Best Soba in Tokyo?

I'm a huge ramen head so I've tried a lot of ramen places in Tokyo. Recently I've wanted to try a really good soba place in Tokyo but I'd love to hear some suggestions. My usual go-to soba place is called Kaori-ya (in Ebisu). I randomly stumbled upon this place when wandering in Ebisu with some friends a few years back. Highly recommend their 'first trial' soba (a bit starchier than regular soba). Wait is not crazy and this place is only a 2 min walk from the Ebisu station which is a plus.

I hear Narutomi, Honmura, Yabu and even Matsugen being thrown around. Any suggestions which is a MUST try and what I must order?

big_apple_ken in Japan

2 or 3 star Michelin restaurants near our hotel Tokyo?

I did a quick google search and came up with these 2 links:

3 stars:
http://gaishoku.blogspot.com/2010/11/michelin-2011-tokyo-3-stars.html
2 stars:
http://gaishoku.blogspot.com/2010/12/michelin-2011-tokyo-2-stars.html

Consider you are staying in Shinjuku (not Shibuya) based on the 2 links your closest choices are:

Ishikawa
Japanese
Tel: 03-5225-0173 3-4 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku

Cuisine Michel Troisgros
French contemporary
Tel: 03.5321.3915 Hyatt Regency Hotel 1F, 2-7-2 Nishi-Shinjyuku , Shinjuku-ku

Although with that said a good handful of places listed in the links above you probably can reach by taking the subway for under 10 minutes.

big_apple_ken in Japan

Cantonese Restaurant Reco for Hong Kong

My favorite dim sum place in town is hands down Fook Lam Moon in Wanchai. Price is about HK$200/each for dim sum. A tad more expensive than most other local places but I think worth the money. Alternatively I also am a fan of Manor Seafood in Causeway Bay. Lunch/dim sum is quite good. Even if you don't order the roast pig there at least make sure to order the soy sauce fried noodles and scallion & ginger with oysters in claypot. Fu Sing, which you already went to, is also very good (but you already know that).

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Tokyo Trip Recap (1/9-1/10)

I don't really have any major suggestions since we cooked mainly in our lodge. We stayed right at the bottom of Hakuba Goryu and there are definitely less restaurants around here than say at Happo One. The ones people seem to suggest around us were Jankenpon (izakaya) or Pizzakaya (Italian pizza). Here's a good link:

http://www.ski-hakuba.info/skiservices/dining

Wish I could give you more suggestions but we really didn't get a chance to eat out in Hakuba.

big_apple_ken in Japan

Tokyo Trip Recap (1/9-1/10)

Thanks for the clarification Kamiosaki. The place is quite different at night then when I went there for lunch about a year ago. During lunch you mainly see Japanese salarymen. At dinner it becomes more like an izakaya and everyone is smoking/drinking there.

big_apple_ken in Japan

Tokyo Trip Recap (1/9-1/10)

So I was in Japan for the past 11 days (8 of them snowboarding up in Hakuba). Just got back home to Hong Kong. Since I had a vegetarian friend in tow I mainly stuck to eating noodles with my friend. She's just making ends meet in Tokyo so I didn't also want to break the bank and go someplace super pricey. Here's the places I went to:

1/9 - Sunday

Lunch (Butagumi) - Place was actually pretty empty when I got there with my college friend (not my vegetarian friend) at 12PM. I immediately ordered the Iberian Katsu and a Pellegrino. Made sure not to order the sampler since some people here said it's hard to cook 5 different cuts of meat better than just one. The Iberian katsu...delicious. The deep fried exterior was the lightest/crispiest I've ever eaten (definitely nothing like this in Hong Kong). The interior was super juicy with fantastic marbling. Considering I've yet to go to Maisen or anything similar I've got nothing to compare this to but it was a pretty damn fine piece of katsu. Service was wonderful

Tabelog link - http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1307/A130701/13004791/

Dinner (Bassnova) - I went here mainly because I've read Keizo's goramen blog before and my vegetarian friend is a fan of Thai food. Was a little hesitant about fusion-style ramen but I loved their Thai green curry ramen. Great balance and flavor in the soup. Noodles were thicker than normal but it works for me. I particularly liked how they used more Chinese style BBQ pork (char siu) instead of the thinly sliced pork most other ramen places use. Since we got there early I got to chat with Keizo for quite some time. Super nice dude. Bassanova is a tiny bit out of the way in Shindaita (unless you want to check out the shops in Shimo-kitazawa) but I still think it is worth the trip.

