Tetsu tsukemen storefront Roppongi Station (Tokyo, Japan)

As I exited the Roppongi Station turnstyle I seemed to remember from seeing “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” a couple years ago that his shop was in the underground maze between stations. I had some time to kill so instead of immediately exiting I took a route I hadn’t before. (Turns out I was confused and the original shop is in the Ginza Station, not Roppongi, and his son’s shop is in Roppongi but not in the station.)

I was also hungry so when I saw Tetsu I decided it was a good time to eat as I vaguely remembered seeing it on Ramen Adventures as a top choice.

哲 つけめん

Tetsu looked delicious, and the first couple bites were OK, but I grew tired of it quickly. By the end I decided it wasn’t one of my better ramen or tsukemen experiences. Perhaps the one in Sendagi (千駄木), reviewed by Ramen Adventures, is better.

Posted on September 2nd, 2013 under Japan. Tags: food, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, ramen, roppongi. Comments: 2

Beef-based Matador Ramen near Kitasenju Station in Tokyo, Japan

I have always been a fan of the most common types of ramen (pork-based or tonkotsu or 豚骨), miso (味噌ラーメン), shio (salt or 塩ラーメン), and shoyu (soy sauce or 醤油ラーメン). However, it turns out that my favorite kind of ramen is beef based or at least the Matador version of beef-based ramen. I’m pretty sure this bowl was the most delicious I have ever had from beginning to end.

Overheard from the mouth of the owner to a customer as I was eating this bowl is that Matador will soon be opening another store in Takadanobaba! Those of you going to Waseda University will be able to eat this on a nearly daily basis if you so choose. Count yourself lucky and expect a long line!

Posted on August 21st, 2013 under Japan. Tags: food, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, ramen. Comments Off on Matador Ramen (牛骨らぁ麺 マタドール)

assortment of schneeballes from Schneeballen found in the basement of a Korean department store (Lotte I think)

Beginning today, and for the foreseeable future, Tuesday’s blog entry will be Korea related.

Today’s pic is of some schneeballes from Schneeballen; these delicious-looking treats can be found all over Korea now. I saw these several times before actually buying one. I imagined something between a pastry and a donut. Instead, these “cookies” from Germany are closer to something between a fortune cookie and a stale collection of balled-up tortilla chips. Needless to say, I didn’t go back for more. They weren’t very sweet, and I felt like I was going to lose a tooth trying to eat one.

Posted on August 20th, 2013 under Korea. Tags: food, gwangju, Nikon 24mm f/2.8 AF-D nikkor lens, Nikon D600. Comments: 2

Red chilis at the Jagalchi Fish Market (자갈치시장) in Busan

My biggest problem with Korean food has to do with these guys. Don’t get me wrong; I like spicy food. However, many dishes in Korea have an inordinate amount of red chili peppers, red pepper flakes, chili pepper paste, or some sort of hot pepper sauce. Rather than enhance the flavor of something and give it a kick, I find the amounts used to overwhelm everything else. Frequently it comes out as hot as it went in if you know what I mean. I can’t taste the meat, the veggies, or anything but the hot pepper flavor. Even the instant ramen here in Korea is impossible to find in any flavor other than hot red pepper.

Posted on August 4th, 2013 under Korea. Tags: busan, food, Jagalchi Fish Market, Nikon 24mm f/2.8 AF-D nikkor lens, Nikon D600. Comments Off on Korean red chili peppers

Pho Bay Vietnamese noodle soup in Gwangju

In the bus terminal in Gwangju there are many restaurants. Just like the rest of town, though, many of them specialize in menu items for two or more people. The Chinese restaurant didn’t seem to have anything for an individual. So I went with some Vietnamese noodle soup instead. This pho was surprisingly good. You can’t really see it in the photo, above, but the soup was loaded with rice noodles and two different kinds of beef. The broth was just right too. I went back a week later and was mildly disappointed with the beef Pad Thai I ordered. It didn’t look at all like the picture in the menu, and it didn’t taste anything like any Pad Thai I had ever eaten. I may go back, but if I do I’ll go with another pho. I also noticed a PhoBay (Pho Bay?) on the top story of the Lotte Department store in Gwangju. I think you can find PhoBays all over Korea.

Posted on July 28th, 2013 under Korea. Tags: food, gwangju, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600. Comments Off on PhoBay – Korean chain