’s recipe for Vietnamese pho. I have never made noodles before, but in an act of bravado I decided that making this soup couldn’t be so different than making chicken stock, and I took the challenge.

Making the soup wasn’t so difficult — it just takes a long time. All in all, the pot bubbled for some odd nine hours before a clear basic broth was ready. I seasoned it with tare to turn it into shoyu-ramen (soy sauce ramen), which is one of the most basic and classic preparations. Then came all the fixings. I’m a big fan of ramen eggs, and found Chubby-hubby’s recipe to make them (thanks!). For the rest of the fixings, I roasted pork belly and sliced it thin, cooked a pork shoulder sous-vide and tore it into strands, rehydrated some wakame, sliced a bunch of scallions and bought pre-cut nori.

But the noodle question still lingered.

“You used Korean somen? What the hell? It doesn’t taste like ramen,” said “C”.

I obviously didn’t pass the ultimate authenticity test. In my desperation to find ramen noodles, the next best thing I found were fresh Korean somen noodles, which are a completely different thing.

Not perfect ramen, but almost ramen.

My pork-shoyu ramen

A’s Vietnamese Pho (which was damn delicious)

…innebär galet god ramen.
Nästa steg: Ramen-koma.

Photo credit: http://www.japundit.com/tag/robots

For most North Americans the word ramen is synonymous with super salty, MSG-laced cups of noodles eaten in funky smelling dorm rooms, but that perception is changing.

In cities such as Toronto and Vancouver, ramen restaurants that treat these convenient noodles with care and respect are becoming popular; meanwhile, in Japan, ramen joints are so popular that ramen-making robots are tirelessly employed producing bowls of noodles all day long (that’s a ramen robot pictured above in fact.)

According to National Post restaurant reviewer Gina Mallet (who wrote about Toronto’s Liberty Noodle in her column last week), ramen is a big part of Japanese culture today with “5000 ramen shops in Tokyo alone, small places mostly, where you buy a ticket and stand to eat.” She elaborates that “when the Japanese are not scoffing instant ramen in a Styrofoam cup, they are watching ramen shows on TV, ramen award shows, or they’re scouring the neighbourhood for the newest rave. Japanese are ruthless gourmands.”

I admit to having eaten my fair share of low rent ramen when I was younger. What’s your experience? Have you had ramen in a restaurant? And, if you eat the instant ramen, is it a guilty pleasure or a proud pop-culture statement?

Hungry for more food trend info? Sign up for the Topline Trends newsletter. It will nourish your brain!

A new ramen shop opened up down the street.  Cute, delicious and cheap.  I like to share my food:

Here is the “professional recipe” for tonkotsu ramen as promised!

INGREDIENTS: (will provide 3.5 ltres enough soup, enough for quite a few servings!

-Pork bones: 5 (2500 g)
-Water: 13 litres

RECIPE:

Bring frozen bones to room temperature in plenty of water.
It should take about 2 hours. If you cook frozen bones directly, the blood will solidify and will be very difficult to get rid of.
If you can get fresh bones, skip this step.

Fill a very large cooking pot with water and bring to boil.

Switch off fire as soon as the water boils. Drop in the bones and let cool. This process will help you get rid of the blood and blood vessels easily.

Leave it to coll down for 30~40 minutes.

Drain the water off the bones in a large strainer.
Throw off the water.
Check and take off any blood or blood vessels for the bones.
Don’t forget to clean the pot!
Break all the bones intwo with a hammer.

Fill the pot again with clear water and bring to boil.
Drop the bones inside.

Keep cooking over a strong fire and scoop out foam and unwanted matters coming up on the surface (this shoiuld take 20 minutes at the most).
As the bottom might get hooter than near surface, stir with a large ladle from time to time.
If the inside of the pot over the water surface gets clogged with matter or gets dark, switch off fire, clean with a clean cloth and switch fire on again.

Above picture shows the soup after alll unwanted matters have stopped coming up.

Cover with a lid and a weight to prevent steam coming out from under the lid. Keep simmering on a low fire.

That’s how it looks after 1 hour.
Keep cooking.

That’s how it looks after 3 hours.

That’s how it looks after 6 hours.

That’s how it looks after 10 hours.

And after 12 hours (start early in the morning!)!

Keep cooking. Remember you are aiming at 3.5 litres of soup.
After 12 hours you may raise the fire to accelerate the cooking.
Keep the lid on!

This is what you are looking for!

This is how the bones will look after 15 hours of cooking!
Cooked at last!

