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hellahungry, happy birthday to you! Sorry for the dalayed reply. Here are my recommendations; Name: Geuchai Genre: Thai Address: 1-11-9 Koutoubashi, Sumidaku, Tokyo Tel: 03-3634-9991 Open: 11:30-21:45 Close: Mon This is one of the pioneer Thai restaurants in Tokyo. It is bit too far to walk from Asakusa, so you'd better take ASAKUSA line(Subway) and change to Soubu line (JR) or take a cab. Please be noted that you cannot expect any fanciness in decor as this is a casual restaurant. Name: La Che brue Genre: French Address: 1-1-12 Nishi Asakusa, Koukou-ku,Tokyo Tel: 03-3845-1336 Open: 18:00-22:00 Close: Wed Reasonable and friendly atomosphere. Name: Oomiya Genre: Japanised French Address: 2-1-3 Asakusa, Koukou-ku,Tokyo Tel: 03-3844-0038 Open: 17:30-20:30 Close: Mon Small but well-established. Need reservation for dinner. Those places won't cost more than 10,000yen per person. If you need more luxurious places, let me know. Hope you will have a nice birthday dinner!

Though I annouced this new in the message board of World Ramen.net, let me annouce it here too, since it is a BIG NEWS! Ramen Museum in shin-yokohama is serching for locations of its second facility in US!! I have checked this news with the museum staff and he confirmed the news. The location will be Las Vegas or San Francisco and the timing will be within 2 years. I'll follow this news and report here when additional news comes. * For those who do not know what the ramen museum, check the following link! Ramen Museum

Hello PerfectCircle, Have you tried Tsukushimbo? I'd love to hear your opinin. By the way, I have found a Japanese restaurant offering ramen which is Daimajin Sasaki's favorite, though I don't know whether Ichiro likes it or not. Check the following link. Kouraku

Fugu liver is poisonous and we do not eat it by any means. I suppose it it "orchis". It is bland in taste but gives marshmallow-like texture. Bonito's entrails are fermented by salt and eaten in Japan. It is called "Shutou" meaning sake stealer!

cabrales Fugu is with white flesh. It is eaten Sashimi (raw-sliced). Fugu sashimi is sliced much thinner than other fish, like paper and garnished like flower petal. Fugu sashimi is harder than other fish and gives a pleasing texture, though its flavor is too subtle. Fugu is eaten in hot-pot, too. Actually, I'll be thrilled if you invite me Fugu dinner. It is very expensive in Tokyo.

cabrales I have eaten whale meat in "Tatsuta age" (starched and deepfried) and "Yamatoni" (simmered in soy sauce & mirin tasted broth), but it was pretty long ago. It was more tender than beef and less fatty, if I remember it accurately. Whale broth ramen! :wow: This is the last combination which I thought of. Whale meat (bones, too, probably!) are to expensive as ingredients for ramen soup!

Adam: We have whale hunting/eating history of several hundreds years long. Precisely speaking, what we did not eat was not red meat but meat of animals with 4 legs. There were a lot whales in Japanese water then, whale hunter did not have to travel far. They did not have to trasnport. Whale meat were often served for school lunch when beef and pork were expensive, though the price of whale meat now is much higher than those of beef or pork. (* In Japan, public schools usually serve lunch.)

Hi Tonny, Welcome to the Japan forum of egullet.com. :D without the budget in your mind, it is difficult to make best recommendation. The following is the normal price range for me to set in mind when visiting a tempra restaurant. (First Class) Dinner:over 10,000yen($70) Lunch: around 7,000yen($45) (Intermediate) Dinner:over 7,000yen($45) Lunch: around 5,000($35) Tempra is one of the luxury stuff when eating out and it is costy especially in busy areas like Shinjuku or Shibuya. So within the same price range, "Tsunahachi" is not bad. If you prefer one in the same price range as "Tsunahachi" and you stick to Shibuya/Shinjuku, I would recommend you "Ten-matsu." Address: 1-6-1 Dougenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Tel: 03-3462-2815 Open: 11;00-14:00 17:00-21:00 7days/week They offer you preset menu "Teishoku" at 2000yen for lunch. It is too difficult. Both Shibuya and Shinjuku are too big in size and complicated to guide you from the JR station without a map. Best for you is to get assistance from a concierge. I will make another thread for other recommendation.;)

mamster Why not let me hear review of Ezogiku in Seattle, please! I'd love to know, as no one has sent me a review of it. If you keep on visiting, you may run into Ichiro Suzuki and Daimajin.

Mr.Vigs and mamster, I just noticed you discussed ramen which is my major concern. About Ezogiku, here is info. Ezogiku I have some more ramen shop info at Seattle Ramen shops For more in-depth ramen infomation, pls visit my web site. World Ramen.net

ami: Technically speaking, beef fat melts only at quite high emperature, on the other hand, tuna fat melts at relatively low temperature so that it melts within a mouth and help mixturing with rice. Beef fat remains unmelted in a mouth and prevents smooth texture. This is one of the major reasons why beef is not applied as sushi topping in Japan, though it looks like tuna at glance.

ami FYI, in Japan, you'll find only seafood topping at authentic sushi restaurants except omlett. Also, eating beef raw is quite rare.

Jinmyo : Demiglace one is only found in Okayama ana around. With Tonkatsu saurce version is popular in Niigata prefecture. In Nagoya, they like Tonkatsu with miso sauce.