Tabelog link - http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1318/A131803/13006625/

1/10 - Monday

Lunch (Kururi) - Went here pretty late (about 2PM) so there were zero lines outside. Ordered their special miso ramen and was pretty surprised at the portion size (the amount of food was ridiculous). Overall a very good bowl of ramen. Soup was very flavorful and the noodles also had great texture. The BBQ pork was also very moist and tasty (I liked how they cut it thicker). The egg was nice and gooey inside (love it!). My only minor complaint is maybe the soup is a little too heavily seasoned since my mouth felt a little dry/thirst afterwards.

Tabelog link - http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1309/A130904/13000475/

Dinner (Ita Soba) - My first choice was actually to go to Narutomi but due to the public holiday it was closed. I've randomly came across Ita Soba in Ebisu when I was in Tokyo last Feb so it made sense to go back since it is open daily until 4:30AM (crazy I know). Not as highly rated as Narutomi but still a very well regarded soba-ya. My main draw for coming here is to eat their "first trial" soba. It comes with 2 dipping sauces. I generally like dipping my soba in the tsuyu (black soy sauce based sauce) but I was quite digging the creamy sesame dipping sauce this time around. Delicious. I also quite like their tempura but the soba is the star. I also love the soba-yu (hot soba water) you mix with the sauce afterwards and drink. Wonderful on a chilly night.

Tabelog link - http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1303/A130302/13001653/

Overall a great 2 days of eating. I'll be back in Tokyo in 6 weeks time (for about 3 days) for the Tokyo Marathon (running the 10K this year but will run the full marathon next year). Really want to try Sushi Muzutani and Narutomi. I'll also definitely will be going to Fu-unji ramen (ranked #8 in ramendb) in Shinjuku since my hotel (Century Southern Tower) is like 2 minutes away. Went there on Monday but it was closed due to the holiday. If you guys got some must-go places please let me know. I'm quite an avid food photographer so I've attached a few photos. Enjoy and thanks again for all the wonderful posts here on CH that helped my decision making on this trip.

Ken

Captions for the photos:

1) Butagumi's Iberian Katsu
2) Look at the marbling on that Iberian Katsu...
3) Bassanova's Thai Green Curry Ramen
4) Kururi's Special Miso Ramen
5) Tempura at Ita Soba
6) My favorite first-trial soba at Ita Soba

big_apple_ken in Japan

In Bangkok right now need some recommendations ASAP please.

So I've read a few Bangkok threads here on Chowhound but since this is my first time in Bangkok since 10 years ago I need a little help. The major problem I've had is I have no idea proximity wise how the restaurants are relative to my hotel (Four Seasons). Since I'm doing a trip with my parents proximity is key since they don't like to travel to far (very different when I travel myself). So far I've eaten at:

Spice Market - We got here late Tuesday night and just ate at the hotel (had complimentary coupons). Food was surprisingly quite good.

Provence Cafe - Rated by CNNGo as the best noodles in Bangkok. I mainly went here basically because it is 2 minutes away from the Four Seasons and supposedly their noodles are quite good. Soup stock was indeed good, beef was also good but I found the portion size super small (for 200 baht) and also noodles (although handmade) didn't particularly stand out for me. Good bowl of noodles but not spectacular.

Erawan Tearoom - Again about 5 minutes walk from Four Seasons Hotel and right next to Grand Hyatt. This place I highly recommend. Food was very tasty and did I mention very reasonably priced. My brother and I ordered the a la carte but my parents had the all you can eat menu for 600 baht. Standouts I had include the River Prawn in Red Curry Sauce, Crab Fried Rice and also their Fried Chicken with Salt. Definitely will be back. Their afternoon tea meal is 240 baht (ridiculously cheap for a place this nice).

Tomorrow

Zanotti 'Il Ristorante - My father really wanted to try the Italian food here so we're going there tomorrow for dinner. Heard good things and looking forward to it.