Filter the soup and here you have your tonkotsu base soup ready!
After that it is up to you and your preferences: add miso, tofu, salt, sesame oil, garlic chips and your little secrets!

Now what secret ingredients have I thrown in? LOL

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Bread + Butter, Comestilblog, Greedy Girl, Bouchon For 2, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Mangantayon, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles, Lexi, Culinary Musings, Eats and Everything, Bite Me New England, Heather Sweet, Warren Bobrow, 5 Star Foodie, Frank Fariello, Oyster Culture, Ramendo, Alchemist Chef, Ochikeron, Mrs. Lavendula, The Gipsy Chef

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

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日本語のブログ
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Katie and I were running errands when I got a fun text message from my friend Dave. “On Convoy. What asian food place should I go to for a quick-lunch?” Little did I know that he was with Mana and they were at the end of a long day of test driving cars. Since Katie and I were already out, I suggested meeting them at Tajima in Kearny Mesa for some noodles.

Tajima is my favorite place to go when the craving for Japanese noodles of any variety hits. Everything there is amazing, besides the baby squid served in its own ink.

I ordered something off the menu that I never have paid much attention to. The omelette yakisoba, stir fried egg noodle with pork and vegetables served with the best miso soup in San Diego and salad.

I had no intentions of finishing this by myself. Leave it to my stomach to finish this entire meal and move on the Katie’s Half bowl of ramen with pork belly that she could not finish.

If you are ever in the Kearny Mesa area and have a hankering for some noodles, look no further than Tajima on Convoy. They always have what you are looking for.

Yakibuta -
500g Pork Ribs (17.6 oz)
Green Part of Welsh Onion
A Small Piece of Ginger
4 tbsp Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Sake
1 tbsp Brown Sugar
** Boil down the pork ribs soup until the volume is less than 300cc (1 1/4 u.s. cups).

- Seasoned Soft-Boiled Eggs -
2 Eggs (65g-70g/2.29oz-2.47oz)
1 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Sake
1 tbsp Mirin
** Season the eggs for several hours at a room temperature or keep them in a fridge overnight.

- Toppings -
12cm White Part of Welsh Onion (5 inch)
80g Spinach (2.82oz)
Narutomaki – Cylindrical Kamaboko
Menma – Condiment Made from Dried Bamboo Shoots
Toasted Nori

- Dashi Stock -
1200ml Water (5.07 u.s. cup)
10g Dried Sardines (0.353 oz)
10×5cm Dried Kombu Kelp (4×2 inch)

2 Bags of Raw Ramen Noodles
2 tsp Chicken Stock

I completely give up on my Day: system. Its too boring to try and find a post EVERY day, and I just can’t keep up with it. I still should be posting a few every week, but I just can’t do one every day.

Anyways, I got a wave invite from a friend the other day, and so have been using wave a lot lately. In total, my friends and I have posted 1125 posts to waves that I have been a part of. 758 of those have been in waves back and forth between one friend and I. Wave is like an instant messenger conversation, but so much more useful.

The ability to send image and files, as well as to be able to read someone’s post as they type makes it incredibly efficient. It also makes it easy to poke fun at their mistakes as they correct them.

My friends and I have started working on getting a D&D game going within wave, partially to test out wave, and partially to actually play a game of D&D.

We found a dice “app” for wave, which actually is a bot that you add to the conversation, which takes someone’s typing of XdY and calculates it out, then places the result right after the XdY. It then colours the result in yellow, and the roll in grey, and if you edit either of them afterwards, it highlights it all in red, to show that it has been tampered with.

Example, 2d6 (9)

Dorman’s Interlude

Mr Dorman says:
Whoever invented rice krispy treats deserves a nobel prize

Semper Verus, Semper Nefas

Semperverus: update with something about ramens, wave, and a dorman’s interlude next to a Semper Verus, Semper Nefas.

Anyways, Ramen is actually good when not overcooked. I was always used to slimy ramen at home, so i never ate it. Now, making it with water heated in the microwave, it tastes pretty good.

I didn’t have a fork or spoon or anything, so I ate my first ramen thing here with a pair of needle-nose pliers. Since, I managed to get my hand on a set of chopsticks from the dining hall, and have been eating it with that.