Yeah, you are right. It's egg white. When cooking Katsudon and Oyakodon, we usually make egg remaing soft. Jinmyo: Actually Katsudon has several variations depending on the region within Japan. One shown in the photo is most usual but in Okayama prefecture (next to Hiroshima), Katsubon is covered with demiglace sauce.

anil : All the 3 donburis I listed are the regular items of usual sobaya. On your next visit, why not try other stuff? Don't forget how they are called.

jhlurie : When I was in a college town in Illinois, this kind of restaurant opened. I was so thrilled, since I was hungry for Japanese taste. As you can imagine, their food was just a nightmare for me. But their TONKATSU was still acceptable. My conclusion at that time was that they did not know how to cook stock which was inevitable for Japanese cuisine or they did not know they needed it even.

"Donburi" might be familiar to you if you have YOSHINOYA in your neighbourhood, since they serve "Gyudon"(Beef Bowl). But there are various "Donburi"s that shoul get attention. "Donburi" literally means "a medium to large-sized bowl." The "Donburi" is also used as the general term for rice dishes served in this type of bowl. The bowls are filled about 2/3 full with steamed rice and toppings such as beef, egg, tempra, etc..are placed on top. You can put anything, so the variation of "Donburi" is infinite. The followings are photos of popular "Donburi"s in Japan 1) Katsudon It is topped with "Tonkatsu" boiled together with sliced onions in a broth made from stock, soy sauce, suge and sake and covered with an egg. 2) Oyakodon "Oyako" means parent-an-child. This donburi is named so since it contains chicken(parent) and egg(child). 3)Tendon It is topped with freshly-fried tempura covered with soy- based sauce. Tempra donburi is too long, then it is made shorten. Which one would you like?

Replying to the request of some ramen lover who would like to cook ramen from scratch, I looked for a recipe of ramen noodle. Usually cooking ramen noodles needs "Kansui", brine water which helps to formulate gluten and make noodles more bouncing than without it. It also adds some aroma which characterises noodles of ramen from that of udon & other noodles.But "Kansui" is hard to find outside of Japan, so the follwing is the recipe without "Kansui". (Ingredients/ for 4 peoplej EBread FlourF@375g EAll Purpose FlourF@75g EWaterF@175cc EBaking SodaF@5‚‡iTeaspoon 1j ESaltF@5‚‡iTeaspoon 1j EEggF@1iLargej (Cooking Procedurej 1.Mix well the egg, water, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. 2.Pour the liquid of (1) onto the mixed flour in a large bowl. 3.Knead all the ingredients till they make dough 4.Put the dough into a thick plastic bag and stamp the dough flat. When it gets flat, fold it into 4 and repeat stamping. Repeat the same procedure 10 times. 5.Shape the dough into a ball and wrap it in the kitchen-wrap. Age the dough at the room temperature for a few hours. 6.Roll out the dough and cut into noodles. You can use a pasta machine. 7.Dust the noodles with flours so that each noodle will not cling with each other. 8.Put noodle in piping hot water. Boiling time is 1-1and a half minute. Please be noted noodles are easy to be influeced by temperature, humidity, and the conditions of ingredients.So, you need to adjust the recipe accordingly. Anyway, Goodl Luck! Send your review when you try it.I'd like to hear how it turns out.

Yonakiya carries only one flavor, shouyu. It's quite good! Basically, ramen shops in Kyoto, renowned ones, do not carry miso.

Mr.Vigs: Sorry for the lack of infomation. Menbaka Ichidai is not festival. It is a ramen shop. They serve a special menu callde Negi ramen (ramen with a lot of chopped scallion.) The heated oil that a shop cleark pour over the bowl gets fire as shown in the photo in front of customers sitting on the couter stalls. So it is not an actual show, but is looks so. In fact, this ramen shop is quite famous for this unusual service. Whenever you visit, you can enjoy this show(?). [Data of Menbaka Ichidai] Address: Marutamachi Chiemitsuin Higashi iru Minamigawa Kamigyou-ku, Kyoto TEL:81-75-812-5818 Bus Hour:12:00-14:00A18:00-3:00 @

Mr Vigs: Welcome to Japan! About okonomiyaki, yakiniku, and unagi, I do not have specific info at my hanc, but will post here when finding an appropriate one! As for Ramen which is my major, I would recommend you Yonakiya. (Data of Yonakiya) Address: 36 Ootsukaminami Miozomachi, Yamashiro-ku, Kyoto Tel: 075-581-7083 Bus. Hours: 11:00-18:00 Closed: Mon., 1st&3rd Sun. If you need entertainment, visit Menbaka Ichidai where you can enjoy fire show in fron of you. Do you need shop data?

jhlurie: I do not know whether they are open all night or not, but they are open till quite late since both shops are located in party towns.

The ramen shop chain called "Ooshima Ramen", that has a branch shop in Denver, is broadcasting live video of their shop on the net. It is a good chance for you to take a glance of how the ramen shops look like. I never want myself viewed while eating ramen, though. http://www.oshima-ramen.co.jp/yousu.html

jhlurie: Oyster fries are coated in bread crumb. Its cocking procedure is coating an oyster in flour, dipping it into mixed egges, coating it with bread crumb, then deep-frying.It's common for oysters, pork, and chicken. Is there any difference from yours?

Oysters are in season in Japan! We eat them raw, but the most popular cooking form is butter-fry. Isn't it interesting that in sashimi realm Oysters, which are eaten often raw in Western contries, are eaten cooked with heat?