My questions mainly are:

1) Tomorrow afternoon we are going to Chinatown (Yaowarat) for lunch. Might even stop by the Flower Market. What are the places you can recommend for lunch?

2) We leave Friday back to Hong Kong. My main goal before Friday is to get a spectacular bowl of noodles before I head back. Hopefully it isn't too far away from the Four Seasons. Totally fine with a street stall but I'll need some directions on how to get there.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

big_apple_ken in China & Southeast Asia

Shanghai - Five Days. Last-minute food itinerary. Help!!

Totally right? I eat a good amount of Western food in HK (I'm Chinese born and raised in HK btw) and I found JG's brunch menu in Shanghai to be a great deal. If JG was in Hong Kong I probably would have to pay RMB $188 just for the main and not a 3 course pre-fixe menu. Glad you liked it as much as I did...

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Shanghai - Five Days. Last-minute food itinerary. Help!!

I had a handful of meals in Shanghai about 4-5 weeks ago and one I found particularly enjoyable was our brunch at Jean Georges. I completely understand coming from SF you can get western food there so you want to only eat Chinese food but I honestly thought it was a place I would go back to. Reasons being:

- The brunch platter I thought was really good (especially the french toast brioche)
- It was RMB 188 (a US$28) for brunch (really quite cheap for brunch at Jean Georges). The regular lunch menu was also RMB 188 (which also included an appetizer, main and dessert)
- Place was very comfortable and nice

Service needed a bit more work since the waiters there were not trained up to par yet. As much as I like Chinese food I thought it was nice to mix in a meal like this. No long lines and no cramped seating areas to deal with.

Here are some photos I took that day at Jean Georges:

big_apple_ken in China & Southeast Asia

Manor Seafood Restaurant / 富瑤酒家 (Fu Yao Jiu Jia) – Good Upscale Cantonese Restaurant in Causeway Bay

I was recently converted to a Manor fan after years of hearing about it over an over again here on Chowhound. Love the place. Although a lot of their famous dishes have been mentioned my favorite dish there is their ginger scallion oyster claypot dish (薑蔥石蠔煲). Favorite part of the dish? The scallions! Although the oysters are creamy and cooked to perfection I really just love eating the scallions for some reason. Could finish my pot easily by myself...haha.

big_apple_ken in China & Southeast Asia

Singapore - Best Hainanese Chicken Rice?

Went to both Yet Con and Tian Tian when I was visiting Singapore a year ago. I agree the chicken at Tian Tian isn't perfect but when dipped with the sauces I thought it was very good. Rice obviously was very good.

I only went to Yet Con cause the taxi driver (after hearing we wanted to go to Tian Tian) told us Yet Con was better and had more history. To be honest...I found the chicken rice there decent but not as good as Tian Tian.

big_apple_ken in China & Southeast Asia

Report of a short Shanghai Trip

Yes, both their brunch and regular prix fixe lunch menu is only 188 RMB. Quite a good deal.

big_apple_ken in China & Southeast Asia

Report of a short Shanghai Trip

I went to Shanghai about 2 weeks about for the weekend and also went to Jesse's Restaurant which I also agree is quite good. My friend is friends with the owner so he just prepared stuff for us (I think off the menu?). Although the crab roe with sheet jelly (fen pi) I thought was better at Xin Guang Jiu Jia on Tian Jin Road.

My best meal in Shanghai I thought was actually my brunch at Jean Georges on The Bund. I've attached a few photos from that meal. Really was quite good considering it only cost 188 RMB. It's hard to find similar quality for that price in Hong Kong (I personally feel). We also had the Sheng Jian Bao from Xiao Yang Sheng Jian on Huang He Road which was quite good but a little too greasy for breakfast. Shame we didn't get to try the Xiao Long Bao at Jia Jia also on Huang He Road (the wait was way too long for my tastes). Overall a fun trip food wise.

big_apple_ken in China & Southeast Asia

Late night HK eats in Central

I'm kind of curious what are your favorite places to eat in Central at midnight or later? Everyone seems to go to Tsui Wah or Flying Pan but I'm curious about finding some new spots. With the weather as hot as it is preference would be for places indoors (but suggest away with the dai pai dongs). Also Chinese food would be a plus although I am open to all types of food.

