居酒屋 千年の宴 (sen nen noutage) Izakaya short review

Firstly, this is a chain 'Japanese' bar. So you do not have to go to the one I went to. 千年の宴 can be translated as "A thousand year's feast (or banquet)". The name gives me a feeling that it is a celebration to something important... or why else a thousand years?

Ginger Ale with White Wine

I find it intriguing that they would put Ginger Ale with White Wine... (I've had Ginger Ale and Beer... and it was good... so perhaps this would be a good mix too).

impressions:

• too much ice
• combination is ok... (prefer Ginger Ale and Beer more)

It was... good... but I like Ginger Ale and Beer SO MUCH MORE... this was ok... but somehow the combination made the White Wine not very "winey" and the Ginger Ale lost it's distinctive taste.... it doesn't seem like a really good match.

Appetizers

The appetizers were very savoury. They were well marinaded with salt and sesame oil (and the likes) They were really good. After having these appetizers, I was excited to try the other items we ordered.

Onigiri

Having Onigiri at an Izakaya is strange... but to my surprise these onigiri was really good! It tasted so much better than the Onigiri available at convenient stores... it was so tasty. I was also impressed with the sour plums (梅干し) on the side. You can choose how you like your onigiri.

Omelette

This was a very typical omelette. It was well made and tasted quite good. It was served really warm.

raw octopus with wasabi

I know this doesn't look so appetizing... but it was really good!

The Wasabi was extremely overpowering... but it was a good combination with the octopus/squid! I can't tell the difference between Octopus or squid... the wasabi was simply too strong.

Omelette rice? guess again!

Omelette filled with Yakisoba

This was a surprise for me... The usual Japanese dish has rice inside. But tada! This one had Yakisoba inside! It was very delicious. It was on the sweet side but still extremely delicious!

Fried 山藥 with cheese

This was one of the highlights of this meal... (山藥 translates to Yam/山芋/Yamaimo). It was really good. There was some wasabi salt to pair it off. I would never have imagined combining Yamaimo with cheese was ever a good idea. But this was definitely a surprise for me... they were so well matched.

fried Chicken

It might seem like ordinary fried chicken but these were extremely crispy! The presentation doesn't look very appealing but the taste was really good. Unlike most places, the chicken was well marinaded. When I took my first bite, I was surprised as to how juicy it was.

Sashimi salad

There were lots of octopus sashimi inside. It was a strange Greek salad drizzled with a herb filled oil topped with pepper. It was very delicious though. I highly recommend it. The quantity was quite big :).

Hokkaido Milk Cheese Cake ice cream

This was another highlight of the evening. Hokkaido Milk Cheese Cake Ice Cream. I was already full when my friend decided to order this... there were two scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream with Cheese Cake bits at the bottom. It sounds simple but it was really REALLY delicious! :9

Score: 9/10
Website: no website

Ichiran ramen 一蘭ラーメン review

Ichiran

It has been a long time since I have written a review for ramen... so here's to break the chain and let's get started!

Whenever I ask someone to give me a ramen recommendation, Ichiran ramen seems to always be one of the first answers. Whenever I passed by a Ichiran Ramen it is hard to miss because there is always a long line (long line = 20 people waiting). If you have been following me for a while, you will know just how much I  loathe lines and waiting. 

Ichiran 

A few weeks ago, I FINALLY had the opportunity to eat at Ichiran, the line was much shorter and I was really hungry. When I got near the front of the line, I had to order from a vending machine, I chose their best selling Tonkotsu Ramen (Pork Bone Broth Ramen). It cost ¥890. It is more expensive compared to other ramen shops but I was excited. 

I was then given 2 sheets of paper with a clipboard indicating how I wanted my ramen: everything from the texture of the ramen to the intensity of the flavour to how much garlic you want... etc. The whole process was very foreigner friendly and the staff tried to be as helpful as possible for first timers. 

I thought it would be interesting to take a picture about the info of their ramen. Once it was our turn to go inside, we were excited. The eating area contained booths for privacy. If you went with a friend, you can close the panels so you can talk. There was a window facing us and we had to give our ramen preference sheet and order from the vending machine to the person standing on the other side of the window. 

eating area and ramen

Once our ramen came, they would put shades so we can eat in private. It is also to call our server by touching a button (no pressing... just a light touch). The whole experience was very interesting and unique. We had unlimited water which we could help ourselves to.

impressions of ramen:

• very rich soup
• a very unique taste
• the bowl of ramen was much smaller than most ramens in Tokyo
• their special sauce was slightly spicy but added a really nice kick to the whole experience
• unlike most ramen shops, the meat was very fresh and tasty
• the noodles were very thin (Hakata style (博多))
• no egg :(

Ichiran's  (一蘭) Tonkotsu ramen 豚骨ラーメン屋らーめん　とんこつ

To put it simply: I liked it! despite it being slightly pricier and smaller quantity it was really tasty. I liked the overall experience and enjoyed eating ramen privately. 

I highly recommend their special sauce (the red sauce shown in the ramen picture) because it really intensified the flavour of the soup. It is spicy but tolerable. The next time I go, I plan to order 1 1/2 scoops of this sauce to make my ramen taste better. 

I was kind of disappointed that we had to pay for our own egg because this ramen is already slightly more expensive than most.

I finished!!!

I would definitely be coming back! I had a wonderful experience. It is slightly more expensive than most ramen shops in Tokyo and the quantity is much smaller... but the taste was really unique. It can satisfy your hunger. Most tourists come for the experience (eating privately) and it has become slightly commercialized... but the soup base/broth is definitely good. I also like that we were able to personalize our ramen!

Score: 8.5/10

Website: https://www.ichiran.co.jp/english/

素爪ケア(nail crack relieve) review

For all us nail polish fanatics out there, a chipped nail is devastating... it can ruin a perfect manicure. It is unfixable. To this, a certain Japanese company has a solution: cover it with a clear coat so it does not bother you. It is suppose to hide the crack as well.

素爪ケア product

Out of curiosity,  I decided to give this product a try. I didn't have an obvious chipped nail, the chip was not obvious on camera. The chipped nail caused a bit of my nail polish to fall out. This product cost ¥950... so it should have some credibility to work... right?

I tried to zoom in on the crack, but it just showed blurriness #fail

I applied a thin layer but nothing happened... then I tried to apply a thick layer.... I waited for it to dry... for it to harden so it can form a protective layer...

Nothing.... NOTHING! There were no changes. I didn't expect a change in appearance since it was a clear coat... but it didn't repair my nail, it didn't stop the crack from getting worse. It was just... the same... as if I applied a regular top coat... the crack area wasn't protected... I could still move it around... without any effort

Such a gimmick...

Classification: Gimmick

Score: 0/10

Website: