http://www.rameniac.com/resource/ en rameniac@gmail.com Copyright 2008 2008-04-18T20:19:00-08:00 http://www.rameniac.com/site/murasaki_canalcity/ http://www.rameniac.com/site/murasaki_canalcity/#When:20:19:00Z Kitakyushu ramen is well-represented at Canal City Hakata’s Raumen Stadium 2. Stylistically, Kokura ramen shops might not be all that different from their famous neighbors to the southwest, but blow-for-blow, Murasaki is one noodler that can definitely hold its own against the Hakata elite!  {exp:lbox dir="ramen/murasaki_canalcity/" file="1-facade" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/murasaki_canalcity/" file="2-vending" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/murasaki_canalcity/" file="3-pig" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/murasaki_canalcity/" file="4-room" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/murasaki_canalcity/" file="5-counter" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/murasaki_canalcity/" file="6-shogaclose" suffix ="-200" title=""} By and large, Fukuoka is the de-facto capital of Kyushu. Renowned for its food, picturesque canals, and vibrant nightlife, the largest city in southern Japan boasts a championship baseball team and even a ferry to Korea. Kitakyushu is a fifteen-minute trip from Hakata to Kokura station aboard the shinkansen bullet train, one stop. The distance is so short that it can hardly be called a trip at all, but as far as cities go, Fukuoka’s neighbor to the northeast couldn’t be more different. An industrial port, Kitakyushu is all smokestacks and gloom, evocative of Manchester, UK or Detroit, Michigan in a working class sort of way. One of its claims to fame is that it was the intended target of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki during World War II. Cloudy weather spared Kokura on that day, but it would be another half-century before Kyushu’s second largest city shed its reputation as the pollution capital of southern Japan. {exp:lbox dir="ramen/murasaki_canalcity/" file="7-ramen" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/murasaki_canalcity/" file="8-ramenclose" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/murasaki_canalcity/" file="9-noodles" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/murasaki_canalcity/" file="10-loaded" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/murasaki_canalcity/" file="11-chopsticks" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/murasaki_canalcity/" file="12-noren" suffix ="-200" title=""} If New York has New Jersey and Los Angeles has “the OC,” then Fukuoka’s analogue would certainly be Kitakyushu. However, when comes to ramen, Kokura’s finest can more than stand toe to toe with the famed yatai of Hakata. Stylistically, Kitakyushu ramen is very similar to Hakata; both feature a tonkotsu soup and thin, firm noodles, although Kitakyushu-style shops allegedly get more creative with their toppings. During my recent visit to Canal City’s Murasaki Shokudou, I opted for a spartan, no-frills bowl, and thus, could neither confirm nor deny the evidence backed up at another venerated Kitakyushu-style ramen shop, Kyushu Jangara. But whereas Jangara is merely a Tokyo-area chain styled in the Kitakyushu manner, Murasaki Shokudou actually hails from Kokura, and its product is full of the same good stuff that makes area ramen shops so delectable: a bold, frothy tonkotsu soup eerily redolent of plated shark fin soup in both viscosity and taste, a careful arrangement of choice, tender chashu and firm, thin noodles with attitude to spare, as if the ramen itself knows it’s the shit. {exp:lbox dir="ramen/murasaki_canalcity/" file="13-posters" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/murasaki_canalcity/" file="14-room2" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/murasaki_canalcity/" file="15-signs" suffix ="-200" title=""} If the vaunted and highly similar Aka Noren doesn’t completely satisfy (its use of flattened noodles are a little jarring), Murasaki definitely fits the bill in a younger, cuter sister sort of way; the soup, is just a bit more saturated, the noodles a touch more orthodox. Bottom line: it’s another winner at Raumen Stadium 2, fast becoming the go-to destination for anyone in this part of Japan.  