Canal City was an ideal place to go for mouth-watering ramen. It houses Ichiran Ramen, a Japanese ramen chain originating in Fukuoka, which is considered to be one of the best shops to eat tonkotsu ramen in Japan.
After buying our tickets at the machine outside the shop, Tweety and I walked in and noted the individual seating booths, with each station accompanied by a curtain that separated the customer from the staff. I loved the idea of having minimal to no interaction with staff, customers, and even my fellow friend. Simply being in the moment with my food, in silence, was a very pleasant eating experience. In fact, for an introvert like myself, it would’ve constituted my ideal eating venue.
Once seated, I handed my ticket to the staff member — whose face was anonymous — and then proceeded to filling out a form where I was asked to check off how I preferred my dish: from mild to spicy, from a pinch of garlic gloves to whole ones, and from soft to firm noodles. I could also save some broth for a second serving of noodles if I was still hungry. I was full of course, but I felt unbelievably satisfied — it was one of the most delicious dishes I had eaten in Japan.
After having ramen for lunch, we walked on and stumbled upon the Moomin Bakery & Cafe. THE MOOOOMIN CAFE! I wish words could do my feelings justice because when I saw it that day, I died; rainbows, stars, and unicorns returned and began circling my head. I mean, look at the big snout of this hippo family — so friggin’ cute I couldn’t deal with my emotions.
I had discovered the cafe a few years ago here on WordPress when I saw a photo of a lovely young woman sitting with a fluffy plush. “I’ve got to go there!” I thought to myself excitedly. Whether the cafe was created to accompany lonely souls, those seeking company when dining alone, or just for the sake of creativity and ingenuity, I loved it regardless — I thought it was darn adorable. It’s not like I don’t dine with my stuffed animals at home anyway, so this idea wasn’t new to me. Move along, friends, move along…
That day, we had already had lunch, so while Tweety was ordering ice cream, I sat on the bench outside the jam-packed cafe and happily observed the commotion inside. Adamant about dining with Moomin, we then made a pact to return the following morning for breakfast. (Bless her heart for putting up with my wild obsession with Moomin.) The food was subpar, but who are we kidding? I came here for the fluffy experience — and a fluffy experience it was.
toumemoir 