I've been going to Lily (in LKF Hotel) for drinks quite a bit recently and Bloom (their restaurant) has their kitchen open until like 2AM. Quite nice.

big_apple_ken in China & Southeast Asia

Traveling to HK in Sept. Need good food places!

Pretty much guarantee if the wording was close it wasn't intentional. I mainly looked at reviews from Openrice and blog entries from Peech & Jason Bon Viviant and summarized the information. The original 3 recommendations (Manor, Fu Sing and DTF) was emailed to a friend of mine visiting HK a few months back but I thought it was appropriate to repost the info.

big_apple_ken in China & Southeast Asia

Traveling to HK in Sept. Need good food places!

Is there any thing specific you are looking to eat or don't eat? Mainly Chinese or other types of cuisines? I'm personally don't about super expensive food so I'll leave the Michelin suggestions to the others. Here are a few of my picks (all are on Hong Kong Island since that is where I usually eat):

Manor Seafood Restaurant (富瑤酒家) - It's in Causeway Bay. Items you should consider ordering:

- Gold Coin Chicken (古法金錢雞): It's actually a 'sandwich' with a filling of BBQ pork, lean pork and chicken liver
- Flower Crab Steamed with Chicken Fat and Huadiao Wine (雞油花雕蒸蟹): I heard you can ask them to mix the leftover sauce with some e-fu noodles (伊麵) as well.
- Signature Stir-Fried Noodles with Soy Sauce (招牌豉油皇炒麵)
- Deep-Fried Cubes of Eggplant With Salty Egg Yolk (咸蛋黃茄子粒)
- Oysters with Ginger and Scallion (姜葱焗蠔) or Abalone with Ginger and Scallion (姜葱鮑魚煲): Both these dishes are cooked in claypots and sizzling hot.

English reviews:

http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=18733

Fu Sing (富聲魚翅海鮮酒家) - It's in Wanchai. Items you should consider ordering:

- BBQ Pork (和哥义燒): They are famous for the BBQ pork here. A must order.
- Chinese Lettuce with Home-made Shrimp Paste in Hot Pot (蝦醬生菜煲)
- Braised OX tail in Red Wine (紅酒炆牛尾)
- Fried Crystal Noodle (干燒粉絲煲)

English reviews:

http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=13169

Ding Tai Fung (鼎泰豐) - I prefer the one in Tsim Sha Tsui. Pretty good simple Taiwanese/Shanghai food. Items you should consider ordering:

- Xiao Long Bao (小籠包)
- Meat and Vegetable Bun (菜肉包)
- Hot and Sour Soup (酸辣湯)
- Dan Dan Noodles (台式擔擔撈麵)
- Egg & Pork Fried Rice (排骨蛋抄飯)
- Almond Tofu Fa (杏仁豆腐花)

English Reviews:

http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=21002

Other places you should consider trying:

Tonkichi Tonkatsu Seafood (丼吉日本吉列專門店餐廳) - Super odd I would suggest a Japanese place in Hong Kong but their tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet) is quite awesome. This place is in Causeway Bay. They have multiple cuts of pork but personally I prefer their pork loin set lunch.

English Reviews:

http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=5182

Tai Cheong Bakery (泰昌餅家) - No trip to Hong Kong would be complete without trying the local egg tart. This place is in Central. Generally there are 2 kinds: a one with shortbread/pie crust (Western version) and a flaky multi-layer crust (Chinese version). Personally I prefer the western version and Tai Cheong is pretty much the best in the business at it. The important thing is to get a hot egg tart (and not a cold one).

English Reviews:

http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=5522

Wai Kee (清真惠記) - Another dirt cheap place for lunch. This place is in Wanchai inside a wet market. They basically only have 2 standout dishes: roast duck over rice and lamb curry over rice. Both are great.

English Reviews:

http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=10049

Lan Fong Yuen (蘭芳園): If you are wandering around Central and need a snack go to this dai pai dong (大牌檔). Dai pai dongs basically means a Chinese open air food stall. Although they are famous for a few things I just order their pork chop bun. It might look sad visually (like a smushed burger) but it is very tasty.

