Snapshots from Tonight’s Dinner

"Duck and Foie Gras Sushi" Austin, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2, 1/50 sec, ISO6400
“Duck and Foie Gras Sushi” Austin, 2019
"Shishamo" Austin, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2, 1/50 sec, ISO6400
“Shishamo” Austin, 2019
"Sushi Roll" Austin, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2, 1/70 sec, ISO6400
“Sushi Roll” Austin, 2019
"Busy Restaurant" Austin, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2, 1/125 sec, ISO4000
“Busy Restaurant” Austin, 2019
"Mini-Ramen" Austin, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2, 1/60 sec, ISO6400
“Mini-Ramen” Austin, 2019

Ramen and a Movie

"Jinya Ramen" Austin, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO2500
“Jinya Ramen” Austin, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going? Today was a day of leisure, with a little bit of DIY at home. Everyone slept in late today except for me, since I tend to wake up pretty early even on the weekends. But I enjoy having my morning coffee and watching YouTube or drawing before the rest of the family wakes up.

For some reason, Koa asked to have “real” ramen this weekend so we decided to check out a ramen restaurant that we haven’t been to before. It was just myself and my two sons together today since Mariko was out at a lunch party, and then off to a girls’ movie night. So it was boys’ day and that began at Jinya Ramen Bar. I’ve heard mixed reviews of this restaurant, but Mariko said the one ramen that she had was good so I was excited to try. She did mention that the other ramen that her friends ordered were not good, and I’ve heard similar reviews from native Japanese.

We each got different types of ramen, plus a side of gyoza and fried chicken. I’d have to say the ramen was just ok. Not bad, but definitely not one to recommend when there are better ramen places in Austin. But, I’m glad we checked it out so that we know where it stands compared to other places!

After lunch, we returned home and Koa and I took apart Mariko’s Kitchenaid Epicurean stand mixer to clean out the old grease and relubricate it. That was a messy job, but it went without a hitch. DIY mission accomplished!

To finish off the day, we went to see Solo: A Star Wars Story. I thought it was great! So many cool tie-ins to the original trilogy and I loved the action. The story was pretty good too, and we finally get to see the spice mines of Kessel and the famed Kessel Run, which is definitely not what I was expecting. After a disappointing (to me at least) Last Jedi, I was hoping to like Solo, and I was not disappointed! I can’t wait for the next Solo movie.

"At the Theater" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.5, 1/17 sec, ISO6400
“At the Theater” Cedar Park, 2018

I hope you had a nice Saturday!

またね~

Ramen Lunch

"Ramen Lunch" Austin, 2017
Photo info: Motorola Moto G (4), 3.64mm, f/2, 1/30 sec, ISO400
“Ramen Lunch” Austin, 2017

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Well, the weather is finally starting to get cooler here in Austin, and that means it is time for cold-weather food. One perfect dish is ramen. Actually, it’s a great dish to have in the summer too. :)

Today’s photo is of a bowl of shoyu ramen from Ramen Tatsu-ya, which is a great little restaurant in North Austin. Highly recommended! It’s a very rich broth, so if you like it lighter, I’d recommend other places, but for a hearty ramen, it’s hard to beat this one.

I hope you had a great day!

またね~

Ramen and Wrong Shipment

"Tamago Transfer" Austin, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/30 sec, ISO3200
“Tamago Transfer” Austin, 2017

Hi there! So today, Koa and I treated ourselves to a Japanese lunch of sushi and ramen! It was so good… we haven’t had Japanese food in a while since Mariko and Bay left for Japan. In the photo above, you can see the “tamago transfer” where Koa gives me his hard-boiled egg. He doesn’t like them in his ramen, so I get double. 😁

In other news, I was eagerly expecting a new fountain pen to use with some blue ink I ordered. When I opened the package, the ink was there, but there was another strange-looking box. I knew I was buying a cheap Chinese pen from a suspicious Amazon.com seller, but I didn’t expect them to package it in box that says “MissKiss Eyelash”.

"Strange Box" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: Motorola Moto G (4), 3.64mm, f/2, 1/30 sec, ISO250
“Strange Box” Cedar Park, 2017

And when I opened the box, sure enough, it was a pair of fake eyelashes… 😠

"Fake Lashes" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: Motorola Moto G (4), 3.64mm, f/2, 1/30 sec, ISO320
“Fake Lashes” Cedar Park, 2017

So I left a poor rating for the seller on Amazon.com and returned the eyelashes. That Chinese pen non-transaction left a bad taste in my mouth… consequently, I’ll not be trying to reorder it, but instead go with another more reputable brand, from a less-suspicious seller.

I hope you had a good day!