kitakyushu ramen 北九州 ラーメン, tonkotsu とんこつ, JAPAN, fukuoka 福岡県 2008-04-18T20:19:00-08:00 http://www.rameniac.com/site/manshuya_ga_ichiban/ http://www.rameniac.com/site/manshuya_ga_ichiban/#When:04:24:00Z No one knows how that box of Manshuya Ga Ichiban Kurume ramen ended up in rameniac’s stash, but when he cracked it open and sucked down a bowl, he got this phone call that he would die in seven days. Naw, just playing. But it sure feels that way, when tonkotsu is so rich it’s practically pure molten lard!  {exp:lbox dir="ramen_instant/manshuya_ga_ichiban/" file="1" suffix ="-200" title="innocuous at first, but what’s with the guy in the corner?"}{exp:lbox dir="ramen_instant/manshuya_ga_ichiban/" file="2" suffix ="-200" title="hmm, this looks promising"}{exp:lbox dir="ramen_instant/manshuya_ga_ichiban/" file="3" suffix ="-200" title="the when and where of the ramen shop. at least they’d know who to blame."}{exp:lbox dir="ramen_instant/manshuya_ga_ichiban/" file="4" suffix ="-200" title="sights like these are a beautiful thing to behold"}{exp:lbox dir="ramen_instant/manshuya_ga_ichiban/" file="5" suffix ="-200" title="uh oh. this doesn’t look good."}{exp:lbox dir="ramen_instant/manshuya_ga_ichiban/" file="6" suffix ="-200" title="no! stop!!! aahhhhh!!!"} Sometimes I really freak myself out. I’ve reached this point where the “rameniac” has become so synonymous with my identity that even long-time friends now associate me with noodles. I’ve become the easiest person in the world to shop for; friends in Japan, friends visiting Japan, even friends who simply like Japan routinely give me ramen and ramen related memorabilia - instant, fresh and frozen, books, toys and t-shirts. instant インスタント 2008-03-20T04:24:00-08:00 http://www.rameniac.com/site/isshinfuran_canalcity/ http://www.rameniac.com/site/isshinfuran_canalcity/#When:17:51:00Z Canal City Hakata’s Raumen Stadium 2 is a bountiful bevy of prominent, predominantly Kyushu-area ramen shops! A star stand out on the food court, Isshin Furan swears by its Miyazaki stylings with a miyazaki ramen 宮崎 ラーメン, shio 塩, tonkotsu とんこつ, JAPAN, fukuoka 福岡県 2008-03-12T17:51:00-08:00 http://www.rameniac.com/site/hakatataiho_tenjin/ http://www.rameniac.com/site/hakatataiho_tenjin/#When:13:00:00Z Ramen in Fukuoka is typically served in smaller portions than in other parts of Japan. You can order kaedama and add extra noodles or, like, rameniac, simply adopt a bowl-and-a-half strategy. On the way back to the hotel from eating ramen, rameniac makes a pit stop for well, more ramen. Warning. Don’t try this at home, kids. {exp:lbox dir="ramen/hakatataiho_tenjin/" file="1-exterior" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/hakatataiho_tenjin/" file="2-counter" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/hakatataiho_tenjin/" file="3-inouye" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/hakatataiho_tenjin/" file="10-steaming" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/hakatataiho_tenjin/" file="5-kitchen" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/hakatataiho_tenjin/" file="7-bowls" suffix ="-200" title=""} The Subway sandwich conjecture is as follows: a six inch sub is never enough, but a foot-long is overkill. The same applies to KFC Hot Wings, most commonly available in either six or twenty piece servings. Six measly wings do not a meal make, but what sort of American eats twenty at a go? I think I just answered my own question.  In the rest of the world however, the principle holds. A portion and a half seems right, even for reasonably hungry dudes. Hakata ramen shops typically serve up a smaller bowl of noodles; proper tonkotsu is so rich, so loaded with abura and cholesterol, that too much of a good thing can quickly become excessive.  