Umami Mart

Recently, I had a ramen epiphany in San Francisco. It was at Ken Ken Ramen, a tiny operation that pops up in the Mission every Thursday and Sunday, at The Corner (a coffee shop/ restaurant space). Robert Patterson, who grew up in Japan, no longer wanted to travel all the way to San Mateo (or […]

When I was in Japan last month, I visited the Shinyokohama Ramen Museum. Yes, there is a museum that is devoted to ramen. As kitschy as it may sound, it was actually a lot of fun. The lower level was set up like seedy downtown Tokyo in the 1960’s  (下町 or Shitamachi), with a bunch […]

Still on a quest to find excellent tan tan men in the Bay Area. Tan tan men is ramen with ground beef and cilantro, in a spicy hot soup– I used to eat it all the time in Tokyo. Here’s a bowl I had last week at Himawari Ramen in San Mateo. Descent, but my […]

Some people love the availability of innumerable options and possibility; Flea markets, Walmart, The Cheesecake Factory. And while there are some occasions where I enjoy the limitless options and “but what ifs” that tend to come along with sitting down to a proper meal at a new and exciting restaurant, generally I don’t have the […]

By Wen Originally posted on April 21, 2010 *This Umamiventure report, a love letter to ramen from the old world to new, is written by special guest writer Wen, originally posted on her blog, We Eat Everything. All photos by Wen. A recent New York Times article about exploring Tokyo via its ramen shops left […]

Back in April, we had a very special Umamiventure— Marcel (we call him that here), a dude who has been making ramen out of his home for the last year and a half, invited Umamimart over to try it. Fifteen of us showed up and gathered in his living room as he toiled away in […]

Piggybacking on Yamahomo’s drunk cooking post, this week’s Japanify introduces techniques for making instant ramen that will please drunks. After a long, explosive night of dancing, my husband prepared Sapporo Ichiban instant ramen. An avid eater of Sapporo Ichiban instant ramen in his native Japan, my husband was ecstatic that Sapporo Ichiban was also available […]

This Umamiventure report, a love letter to ramen from the old world to new, is written by special guest writer Wen, originally posted on her blog, We Eat Everything. All photos by Wen. A recent New York Times article about exploring Tokyo via its ramen shops left me desolate, homesick, and hungry. I whined to […]

Let’s say I know this guy. We’ll call him Marcel. Marcel is a ramenaholic. You think you love ramen? Oh no, not like Marcel loves ramen. Marcel has traveled to Japan multiple times to meticulously research the art of ramen. The broth. The noodles. The pork. This dude is so obsessed, that he pulls his […]

Two words: RAMEN TRUCK. Is this not the raddest thing you’ve ever heard? Cause it should be. I know, I know, the food truck scene is so The 00’s. Ramen is now borderline boring to blabber on about (there are only so many ways I can get creative about describing noodles in broth with pork […]