ไม่ต้องเสียเวลาอารัมภบทว่าใครไปอะไรที่ไหนยังไง เราจะกิน! เข้าเรื่องเลยดีกว่า! โฮกกกกกกก

ต้องขอโทษด้วยที่รีวิวนี้เอาร้านโมโมทาโร่ไปเทียบกับ Ramen Tei เต็มๆ แต่ก็อดเทียบไม่ได้ เพราะ ขายของแบบเดียวกัน ร้านอยู่ตรงข้ามกัน (ตรงซอยธนิยะ) ราคาไม่หนีกันมาก (ชามเล็ก 100 – 120 ชามปกติ 150 – 180) ดูยังไงๆ ก็คู่ชกรุ่นเดียวกันนี่หว่า ลุยกันเลย! (รูปประกอบนี้เป็นของร้านโมโมทาโร่ทั้งสิ้น ของราเมนเทไม่มี)

เริ่มต้นจากหน้าร้าน หาทางเข้ายากพอกัน ดูมึนๆ เหมือนกัน ตัวอักษรไทยอันขนาดเพ่งตาบอดเหมือนกัน ร้านนึง (Ramen Tei) ก็เอาใบไผ่มาปิดหน้ากระจกไว้ให้รู้ว่านี่คือกำลังจะเข้าไปสู่ป่าแพนด้าแล้วนะ อีกร้านนึงดีหน่อย มีป้ายแดงๆ ห้อยอยู่ด้านหน้าให้รู้ว่านี่คือร้านอาหารนะ แต่ก็ติดฟิล์มดำซะเพ่งหน้าร้านไม่รู้ว่ามันทำการรึเปล่า หมัดนี้เสมอกัน

บรรยากาศในร้านโมโมทาโร ซอยธนิยะ มุมไม่ค่อยดีเท่าไหร่ - -"

ต่อไปว่าด้วยบรรยากาศ โมโมทาโร่ บรรยากาศร้านสไตล์ญี่ปุ่นแท้ๆ ออกแนวเก่าๆ หน่อย นึกถึงหนัง Always ยุคนั้นแหละ ใช่เลย มีนั่งพื้น + เสื่อ, นั่งโต๊ะ + เก้าอี้ไม้ และ Counter หน้าครัว บรรยากาศไฟสลัวๆ หน่อย แต่ไม่เปิดเพลง (ถ้าจำไม่ผิดนะ) น่าจิบเบียร์นั่งคุยกันมาก ผมว่าอย่าง Ramen Tei มันสว่างเกินไป เวลาคุยกันออกรสออกชาติไม่สนุก ฮ่าๆๆๆ

ราเมนแกงกะหรี่ของร้านโมโมทาโร โปรดสังเกตุขนาดเทียบกับขวดพริกไทย

เส้นของโมโมทาโร่จะหนากว่าของ Ramen Tei ส่วนรสชาติผมว่ายังไม่สู้ Ramen Tei เพราะไปสั่งหมี่ผัดทะเล เทียบกับโกยซีหมี่ของ Ramen Tei ที่อยู่ตรงข้ามกัน ต้องถือว่าชั้นเชิงภาษีของ Ramen Tei นั้นดีกว่า รสชาติและเส้นมันเข้ากันกว่า แต่โมโมทาโร่ผัดไม่มันเท่า Ramen Tei อีกทั้งมีมัสตาร์ดมาดับความเลี่ยนให้ เลยให้บวกคะแนนไปอีกนิดนึง

ราเมนแกงกะหรี่นี่ใช้ได้เลย กินแล้วไม่รู้สึกว่ากำลังข้าวแกงกะหรี่ที่ใช้เส้นแทนข้าว (บางร้านกินแล้วรู้สึกอย่างนี้จริงๆ) ผมว่ากำลังกลมกล่อม
ยกเว้นเกี๊ยวซ่านั่น อร่อย! Oishiii! ตามสไตล์ด้านหนึ่งกรอบ อีกด้านนิ่ม
โดยรวมก็ถือว่า OK ผมว่าด้อยกว่าหน่อยนึง (บางคนก็บอกว่าอร่อยเด็ดกว่า Ramen Tei ดังนั้นอย่าเชื่อผมมาก 555+)

การบริการ เนื่องจากไปเวลาคนไม่เยอะ ดังนั้น สั่งเร็ว ได้เร็ว พนักงานว่างให้เรียกเกือบตลอดเวลา ชาจีนเติมตลอด