Thus, Fukuoka’s ramen masters developed ”kaedama.” Paying a few extra yen for an additional portion of noodles makes considerable sense, as diners can customize their consumption. I often wonder why the practice isn’t more popular throughout Japan. kurume ramen 久留米 ラーメン, tonkotsu とんこつ, JAPAN, fukuoka 福岡県 2008-03-10T13:00:00-08:00 http://www.rameniac.com/site/akanoren_tenjin/ http://www.rameniac.com/site/akanoren_tenjin/#When:05:47:00Z Rameniac burns a morning towing his luggage around Fukuoka’s Hakata district in search of the perfect hotel - wherever’s closest to the perfect bowls! First up, Aka Noren has been around for over fifty years, and the ramen is so old-school you might not even recognize the Hakata ramen it purports to have originated! {exp:lbox dir="ramen/akanoren_tenjin/" file="1-facade" suffix ="-200" title="aka noren, tucked behind an entrance to the tenjin chikagai"}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/akanoren_tenjin/" file="2-akanoren" suffix ="-200" title="the titular red curtain"}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/akanoren_tenjin/" file="3-closer" suffix ="-200" title="another look at the entrance"}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/akanoren_tenjin/" file="4-display" suffix ="-200" title="the display food looked nothing like what they served"}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/akanoren_tenjin/" file="5-ramenview" suffix ="-200" title="bowl’s eye view?"}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/akanoren_tenjin/" file="6-friendly" suffix ="-200" title="friendly waitstaff make my day"} For a certain breed of tourist, the most rewarding sort of trip abroad is, like free jazz, an exercise in improvisation. True, planning ahead is typically wiser, and though booking a hotel in advance is plain common sense, there exists an innately primal thrill in stepping off a train in a town with absolutely no guarantee of shelter for the night. My last visit to Fukuoka ended thusly, and on a night when all the hotels were full and my baggage resided in a bus station locker, I simply slept (or rather, didn’t sleep) in a public park in the shadow of Tenjin’s monolithic department stores. At least I got some shots out of it. hakata ramen 博多 ラーメン, tonkotsu とんこつ, JAPAN, fukuoka 福岡県 2008-03-05T05:47:00-08:00 http://www.rameniac.com/site/hamada_lax/ http://www.rameniac.com/site/hamada_lax/#When:23:06:00Z Rameniac’s headed to Japan! Along the way, he gets a head start on his slurping with a quick, last-minute bowl at one of his favorite local watering holes. Don’t forget your passport aboard the Hamada Orient Express, LAX’s finest (well, only) old-school, mukashii-shoyu ramen depot. {exp:lbox dir="ramen/hamada_lax/" file="1-terminal" suffix ="-200" title="we’re on the road to nowhere"}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/hamada_lax/" file="2-hamada" suffix ="-200" title="and hamada is real."}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/hamada_lax/" file="3-umbrella" suffix ="-200" title="a great, big parasol"}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/hamada_lax/" file="4-orderhere" suffix ="-200" title="in case you weren’t sure..."}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/hamada_lax/" file="5-menu" suffix ="-200" title="a postcard from paradise"}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/hamada_lax/" file="6-shoyuramen" suffix ="-200" title="yeah, well that’s what i said."} At an age when most of my peers were earning valuable life experience while face down on the carpet at a fraternity or sorority house, I was pretty much downing beers at my preferred existentialist watering hole - the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX airport. Had I more of a stomach for seemingly disposable (but in retrospect, now absolutely imperative) fun, I might well have become a different person altogether. I might be happily married, pushing papers in an office and angling to buy a sectional sofa or a dinette set. On the other hand, I might never have set foot in Japan, and thus never known the joys of sipping from a leaden