I guess this is for people that just absolutely positively can’t be bothered to eat ramen with a separate fork and a spoon…

Available at Uncommon Goods.

via Fancy

(Thanks to Erik for the tip)

“The Anti-Loneliness Ramen Bowl”…for those of you who’d rather interact with your iPhone when you’re eating your ramen…

Pre-orders are being accepted at MisoSoupDesign.

via Fast Company

(Thanks to Tom for the tip)

Hmm…winter squash ramen…

Thanks to Emily Mejer for sharing.

Ken Ramen opened up about a month ago near Triangle Plaza in Costa Mesa and today’s perfect ramen weather! I tried the ramen trifecta: gyoza, fried rice, and the tonkotsu ramen.

The gyoza was really good: perfect texture and a juicy and meaty but not too dense filling. And the fried rice was great. The rice was flavorful and the pork was tender…almost like pulled pork. Good start!

The ramen was also good. The tonkotsu soup was light and flavorful…it’s one of the lighter tonkotsu ramen soups in the area. If you like tonkotsu but don’t like some of the heavier, oilier versions at other ramen shops, you’ll like this version. My only complaint: it wasn’t hot enough.

The noodles were also good, if a tiny bit on the soft side. I wasn’t so crazy about the slighty-sweet menma though. But the chashu was a big surprise. Usually, thick chashu like this (it was probably around 1/4″ thick in parts!) means you’re in for tough times, but Ken Ramen’s chashu was deceptively tender and very delicious.

Ken Ramen’s another welcome entrant to the OC ramen scene!

Ken Ramen
562 West 19th St
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
949-645-4052

Mon-Sun 11:30 am – 10 pm

This one’s old but fun. In 2010, UK cup ramen brand Pot Noodle came out with a holiday themed Pot Noeldle to celebrate the holidays and to raise money for British troops abroad.

Hmm…this gives me an idea for Thanksgiving…

Lyrics courtesy of the Inspiration Room
Guess who’s here
Bringing you festive cheer?
The Noodle Man
Is driving his crap old van

Turkey bits
And trimmings too good to miss
Better get the kettles on quick

And now our kettle’s overflowing with joy
“Pot Noeldle” they sing (Peel back the foil)
Even the shiny lid that’s supplied
Is good tree bling

Come and take your seat to eat
And breathe in deep
That mulled wine sachet sauce
In every land around the world everybody knows
It’s Pot Noeldle time of course!

Love from Pot Noodle

Another new ramen place in Costa Mesa! Zetton Ramen, located in a tiny plaza behind “the Camp”, is one of the only new ramenya in Orange County to not specialize in tonkotsu ramen (that’s exciting news!). They serve a regular and kotteri versions of a shoyu or shio ramen, a spicy miso ramen, and a tsukemen, and that’s it. It’s about time someone tries to bring good shoyu ramen to the OC. The friendly and helpful waiter explained that the regular ramen broth is cooked for 4 hours, while the kotteri versions stew for 10 hours. Let’s try the kotteri!

The gyoza was tasty enough, with a good amount of meat and chives(?), and it’s not too garlicky, but it had an overly sour taste to it that I wasn’t crazy about.

The kotteri shoyu ramen comes with green onions, a slice of nori, some sesame seeds, and a thick bacon-like slice of chashu. I also opted for an egg. The egg had great texture and a lightly marinated flavor, but the yolk was hard. Ah well. The soup was rich and oily, and the noodles were al dente. Good stuff. I wished I would’ve started with the non-kotteri version. There’s always next time. The chashu was good! I usually prefer the fatty, melt-in-your-mouth chashu that some ramen houses have, but Zetton’s chashu was chewy without being tough, and flavorful.

Costa Mesa seems to be in the midst of a ramen explosion (more reviews to come in later weeks), and I’m happy to see a non-tonkotsu entry into the race. Service is top-notch and friendly, and I encourage everyone to check it out.

Ramen Zetton
735 Baker St., unit B
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
714-241-1625

Tues-Fri: 11:30am to 2:30pm, 5:30pm to 10:30pm
Sat: 11:30am to 3:30pm, 5:30pm to 10:30pm
Sun: 11am to 4pm

Cash only

I’ve talked about Neko Ramen before. It’s a fun manga and a fun animated series, but how’s the live action movie? I watched the movie today…and…

…I didn’t know there was a shoyu ramen song(?!)…

…it was kind of predictable. But then again, I didn’t watch this looking for some sophisticated plot…

…it made me really hungry for ramen, even ramen made by a cat…

I suppose cat lovers will enjoy this movie. And I have to say it wasn’t the worst movie I’ve ever seen, and there’re some chuckle-worthy moments. But if you’ve never watched a movie, then wondered “what the @&#^ did I just watch?”, you will…oh yes…you will…

Watch it here (it’s got English subtitles). Note that the parts are a bit screwy…part 1 doesn’t seem to work, but I think it actually starts at “part 2″.

Mitsuwa is having its Umaimono Gourmet Fair and Tanaka Sobaten is making an appearance. There’s exactly one item on the menu: their signature chuuka soba.

The ramen comes with just a few basic toppings: lots of green onions and deeply marinated menma, and a few thinly sliced pieces of chashu.

The ramen is delicious! The flat wide noodles is a feature of kitakata-style ramen goes very well with the crunchy, tasty onions. The soup is richer than it looks, and has a strong pork and shoyu flavor. The noodles hold everything together, and the almost melt-in-your-mouth chashu is an added bonus.

So what’s the verdict? A picture is worth a thousand words:

Tanaka Sobaten makes its brief appearance at the Costa Mesa Mitsuwa supermarket until tomorrow, Sunday 10/21. Then it moves to the Mitsuwa in Torrance 10/25 Thursday through 10/28 Sunday.

See the premiere of Ramen Dreams and other food documentaries on Oct 19 in NYC. Not only does the ticket include all movies, you also get a bento box, help support the Food Bank for NYC, and you get to experience Ramen Dreams star Chef Keizo Shimamoto‘s U.S. debut! Yes, Keizo will be serving his renowned ramen in the states for the very first time!

Tickets on sale now. Get ‘em while they last!

East meets west meets west again at momofuku noodle bar NYC. Ivan Orkin, the former New Yorker who moved to Japan to open Ivan Ramen, is back in New York for one night only!

He’ll be making his classic shio ramen, ago dashi hiyashi shio ramen, and tonkotsu, pork fat, bacon and triple garlic mazeman (whew!) tomorrow night at momofuku from 5:30pm to close, or until the ramen runs out, and I’ll willing to bet it will.

Run to momofuku noodle bar on 171 1st Ave, between 10th and 11th!

Thanks to Ramen Adventures for the tip!