...have one of the best ramen at Mutekiya?

I asked KS for a list of food places in Tokyo before K and I went on our trip last month. He gave me a list, and said that the restaurants were listed in order of priority.

Top of his list of recommendations was Mutekiya. He said that the ramen was so good that that he would usually visit the restaurant more than once on his travels to Tokyo; and that locals would queue 30 minutes in the cold during winter for the ramen.

So K and I decided to head to Mutekiya on the second day of our trip, and found ourselves in a short queue. We waited for about 20 minutes (there are only 17 seats in the ramen bar) before being ushered in.



K and I both ordered the ramen that came with one slice of char siew and one egg (I can't remember what it is called, maybe K will remember?). It must have been the best ramen I have ever tasted in my entire life.



The soup was boiled with pork bones and was really tasty. Best of all, you could tell there was no MSG because even though K and I drank up all the soup, we did not feel thirsty at all! The ramen was cooked al-dente, the egg was perfect, runny and soft inside but firm outside, and the one slice of char siew was very delicious. All this for only 780 yen (that's about S$12)!

The ramen was really very good that K and I decided that we absolutely have to go back again before we left Tokyo. So we found time on the second last day of our trip and went back to Mutekiya for lunch. This time, I had a bigger bowl! With 3 slices of char siew and 2 eggs! And only 980 yen (less than S$15.60)!



Mutekiya is a must-visit when you go to Tokyo. I can't wait to have it again!


Mutekiya
1-17-1 Minami-Ikebukuro
Take the East exit of Ikebukuro JR station
Walk about 10 minutes along Meiji-Dori

... go for a mud spa?

A just turned 1! My lil’ gal is all grown up now…..almost!

Today, someone at the dog park discovered a new dog breed- a bicolor golden retriever – part gold, part mud! Ahhh….a beautiful pool of muddy waters amidst lush green surroundings and lots of new friends…a great beginning to a first birthday!

If only it wasn't so difficult to get all that mud out of her beautiful fur after all that!

...fall in love with him?

He is 31 this year.

He was trained in classical music and plays many different instruments, but I think he plays the piano the best.

He plays basketball as well, as far as I know and handles a pair of nunchuks rather well.

He is apparently very filial to his mother and grandmother who brought him up.

He is also apparently a non-smoker and a non-drinker.

Contrary to what people may say, I think he can sing. I have heard him sing live and it's real and good.

He is arrogant, but, he has every right to be. In fact, I think it makes him cuter.

His name is Jay Chou. 谁叫他是周杰伦!

I just attended his concert, and I'm still smiling to myself at the memory of it and singing his songs in my head. Gawd, I feel like a teenager all over again. :)

... enjoy summer's bounty?

It's summer in Boston and while I'm not a big fan of the Boston summer weather (these past two weeks have been exceptionally brutal-- think heatwave + high humidity or thunderstorms), I tolerate summer in New England because that means I get to start shopping at farmers markets again! Unlike California (I miss you, Berkeley!), the growing season in the Northeast is way shorter and that makes eating locally challenging. This is especially true late in the winter when I'm starting to get sick of all the winter squashes I've been storing since late fall. But for now, we have plenty of berries, stone fruits, tomatoes etc. in season. Aside from being too lazy and busy to cook of late, I also think that fresh good quality in-season produce should be enjoyed with as little cooking as possible. As a result, I've been having lots of salads (both fruit and vegetable-based) and desserts that incorporate fresh fruits.

Perfect Summer Breakfasts: (clockwise) Apricots+raw honey+yogurt; Strawberries+peppermint+yogurt; Raspberries+peppermint+yogurt

Perfect Summer Lunch: Heirloom tomatoes, Fiore di Nonno handcrafted small batch mozzarella, sweet basil (from my window sill!), Maldon sea salt, fresh ground pepper, extra virgin olive oil

 Perfect Summer Dessert: Champagne mangoes, coconut milk infused sticky rice, coconut cream, toasted mung beans

...make a trip to the Land of Smiles?

HY, LK and I am making our long-awaited trip to BKK! Finally!

While discussing online last night, we were getting ourselves really excited with the prospect of yummy food, good (and affordable?) shopping and lavish treats of massages....and most of all, catching up on all the girly stuff...

So yes, Land of Smiles...here we come! :)

... find your way to the largest religious gathering in the world - The Kumbh Mela?

I was all packed for Kashmir's lovely weather when a last minute hesitation to board the plane to Srinagar started me on a long 12-hour car journey to Haridwar. There, I witnessed the Kumbh Mela 2010 - the festival that gained international fame as "the world's most massive act of faith".

Kumbh Mela is a mass pilgrimage. The 45-day festival takes place at the confluence of the three holy rivers in India, the Ganga (Ganges), Tamuna and Sarawati.  The celebration is said to be anywhere from 3,000 to 8,000 years old; bringing the holy people of the Hindu religion, their followers, and a few "immortals" together.  Each 12-year cycle includes one Maha Kumbh Mela or Great Kumbh Mela.  The Ardh Kumbha Mela is celebrated every six years at Haridwar and Prayag, while the Purna (complete) Kumbha always takes place at Prayag every twelve years.  The 2001, Maha Kumbha Mela was attended by around 60 million people, making it the largest gathering anywhere in the world.

Here are the visual spoils from my trusty Olympus EP1...

The Kumbh Mela 2010 attracted more than 40 million devotees to Haridwar.

The main highlight for most pilgrims during Kumbh Mela is the observance 

of sacred bath at the sangam.

. 

Bathing in these rivers during the Kumbh Mela is considered an endeavour of great merit, cleansing both body and spirit.  It is belived that bathing in the river has a purifying effect. In the place where the three rivers meet, it is said that the bather's purification is increased one hundred times.

Breakfast with the holy men.  Carbo-loading before the day's religious procession.

In the camp of the holy men. A camp of the Naga Sadhus.

Sadhu is a common term denoting an ascetic.  Nagas, the most important in the hierarchy of Hindu holy men, wait to take the plunge at the Kumbh Mela festival on April 14.

The Kumbh Mela honors the Hindu legend in which the gods fought for possession of a pot of amrita (the nectar of immortality).   The confluence of the Ganges, the Yarmuna and the Saraswati (or "Invisible") rivers is held in Hindu mythology to be the place where the gods dropped the amrita.  

A religious procession towards the Ganges on the day where only the Sadhus can bathe in the river.  One Sadhu will "find the nectar". 

...walk and eat your way through Tokyo?

K and I are back from Tokyo!

It was a great trip - with lots of walking and lots of great food! Best of all, we kept to our budget, think we probably spent only around S$2,200 for a week in Tokyo, including airfare and accomodation!

Will start blogging about the food and the sights when I have tidied up the photos!