Food: The Ramen Burger on Conan

ramenburgercocoI get hungry just watching this.   Team Coco gets to eat new foody fad – the Ramen Burger by Chef Keizo Shimamoto.  Chef Shimamoto created his own style of ramen noodles  to go with a beef patty.

Video Link:  Conan – Ramen Burger with Chef Keizo Shimamoto.

 

Food: The Unique Irish Food Truck in the Bronx

chippertruck

I’m just hungry watching this clip in my cubicle.  Here is the husband and wife team of Valentino and Alice and their Irish-mix-mash food truck in Woodland, New York.  It’s all about late-night comfort food.

[Read more…]

Munchies Guide to Scotland Parts 1-5

munchiesscotlandFrom reading my past postings on Retrenders, I’m itching to travel again and just watching this Munchies Guide to Scotland is not only making me hungry to travel, but I really need to try these two drinks: Buckfast and Irn-Bru.

[Read more…]

Food: The Ultimate Churros

churrosWhen I lived in LA, you could not escape the sights and smells of churros and those amazing bacon wrapped hot dogs from the street vendors.  These food items would hit the spot after the bars and clubs let it out or when you had that 1am in the morning food craving.  And yes, I’m a fan of a good churro and it looks like I got to head to NYC for this tasty snack.

[Read more…]

Hungry for Recipes: Groot Cupcakes

grootcupcakes

The character Groot has been a fan favorite this past summer movie season, and now you can learn how to make your own cute Groot cupcakes.

[Read more…]

Edible LEGOS by Akihiro Mizuuchi

chocolegocoverWhat is not to like about this?  Now you can build something with these functional LEGO bricks or just eat them.  These chocolate bricks were designed by artist Akihiro Mizuuchi.

[Read more…]

Jpop Summit & Ramen Festival 2014

jpop summit logoThe Ramen crew attends the annual Jpop Summit Festival in SF Japantown and Union Square.  The festival celebrates not just the genre of Jpop music, but also anime, manga, cosplay, and Japanese culture.  Also this year, they introduced the Ramen Festival this year which packed-in the crowds.

 

The Quest for Ramen

We recently visited San Francisco’s Japantown last weekend for the J-Pop Summit & Ramen Yokocho Festivals. I’ve got to say, out of all the events at Japantown this year, this was by far the busiest.

Day 1 – Saturday, July 19
Saturday kicked off the festivities and, the second we arrive, all we see is a large mass of people; the event was just super packed it was nearly impossible to get around. Attendance was definitely not an issue at this show – the turnout was through the roof. On top of the J-pop and Japanese culture festivities, there was the Ramen Yokocho Festival going on so we decided to get some from the food booths outside but we soon learned that the line to get a bowl of  ramen was a 3 hour wait! We absolutely did not want to wait that long so we thought of doing the smart alternative and just have ramen at one of the restaurants within the Japantown mall. Unfortunately, our plan had a big flaw – it turns out everyone else had the same idea which made it extremely difficult to get food anywhere. Lines for every restaurant went out the door and the only place we were able to get food with no crazy long line was across the street away from the mall and the sea of people. We decided to eat at a Korean restaurant named Arang where the wait was pleasantly normal. After finally having eaten we just spent the rest of the day scoping out what else the festival had to offer. The foot traffic was still bad outside on the street so, instead of dealing with the crowd, we decided to hang indoors in the west mall and check out the booths there. After checking out the awesome artist booths in there, we noticed that the amount of people outside had lessened considerably, so we went back out and checked out the booths that were set up on Post Street, which consisted of vendors like Kusopop, Lokisa, and a number of other cool dealers. After an exhausting day, we ducked into Daiso, picked up a few snacks, and called it a day. Sadly we never got ramen today but there’s always tomorrow.

ramenfestival

[Read more…]

How Ramen Noodles Are Made :)

ramenfestivalGreat timing, our Ramen crew today will be at the Jpop Summit Festival here in San Francisco’s Japantown and will also be at the Ramen Street Festival for some yummy ramen eating fun.  Here’s a look at how ramen noodles are made.

 

Food & Music in SF’s Mission District

djovereasyCelebrate food and music in this happy and trippy music video.  By the musician/teacher DJ Overeasy.  He records the sights and sounds of San Francisco’s Mission District and mixes it up to give us “Mission Foodiez”.

[Read more…]

The Search for General Tso

searchgeneralchickenAnother documentary that is on my watch list and is now hitting the film festival circuit is “The Search for General Tso” by filmmaker Ian Cheney.  If you been to any Chinese restaurant in America you will find some-type of “General Tso” chicken dish.  This dish is unheard in native China, a typical Chinese-American dish like Egg Rolls and Beef & Broccoli.  This documentary tries to find the origins and effects of “General Tso” chicken.

