slurp, actually

Posted by rameniac at 09:53 PM | 19 Apr 2010

As one of the world’s greatest cities, London, England can boast its fair share of everything, including an assortment of ramen shops located primarily along the chic streets of Soho north of Piccadilly Circus. Joints like Taro and Ten Ten Tei specialize in no-nonsense noodling, while the incongruously named eat TOKYO and Ramen Seto do their best to hide their not-quite-Japanese state of ownership. Perhaps no ramen shop has ever been more obvious about co-opting another’s gimmick as Osatsuma, which has admittedly got the Wagamama sense of modernist decor down to a science. All told, Ryo may serve the most authentically Japanese bowl of shoyu ramen this side of the North Sea; at least in vibe, the modest izakaya is as ex-pat as they come.

ramen california remixed: vegetarian ramen (finally!) and noodling for purists

Posted by rameniac at 01:58 AM | 03 Feb 2010

Full disclosure. This is flagrant shilling. Well, almost. Firstly, because the folks at Ramen California did in fact contact me recently to explain that celebrated chef Sean Nakamura had finally started experimenting and introducing new items to the already stellar menu, but secondly because the little tasting I was invited to partake in really was fantastic. We’ve seen glimpses of Nakamura-san’s vision in the months since the restaurant first opened; their long-standing “preview menu” featured a controversial California ramen which health-conscious slurpers loved and ramen traditionalists were quick to dismiss.

hawaiian ramen creations

Posted by rameniac at 04:18 AM | 02 Jun 2009

Hawaii! The 50th state conjures images of leis, luaus, and a thousand other cliches. No, not really. There’s also the Hawai’i of the native peoples and the sovereignty movement, of Matsumoto Shaved Ice and North Shore shrimp trucks, the Hawai’i of Punahou high school and Obama’s youth… yet when this rameniac thinks of the islands, only one thing comes to mind - herds of Japanese tourists and Louis Vuitton products with a cheaper sales tax. Oh yes and ramen, for there’s gotta be some of the squiggly stuff around. After all, we’re halfway to the motherland!

the ramen king and i: from noodling to… book reviews?

Posted by rameniac at 04:23 PM | 27 Apr 2009

Well this was unexpected. I recently received a review copy of Andy Raskin's The Ramen King and I: How the Inventor of Instant Noodles Fixed My Love Life. The author is apparently a reader of this site, so I'm pretty sure he'll come across my "review" of his book before long. Apologies in advance Andy, I'm no Michiko Kakutani. That said, you've got little to fear.The Ramen King and I is a fine, engaging read, a highly personal memoir about love, sex, and one man's relationship to... Momofuku Ando?

the 2009 king of the bowl: top shops from coast-to-coast

Posted by rameniac at 05:31 PM | 09 Jan 2009

Yes, it's finally here! The 2009 King of the Bowl ramen ratings. I apologize for being a week late, but that's about how long it took for me to, um, recover from New Year's Eve? Maybe. But whatever! We're in an expansive, reverse manifest destiny state of mind here at rameniac, so for the Year of the Ox, we'll be taking a look at ramen shops coast-to-coast! From the fireworks of New York City to the familiar faces in Los Angeles, test your luck in Las Vegas so you won't have to go slurpless in Seattle, this one's for you, dear reader, and my frequent flyer mileage points. Happy 2009!