...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

...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!

...decide to take a trip to Tokyo during lunch?

K and I are headed to Tokyo for a week (one glorious week!) this coming Saturday night! This was a trip that was decided only earlier this month - K and I met for lunch, and were talking about taking holidays and viola! our trip was born.

Looking forward to it - it's going to be my first time ever in Japan. Woohoo!

Watch out for our blog posts in the coming weeks!

... take a family holiday?

When was the last time you had a family holiday? By that I mean a trip with mum and dad along with siblings and your other halves (if any).

It must have been something like more than 10 years ago since we took a proper family holiday - not going to visit grandparents (in KL), go visit Shar (in BKK) or visit HK (our almost second home) but a proper holiday to a destination solely for the purposes of eating, shopping and (yikes!) sightseeing!!

The last one I can recall was going to Sydney and Melbourne, just before I left for university in 1999. That seems like such yonks ago....Back in those days, it was only the 2 of us - me and Shar.

Now we have KLL. She's completely changed our lives and we're all so excited to go on this holiday.

So where are we going? We're visiting Japan!

Having spent countless hours on the internet trawling through websites, restaurant reviews, ryokans, hotels (thank you google translate!), flights and all the necessary preparations for such a long awaited trip, we've finally nailed down our itinerary and hotels and I'm flying off in less than 12 hours! Shar is flying in with Na from BKK, mum, dad and KLL from SG and me and O from LDN. What an international family we have become...travelling from different countries, crossing timezones, to meet in one place.

More importantly, this trip is also to celebrate dad's 60th birthday!! We decided to forgo the predictable birthday "surprise" party/large banquet but instead, do a small gathering of 7 in Japan.

In my opinion, this is one trip we will not forget and will cherish the memories in time to come. Remember: nothing is more important than family. (just like how I still recall all the wonderful times we had in Sydney and Melbourne).

So why not start making plans of taking a family holiday this year?