[Read more…]

Luxury Food Packaging

eggs by versace

Eggs by Versace

Around the world over, many consumers like to buy “luxury brands” and it says many things about our consumer buying culture.  Artist/Designer Peddy Mergui takes at look at trend with his “Wheat is Wheat is Wheat” exhibition at the Museum of Craft & Design San Francisco.  The art series focuses on “What If” high-end companies made regular food item packaging.

flour by prada

Flour by Prada

[Read more…]

Hungry for Recipes: Sweet Potato Sliders & BBQ Turkey

sweetpotatoturkeyslidersI have two fellow Retrenders bloggers that are health freaks namely Johnny Moreno and Kelly Ann Brooke, and yeah I’m calling you guys out.  They always tell I’m eating way too much carbs, or don’t eat this, don’t eat that, or you can cook this or that!  Okay, I get the message.  Simple and quick – the Sweet Potato Sliders & BBQ Turkey.

[Read more…]

Viral Video Friday: Cadbury Passport Control

cadburyCadbury maybe known for their Easter-time chocolate eggs, but this Cadbury ad will make you dance and buy some Cadbury chocolate snacks.

[Read more…]

South Korean Eating Voyeurism

cnn the divaIn South Korea, the hot trend is watching people eat online.  Park Seo-Yeon aka The Diva has several thousand viewers tuning-in to watch her eat delicious yummy meals and she reportedly makes around $9,000USD a month.  Am I in the wrong business.

[Read more…]

Hungry for Recipes: Roy Choi’s Simple but Perfect Instant Ramen Dish

roy choi ramen noodlesWho hasn’t had instant ramen?  You are definitely missing out if you haven’t had it.  Well-known chef Roy Choi has perfected his instant ramen dish and it’s simple to make.  And the secret ingredient is:  American cheese.

http://vimeo.com/79105938

[Read more…]

Welcome to NINJA NEW YORK

While we enjoyed NYCC by day we ended up dining at NINJA NEW YORK by night.

Ninja New York Restaurant -RetrendersOur host of Ramen’s other Half, Jonelle Marie, shares her first impression of fine dining in Tribeca’s one-of-a-kind Ninja New York Restaurant!
While there, we were looking for that secret door – you know, the one you would open and discover the artistry of Ninja acrobatic sword fighting and trickery like a James Bond flick, but it was impossible.  The place was a maze and when we asked to take us to your leader, they sent us numerous of Ninja PR henchmen to divert us from straight answers about what laid behind the echoing walls of their zigzagging cave-like paths that only Batman would appreciate. Though mystified by their stories, we had one of the most entertaining dining night outs I’ve had in a long time.

I would have to say Ninja New York is one of the most entertaining and delightful places to dine if you’re looking for fun and hearty authentic Japanese cuisine food. And you’re almost guaranteed not to have a dull moment from your first step in and out of this place!

Making Food Fun for Kids

making food funIt can be very hard making your kids eat everything off their plate and with all the other daily distractions in life, but food artist Samantha Lee can probably make your kids eat everything off the plate while having fun.

[Read more…]

Japan Only: Butt Pudding (Crayon Shin-Can)

shin-canFrom the Japanese manga series by Yoshito Usui comes the Crayon Shin-Can butt-shaped edible pudding.  The dessert kit comes with DIY instructions and when you’re done you can eat Shin-Can’s twerking butt.

[Read more…]

Make Your Nerdy Cookies & Sweets!

Dragon Ball Z Creme Brulee Cakeballs

Dragon Ball Z Creme Brulee Cakeballs

Star Trek Insignia Cookies

Star Trek Insignia Cookies

totoro

Totoro French Macaroon

Here are some summer fun projects for fanboys and fangirls with nerdy cook Rosanna Pansino.  From Star Trek Cookies to  Star Wars Light Saber Popsicles, watch the videos and start making the nerdy goodies!

[Read more…]

Food: The Hybrid – Cronut!

cronut 00This donut is wildly popular in NYC, introducing the “Cronut” by pastry chef Dominique Ansel.  The donut uses croissant-like dough and then is fried and filled with vanilla cream.  You can find this tasty treat in New York City at the Dominique Ansel Bakery.

[Read more…]

Cut Food by Beth Galton

cut food 00

Photographer Beth Galton takes some amazing food pics with this series – “Cut Food”.  A cup of ramen noodles, donuts, eggs, corn dog, ice cream all cut in half.

cut food 01 [Read more…]

Ramen Burger

ramen burgersFast food Japanese burger spot LOTTERIA with the help of ramen restaurant Menya Musashi will introduce the ramen burger for a limited time.  The burger contains ramen noodles of course, BBQ pork in a brown sauce, hamburger buns and fish sauce.  If you’re in Japan, this ramen burger will be on sale until June 2013.

[Read more…]

Viral Video Friday: The Science of Coffee

Dunkin' Donuts Coffee

It’s all about creating the perfect cup of coffee and I admit I had a $25.00USD cup of coffee.  It was very good indeed, but I’m not a coffee snob.  I rather go enjoy a cup of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee.  Check this NPR’s Science Friday feature on coffee.

Mickey D’s Car Cup Holder for French Fries!

french fries cup holderIn Japan, when you order an extra value meal with large fries, Mickey D customers will get a free cup holder that holds the yummy French Fries for your car dashboard.  It’s only available in Japan and through the end of May 2013.

[Read more…]