bowl of Nagahama ramen - with soup the consistency of freshly churned concrete - while locking fingers with someone who has fifteen Pochacco dolls dangling off her mobile phone straps. shoyu 醤油, UNITED STATES, los angeles 2008-02-28T23:06:00-08:00 http://www.rameniac.com/site/myojo_okinawa_soba/ http://www.rameniac.com/site/myojo_okinawa_soba/#When:07:45:00Z Okay, so technically it’s “not really ramen,” but rameniac goes island hopping anyway with Myojo Okinawa Soba! Think of it like your cousin from the islands who’s a bit out of touch from living in the middle of the ocean; Okinawa Soba is fishy, squishy, and a noodly good time, brah! {exp:lbox dir="ramen_instant/myojo-okinawa_soba/" file="1" suffix ="-200" title="myojo okinawa soba"}{exp:lbox dir="ramen_instant/myojo-okinawa_soba/" file="2" suffix ="-200" title=”...is like your island cousin"}{exp:lbox dir="ramen_instant/myojo-okinawa_soba/" file="3" suffix ="-200" title="ready to get his fish on!"}{exp:lbox dir="ramen_instant/myojo-okinawa_soba/" file="4" suffix ="-200" title="contents may have settled during shipping and handling"}{exp:lbox dir="ramen_instant/myojo-okinawa_soba/" file="5" suffix ="-200" title=”...so much so that i forgot about the little shichimi pack"}{exp:lbox dir="ramen_instant/myojo-okinawa_soba/" file="6" suffix ="-200" title="all cooked up"} The Ryukyu Islands are a fascinating place. Home to many of my favorite musicians - Gackt, Chitose Hajime, Atari Kousuke to name a few, the islands in the far south of Japan have a distinct history and flavor all their own that sets them apart from the “mainland” in innumerable ways. Okinawan soba, the local noodle, is likewise self-styled; it’s not soba in the traditional Japanese sense (like ramen, it is still made of wheat flour, as opposed to buckwheat), but nor is it considered ramen proper. Perhaps it’s an island cousin to ramen in much the same way Hawaiian saimin is - a soup noodle for sure, but in taste and texture, something vastly different, yet delicious in its own right. instant インスタント 2008-02-08T07:45:00-08:00 http://www.rameniac.com/site/nissin_yokochuka/ http://www.rameniac.com/site/nissin_yokochuka/#When:23:26:00Z Multi-packed instant ramen has come a long way from the days of Sapporo Ichiban. Nissin’s “Ramenya-san” lineup of plain-wrapped perennials are a step closer to what an instant noodle quick fix should be, and Yokohama Chukasoba is non-fried to boot. Can something be both good and good for you? Here’s a step in the right direction! {exp:lbox dir="ramen_instant/nissin_ramenyasan_yokochuka/" file="1-kit" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen_instant/nissin_ramenyasan_yokochuka/" file="2-hatched" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen_instant/nissin_ramenyasan_yokochuka/" file="3-solo" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen_instant/nissin_ramenyasan_yokochuka/" file="4-contents" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen_instant/nissin_ramenyasan_yokochuka/" file="5-chukasoba" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen_instant/nissin_ramenyasan_yokochuka/" file="6-noodles" suffix ="-200" title=""} Nissin’s “Ramenya-san” might well be the plain-wrap equivalent of instant noodles. With a name that literally translate to “Mr. Ramen Shop”, you know their company marketers were on holiday the day they launched this campaign. Or maybe that’s the point, as the four varieties on offer are basically no-frills reductions of four “classic” ramen archetypes - Asahikawa Shoyu ramen, Hakodate Shio ramen, Sapporo Miso ramen, and Yokohama Chukasoba, in as generic a fashion as possible. And although they fall on the pricey side (at four or five dollars for a 5-pack Stateside), they’re arguably worth the expense. A far cry from Sapporo Ichiban or Top Ramen, they’re like a modded out Civic Hatchback, budget noodling done up with thought and care. Quite frankly, they’re excellent. instant インスタント 2008-02-05T23:26:00-08:00 http://www.rameniac.com/site/foofootei_hacienda_heights/ http://www.rameniac.com/site/foofootei_hacienda_heights/#When:20:34:00Z You know things are foo-bar’d when a cheap knock off can sully the reputation of a perfectly fine ramen shop. Tucked into the middle of nowhere, the original Foo Foo Tei serves up a menu of David Lynchian weirdness that sounds worse than it really is. Like Twin Peaks, nanchatte paitan ramen isn’t for everyone! {exp:lbox dir="ramen/foofootei_hh/" file="1-facade" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/foofootei_hh/" file="2-kitchen" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/foofootei_hh/" file="3-mags" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/foofootei_hh/" file="6-room" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/foofootei_hh/" file="4-shoyuclose" suffix ="-200" title=""}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/foofootei_hh/" file="5-gyoza" suffix ="-200" title=""} If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, what then, are dysfunctional, estranged twins? Much has come to light about the “other” Foo Foo Tei.  An attempt at franchising gone wrong, the Monterey Park branch now dares to besmirch the name of the venerable original with bad ramen and bugs in condiment jars. Despite apprent litigation and bickering on all sides, confusion reigns. But one thing’s for certain.  Beloved by Eastside ramen slurpers, the original Foo Foo Tei in Hacienda Heights has been long overdue for a review. So never mind the biters, here we are today. shoyu 醤油, miso 味噌, shio 塩, new forms 新スタイル, UNITED STATES, los angeles 2008-01-18T20:34:00-08:00 http://www.rameniac.com/site/foofootei_mpk/ http://www.rameniac.com/site/foofootei_mpk/#When:22:02:00Z Intrigue plagues the existence of dual Foo Foo Tei in the San Gabriel Valley. Spite and litigation apparently abound, and rumor has it that the Monterey Park branch is merely a cheap knock-off of the Hacienda Heights original. All theatrics aside, are its noodles even worth fussing over? {exp:lbox dir="ramen/foofootei_mpk/" file="1-facade" suffix ="-200" title="foo foo tei in monterey park, ca"}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/foofootei_mpk/" file="13-sign" suffix ="-200" title="their mascot is kinda creepy."}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/foofootei_mpk/" file="2-menu" suffix ="-200" title="couldn’t they have done this with real wooden slats?"}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/foofootei_mpk/" file="4-serving" suffix ="-200" title="waitress, there’s a fly in my soup."}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/foofootei_mpk/" file="8-noodles" suffix ="-200" title="foo on the noodles"}{exp:lbox dir="ramen/foofootei_mpk/" file="3-cat" suffix ="-200" title="maneki neko welcomes you"} Every now and then, someone will suggest I try Foo Foo Tei, a pair of low-profile ramen shops in Hacienda Heights and Monterey Park. Admittedly, my attention is usually diverted elsewhere, for the consensus among dyed-in-the-wool food snobs is that the San Gabriel Valley is great for Chinese cuisine while “real” ramen exists more or less only in the South Bay. Like Ajisen, there’s always been something a bit too “Chinesey” about Foo Foo Tei; the Monterey Park outlet is tucked behind a stairwell in an institutionally old-school strip mall that has housed such area landmarks as the original Diho Supermarket and now, that over-fluffed temple of dim sum dining, New Concept/Elite Restaurant. As it turns out, the two Foos are not related at all, or at least no longer related, depending on whom you talk to. Apparently, the Hacienda Heights branch is the Japanese original, and the Monterey Park iteration a cheap Chinese knock-off. I don’t know the full history, but rumors of animosity between the two shops swirl like pink in a slice of naruto. Thanks largely to the comments below, I had to investigate further. One thing’s for certain: Foo Foo Tei Monterey Park serves a far inferior product to Foo Foo Tei Hacienda Heights. shoyu 醤油, miso 味噌, shio 塩, new forms 新スタイル, UNITED STATES, los angeles 2008-01-11T22:02:00-08:00