เกี๊ยวซ่า (หายไปแล้ว 1 ชิ้น) กับหมี่ผัดทะเล ร้านโมโมทาโร่

ความคุ้มค่า ระดับห้ากะโหลก!!!!! ที่เห็นถ่ายมาน่ะ ราเมนแกงกะหรี่ชามเล็กนะจะบอกให้! ส่วนหมี่ผัดน่ะชามปกติ! ลองสังเกตุเทียบกับขนาดขวดพริกไทยดูเพราะขวดนั่นน่ะมาตรฐาน โอ้โห ใครจะไปกินหมดวะ สั่งราเมนชามเล็ก ตอนเขายกชามเล็กมานี่ ถามก่อนเลย “ชามเล็กแล้วเหรอพี่?” ขนาดสัก 75 – 80% ของชามปกติ Ramen Tei เห็นจะได้ แทบจะพอดี 2 ชาม 3 คน แบบแน่นหน่อยแล้ว ตอนเดินข้าร้านเห็นเขายกราเมนเต้าหู้ เห็นแล้วสงสัยว่านี่ยกมาทั้งหม้อเลยเหรอ อลังการมาก! เลยไหวตัวทันสั่งชามเล็กกัน เดินออกมาแทบไม่เห็นโต๊ะไหนกินหมดสักโต๊ะ (รวมถึงไอ้โต๊ะราเมนเต้าหู้ด้วยเพราะเป็นฝรั่งมากันสองคน คนนึงสั่งราเมนเต้าหู้ อีกคนสั่งหมี่ผัดทะเล มีเบียร์อีก เหลือเกือบครึ่งได้) โคตรจะเยอะ

ตอนผมสั่ง ดันสั่งกัน 2 ชามเล็ก 1 ชามใหญ่ + เกี๊ยวซ่า ตอนท้ายทุกชามเหลือเส้นประมาณ 1/3 ชาม คือกินเส้นไปไม่เยอะเน้นกินเนื้อแล้วนะ ยังอิ่มโคตร ถ้าจะสั่งพอดีอิ่มและกินกันไม่เยอะ ขอแนะนำว่าให้สั่ง ชามเล็ก 2 ชาม 3 คน แล้วก็เกี๊ยวซ่าอีกหนึ่ง เช็คบิลได้ออกมาจะราวๆ คนละร้อยต้นๆ ไม่หนีฮะจิบังสักเท่าไหร่ถ้าสั่งน้ำ + ทาโกะมาแกล้มด้วย คุ้ม!

โดยสรุป ร้านนี้เหมาะกับการไปนั่งยาวๆ กินเบียร์แล้วก็โม้กันมากกว่าราเมนเทเพราะบรรยากาศดีกว่าและคุ้มกว่า รสชาติดูด้อยกว่า แต่ก็ยังถือว่าดี ฟันธง!

first post!

orchard central is a charming shopping centre with a particular concentration of cafeterias and restaurants strewn all over, what a makan-potential!!

so what have we here, hmm.. and while most flogs will present to ya one restaurant at a time with one genre, we’re a little greedy oops, so here’s a ’set’ which we consumed voraciously.

first up, we start the afternoon with a chill-pill in Spinelli:

Caramel Latte $5.80

frothing cup of caramel latte, certainly a delight to have in the rainy weather of this season. a pleasure to the senses. however, somebody tells me that starbucks has much yummier caramel frappucino and latte. which i somehow find it difficult to disagree with because the cup of latte was somehow forgettable. but still something aromatic to slurp down the throat to calm the senses in the rainy weather.

next was a short trip to Ootoya on the top floor of orchard central! serving japanese cuisine, many flogs have recommended it and the queues trailing far and winding. so we went down!

Service was alright, with the waiters polite but one however was in a queer mood, let’s just put it that way. bah, let’s go on to food oh glorious food!

Breaded pork loin simmered with egg, $16

What a delight. the delicious sight of the half-cooked eggs drizzling tantalisingly around the sharp unyielding edges of the pork. the teeth sinking into the fibers of the loin separates out a chunk of happiness to ease any cravings for katsu. the rice which came with it was also authentic japanese rice which is rare in singapore at a medium end japanese restaurant. the sauce was also a perfect combination with the rice, making it irresistable to reach out for another bowl of rice, which leads me to declare-ootoya has free refillable rice! and with the rice so good, it’s hard to see why it’s value for money to order the set instead of ala carte per se.

next was the atka mackerel, $17

it was a wonderful feast not just for the mouth but also for the eyes to see the fish lie oh so seductively open, but the eater had to spend quite a hassle to remove the entire anatomical range of bones in the aquatic creature. but it brought the taste of the sea, literally, with it being a tad too salty? just my humble opinion once again. but the fish was so tender, with the flesh graduating into flakes of tasty grilled mackerel. rather an intriguing taste. and of course, it went well with the rice as well.

and so we the full bulls went in search of even more japanese food! ikatakimaz!! forgive my erroneous spelling of japanese words. i try.

we went to ajiman ramen who was really very cordial in their welcome customers, and at thisisyummy, we take into important account the holistic treating of customers, not just the food, but the service as well, what do you think readers? is food perhaps the sole importance? there is no right or wrong. oops i have derailed from my train of food.. i mean … train.. of thought.