English Reviews:

http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=1814

Sing Heung Yuen (勝香園) - Another go to dai pai dong in Central. My favorite dish here is their "chui chui" (脆脆) with condensed milk. Basically their chui chui is a Chinese style of toast. Sweet and delicious.

English Reviews:

http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=10577

Coffee Assembly (咖啡會館) - I'm not a coffee person but whenever I want to bring my friends to a good chill coffee place Coffee Assembly is the place I go to. This place is in Central (Soho). Coffee is good and the place feels like you are sitting in someone's living room.

English Reviews:

http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=20740

big_apple_ken in China & Southeast Asia

Hong Kong Disneyland

Actually Crystal Lotus (the Chinese restaurant at Disneyland HK) has some really interesting looking dim sum. Check out a few of these photos:

Vegetable and Pork Bun
http://static1.openrice.com.hk/UserPhoto/photo/1/1A5/00944237F6067EDD7F3CD4l.jpg

Chicken Dumpling
http://static4.openrice.com.hk/UserPhoto/photo/1/1A5/009444377051088D567CA6l.jpg

Gold Fish Dumpling
http://static3.openrice.com.hk/UserPhoto/photo/1/1A5/00944126F5725A643FF006m.jpg

Really creative looking dim sum!

big_apple_ken in China & Southeast Asia

food for Southern expats in HK

The only place that serves Southern food in Hong Kong is Magnolia (http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=38360). The review there is written by me. I've been to the South before in the US and had quite a bit of Southern/Creole/Cajun food when I lived in NYC. Their chef/owner is from the South. The only minor issue I would assume is the price for Magnolia. Since it is a private kitchen everyone pays HK$400-450 ($US50-60) for dinner and everyone at the table (about 20) shares 10-15 set courses together. Don't worry, you'll get a bit of everything. Not every dish will be great but the gumbo, ribs and pecan pie are my favorite. If your sister is ok with the pricing she should make a reservation (they are only open Thursday, Friday & Saturday).

As for Tex Mex...that might be hard. There are definitely a handful of Tex Mex places in town but for me most of them serve 'Mexican' food similar to stuff you would get at chain restaurant (TGI Fridays, Applebees etc). Authentic Tex Mex is practically non-existent Hong Kong. I did try this Mr Taco Truck (http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=41707) which serves SoCal style Mexican food. The review at the bottom of the page is mine. They flew in their Mexican chef from California so the food is 'authentic'. Their tortilla needs a little bit of work (even though handmade I find them a little on the dry side) but overall I would say it is 'somewhat' close to the Mexican food I've had in SoCal. Food is cheap for HK standards (about HK$16/US$2) for a taco but a thing I would note is their erratic opening hours. Since they just opened about 1-2 months ago they are still making lots of operational changes. Tell you sister to join their Facebook fan page (http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/Mr-Taco-Truck/258135860348?ref=ts) since they post up their hours every week. I just wouldn't want your sister going there and finding out it is closed for the day.

One word of caution is I wouldn't hold super high expectations going to either place. The food is pretty good but you have to understand it is like trying to find an authentic Cantonese restaurant in the deep south. You might find something 'close' but it's not going to be 100% authentic since they tailor it towards the local palette as well. Hope this helps.

big_apple_ken in China & Southeast Asia

Din Tai Fung in Hong Kong

As I mentioned above my buddy who went to DTF in Shanghai, Taipei, Hong Kong, Tokyo and LA all in the span of 2-3 weeks says the same. He says he rates Taipei as #1 but he thinks Hong Kong is pretty close up there. Shanghai and Tokyo is a slight step down below that and LA is the worst out of the bunch. Not surprised.

I was actually staying in Shinjuku (Tokyo) 2 weeks ago and our hotel was just right across the street from DTF. Wanted to bring my American friends there but honestly we had way too much eating in hole-in-wall places in Tokyo.

big_apple_ken in China & Southeast Asia

Singapore: Which Hawker Center?

