{  Ciao! Bamboo  }

Ciao! Bamboo
Ciao! Bamboo
Ciao! Bamboo

Is this really Tokyo? You’d never guess this Thai/Vietnamese restaurant is located in Omotesando. This place is in a small side alley but it’s still very popular amongst locals so you might have to stand in line. Pictured above are the spring rolls (310yen/per roll), pad thai (780yen), tom yam kun noodles (950yen),  and gapao rice (990yen). I’m not sure if they are authentic flavors, but it sure was tasty and I really liked this Asian street market vibe. They also have a take out menu/section on the side of the restaurant so you can order to go as well.

Address // 6-1-5, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5466-4787
Website // n/a

Food:
Decor:
Service:
Cost:



{  Ippudo Premium Member  }

Ippudo Premium Member
Ippudo Premium Member
Ippudo Premium Member

I recently became a Ippudo Premium Member! sigh*

As I illustrated above, you have to clear 3 stages in order to become a premium member. You have to eat a total of 60 bowls of ramen during a limited period of time to get your Premium Member’s card. I just want to clarify that I did NOT eat all 60 by myself… My friends and family gave me some of their stamps :p

When you clear each of the stages, you get some sort of perk for completing it. For the first few stages, you get a small booklet with coupons for free stuff like kaedama (extra noodles) and half gyoza. Once you clear the final level and become Premium status though, you can take up to 3 guests with you and (all of us) can enjoy a free kaedama or a free topping (flavored egg) every time you visit Ippudo for a year. Note that this is only applicable to the Ippudo Japan locations.

I also received an amazing Premium Gift Package (shown in the pictures above)! It included all of the following items:

– Ippudo ceramic bowl that says “Thank You!” at the bottom
– Ippudo original chopsticks
– Ren-geh (Chinese spoon)
– Ippudo towel
– Ippudo ramen home set (comes with akamaru and shiromaru with an extra kaedama!)
I’m very pleased with this generous gift set that they provide to their loyal customers.

…………………………………………………………………

一風堂プレミアムメンバー入りしました!

期限内に60杯のラーメンを食べると仲間入りできるメンバーカードです。私はもちろん一人でではなく…友達や家族のポイントを頂きながらここまでたどり着きました。バリ、バリバリ、バリスゴメンバーを突破すると、一風堂プレミアムメンバーカードと『一風堂プレミアムセット』が自宅に届きます。プレミアムセットの中身は:

・お土産ラーメン生スープ赤・白(2食入)(替え玉つき!)
・一風堂どんぶり
・オリジナル箸
・れんげ
・一風堂手拭い

すごすぎる!!しかも一風堂へ来店ごとに、所持者+同伴者3名まで替え玉か半熟塩玉子サービスという太っ腹サービスもつくのです。さて、さっそくラーメンが食べたくなってきました。笑

My Post on Ippudo // http://www.tokyoeats.jp/ippudo-ramen/
Related Website // http://www.ippudo.com/news/2009/06/post_28.html




{  LA Diary  }

LA Diary
LA Diary
LA Diary
LA Diary
LA Diary
LA Diary

I was in Los Angeles for the holidays and I ate quite a lot of yummy things while I was visiting. This is just a glimpse of a few places I ate at that I thought you might be interested in visiting if you’re ever in town. LA was pretty chilly when I visited but it was nice to get away from the Tokyo coldness.

From the Top,
1) At LACMA
2) Sycamore Kitchen near LACMA on La Brea
3) Ricky’s Fish Taco – I see why it’s so popular!
4) Four Daughters in Manhattan Beach – yummm
5) Palaik – Awesome samgyeopsal place in Ktown




{  Happy New Year  }

Happy New Year
Happy New Year

Happy New Year! 明けましておめでとうございます。

I hope everyone had a nice new years and holiday. Tokyo feels a lot colder today than just a few days ago. brrrr

The photos above are from a family photoshoot I shot for a client before the year ended. It came out so beautifully, wanted to share them with you :)

For New Years Day, my family and I went to Tsuruokahachimangu in Kamakura where it was insanely crowded. I went to Meiji-shrine last year so this was a lot less crowded but it still took 1.5hrs to get through this line…

I am preparing some posts on what I did during the holidays so stay tuned~

Happy New Year