Ajiman Ramen Combi, $19.80

this combination really just brings out what makes this restaurant so special. the broth is unlike those restaurants who-are-not-to-be-named who use packeted/formula broths to serve, but instead they have boiled their broth for 8 hours straight, bringing out the flavour of ginger and spices from within. at the same time the soup presents such a light flavour which is tasty at the same time. the noodles were silky and smooth, slurping it was a true pleasure.

it gave a welcome adventure and freshness in eating ramen from the usual ramen franchise chain which we eat in shopping malls. this dish was basically a degustation of the various kinds of ramen in here. the crab was fresh and teasingly fun to eat, however it can be quite a hassle to do so, you must really love the taste of crabs, but the taste of these ones were certainly worth the labour. the char shu deserves a special mention. the sweetness and tenderness of the pork makes us puzzled as to whether it was the thigh of the chicken. it was that tender, yes. it sank into the taste buds of the tongue and released a rush of pleasure. the just-right fat on top of it is equivalent to the icing on the cake. and the char shu in comparison to other places, is thick and juicy and not merely the paper-thin kind, it is very substantial. the prawn was fresh and fragrant and the ramen egg is very authentic, with the curded egg yolk slipping out invitingly for us to reach out and savour it, the authentic ramen egg is ‘marinated’ in herbs and sauce for an entire night! i would definitely recommend this dish.

Hotate Bacon @ Ajiman, $5.80

the hotate bacon was another dish which lit up the eyes. the first thought that came to my mind.. am i eating bacon? it was so tender and juicy and it was encapsulating its good friend, the grilled scallop, covered with a blanket of mayonnaise to complete the masterpiece. the scallop keeps all its flavour within and if you ever wondered how seafood and bacon can mix, this is it!

what better way to end it then a hearty dessert? let’s break the banks for this-Fruit Paradise. here, they serve gourmet pies and well let’s just put it this way, people may actually cringe at the price tag placed in front of its glamorous pies. let’s just give it a try! the ambience was fantastic, good for first dates to bring to the seats next to the glowing lights. because our greedy bellies were bursting at the seams, we decided to just have one, just that one more please! =) we got the banana caramel slice. and oh, it was marvellous.

Banana Caramel, $7.80++
>
satisfying. the crust, the custard, the banana slices, the caramel, the heavy whipped cream, how could it mix so seamlessly!!

it was worth the money, definitely thumbs up! as the fork sinks patiently through the cool thickness of the pie, the mouth opens in anticipation to receive its honoured guest, and oh it was that kind of experience which makes you think of it all evening, and we’ll definitely go back for more!! when we’ve saved enough again of course. =X but order the curry rice and enjoy $2 shaved off this perfect dessert. yes, if you were ever thinking, is there that perfect dessert? this one comes within a whisker from it, definitely on this visit.

phew. we are so full. and nothing beats enjoying a fantastic evening of food with a fantastic evening of christmas decoration envying. and friday being friday, let’s dream about it whilst we sleep into a productive and enjoyable weekend. cheers everybody.

Not only the Japanese, but koreans also make succulent ramen.
Here is a very simple home-made recipe in Korean style:

Korean-style ramen!

INGREDIENTS: For 1 person?

-Instant Korean ramen with their soup powder: 1 pack (size is up to you! readily available in all Asian markets)
-Water: 500 ml
-Squid: 50 g
-Shrimps: 50 g
-Mushrooms: 30 g
-Fresh beasprouts: 50 g
-Thick short leek: 2
-Salad oil: 1 tablespoon
-Grated garlic: 1 teaspoon
-Oyster sauce: 1 teaspoon
-Salt: a little
-Pepper: a little

RECIPE:

-Cut the squid in 1 cm/5cm pieces. Take shell off shrimps.
In a frypan pour the oil with grated garlic and switch on fire/heat.

-As soon as the garlic aroma comes out add shrimps and squid and fry until shrimp have changed colour. Add mushrooms, beansprouts, oyster sauce, salt and pepper and stir-fry for a short moment.

-In a large pot bring water to boil. Drop ramen, instant Korean powdered soup and other seasoning if included.

-As soon as you are satisfied with the consistency of the ramen add fried squid and shrimps and leeks cut in proper size.

-You prefer to serve in the following way:
First the ramen with their soup.
Second topped with fried squid, shrimps and mushrooms.
Last decorated with cut leeks.

Simple and easy to improve on!

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