I probably recommend the ION mall as well. Lots to see and do. If you are serious though about going to a hawker center I think you should give Maxwell Hawker Center a go (about 15-20 minutes away from Orchard St by cab). I tried their Hainanese Chicken Rice there from Tian Tian (stall #28) and I want to say it is the best Chicken Rice I've had in Singapore. IMO better than Boon Tong Kee and way cheaper than Chatterbox (in the Mandarin). Cost of the awesome Chicken Rice? SG$3.5 which is about US$2. Such a great deal.

big_apple_ken in China & Southeast Asia

very late night eats in HK

Hey redheads,

There is actually a thread just a little further down that asks pretty much the exact same question you are asking:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/691578

Hope this helps!

big_apple_ken in China & Southeast Asia

Din Tai Fung in Hong Kong

I guess I am not too surprised considering the Din Tai Fung name is quite famous is Asia now. One of my friends recently traveled from the US to Asia and went to Din Tai Fung in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Japan....the proceeded to hit up Ding Tai Fung when he landed back in LA (all in a matter of 2-3 weeks). He is definitely a Din Tai Fung fanboy! Haha!

Although when I go to Taipei I do think about going to Din Tai Fung for their xiao long bao and chicken soup but personally I can't stand waiting over 30 minutes for a table...

big_apple_ken in China & Southeast Asia

Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong: so is it worth the wait?

Couldn't agree more with Peech...

big_apple_ken in China & Southeast Asia

Din Tai Fung in Hong Kong

Although I prefer the original restaurant in Taipei I wouldn't say the branch restaurants are 'worse' per say. In a way it's like comparing apples and oranges. I like the xiao long bao of the original shop mainly because I find their filling is chopped finer and also the pork is more 'porky'. The Hong Kong branch I think serves food that is more subtle in flavor (which caters more to HK people's palette) versus Taiwan which I feel the flavor is more robust. A few of my HK friends has said they feel the xiao long bao at their HK branch is more 'delicate' which apparently is more to their liking.

As long as you are ordering their signature dishes they are pretty much solid in every Din Tai Fung branch I have been to.

big_apple_ken in China & Southeast Asia

Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong: so is it worth the wait?

That is a good point PeterL. Technically speaking you don't have to physically stand outside for 2 hours and go shopping nearby. Although, unless you truly have something to do in the area...technically speaking...you are still killing time before you eat at Tim Ho Wan.

big_apple_ken in China & Southeast Asia

Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong: so is it worth the wait?

I can be flat out honest and say the food is not worth the wait. The dim sum by most standards is quite good (although lately I keep hearing they are dropping in quality) but is it worth waiting 2+ hours? The flat out answer is no. If the wait was 30 minutes...maybe...but it's ridiculous the amount of time they ask their customers to wait.

There are plenty of comparable if not better dim sum places in Hong Kong. Places such as Lei Garden, Fu Sing, Fook Lam Mun are all very good (although they are a tad pricier).

big_apple_ken in China & Southeast Asia

Eating in Rusutsu, Hokkaido

So I'm going to be there for 11 days start this coming Saturday. I'll be staying at the resort but I'm hoping I won't be stuck just eating food purely at the resort. Anyone know what other yummy options there are nearby? Thanks!

big_apple_ken in Japan

Going to Tokyo. Need some recommendations.

Considering they are my close friends it's going to be hard to 'ditch' them per say. I've eaten with them many times in the US and sure it's sometimes not the easiest but I know we make compromises on both sides. They are not hyper vigilant vegetarians.

As for seating issues...I've thought about that. My group size will actually be 6 people (myself included) so it might not be the easiest seating all of us in those super small Japanese restaurants. Oh well, guess we'll work something out.

big_apple_ken in Japan

Going to Tokyo. Need some recommendations.

Hmm...maybe then we'll skip the chanko nabe package and just tour the practice ourselves. Plus it chanko nabe might be a slight issue for my vegetarian friends since everyone is cooked in the same pot.

My 2 friends - one is technically a pescetarianism although he seems to eat fish very rarely. My other friend is more hardcore vegetarian (she hasn't had any real meat in 10-15+ years) but from my understanding she is has been to Japan recently (she is moving there immediately after our trip) and loves eating udon/ramen in Japan which is a little strange since the stock is usually made with pork or fish. I guess she'll adjust accordingly.

big_apple_ken in Japan