Tsuke-men in Matsudo 「松戸市の美味しいつけ麺」

Char-siu at Tonikaku　「兎に角」のチャーシューつけ麺

Have you ever tried Tsuke-men? It's Ramen with the noodles separated from the soup (dashi). You drag noodles, alittle bit at a time, into the soup bowl as you eat. The soup is less diluted than the soup in regular Ramen (more intense flavor) so you don't drink or sip the soup (until the end when, if you like, you can ask for some hot water to thin it out). The first time I ever tried it, I couldn't get over the strangeness of the noodles being in a separate bowl. Now though, I prefer Tsuke-men to Ramen. One reason is, the noodles seems to be a bit heavier than the ones used in Ramen (usually, depends on the place). Since my husband loves Ramen and researches alot of Ramen/Tsuke-men restaurants, we go about once a week out to one of our favorite places or to try a new place. I have become a bit of a connoisseur.

In the last 2 weeks we have tried Tsuke-men at 2 different restaurants near Matsudo station in Chiba. Both were quite good! Give them a try if you ever are around Matsudo station.

Tonikaku
This place seats about 8 or so people and looks like a couple is running it. It is very clean inside. The soup (dashi) is light to medium, not fatty. It has a little bit of a spicy after taste, just right. The noodles were good too. Their Char-siu wasn't too fatty (I won't eat the real fatty kind). I look forward to eating there again someday, it was definitely above average and worth the 15 minutes or so wait to be seated. Plus, this place had the best music! Lots of late 70's hits. Got me in a great mood! It was a delicious and fun lunch. They are open 11:30 am to 2:00 pm and 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm every day except Monday (closed on Mondays) and open only for lunch from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm on Sundays, Thursdays and holidays .

UPDATE:
Tonikaku has a new location just 2 streets over from it's
previous location. The address is:
Nemoto 462, 1st floor
Matsudo-City
047-361-4667

Front of Tonikaku, brand new location

Tsuke-men at Tonikaku　「兎に角」のつけ麺

Tomita
This place makes their own noodles and boy are they GOOD! They are thick and like 'al dente' style. Very unusual and very good! The soup had a bit more fat in it than I prefer but it wasn't overwhelming. I wouldn't be able to eat it so often but it's ok for every now and then. The soup's flavor was delicious, I detected a bit of garlic but not sure. The Char-siu was WAY too fatty for me. There is barely any meat on it at all (see the close up photo I took). I gave all my Char-siu to my husband. There was a pretty good size cue and we had to wait around 20 minutes, but the staff was very organized and took our order before we got in so that once we were seated, the food came right away. As I said, I don't know how often I would eat here, because I prefer alittle less fat but those noodles were some of the best I've ever had. They are open everyday except Wednesdays (closed on Wednesday) from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm.

Front of restaurant Tomita　「とみ田」の外観

Tsuke-men at Tomita　「とみ田」のつけ麺

Char-siu at Tomita　「とみ田」のチャーシューつけ麺

Recipe for Lanikai Style Pineapple Gazpacho 「ラニカイスタイルのパナップル・ガズパッチョのレシピー」

I saw this recipe on the internet recently, someone from Hawaii offered it up for us all to try. Would you like to try it with me? I haven't yet, so if you try it, let me know what you think about it!

I love the first picture of the food tray with the Mokuluas in the background (two islands called Moku Nui and Moku Iki). The Mokuluas are my favorite thing to see when I am on Oahu. I sure miss sitting on Lanikai beach when I see this picture.

Adjacent to Lanikai is Kailua Beach (to the left of the Mokuluas) and from there you can see another piece of land that looks like an island off shore. It is actually not an island. It is Mokapu Peninsula, which is where the Marine Corps Base Hawaii is located (so it is closed to civilians).

You can see the Mokapu Peninsula in the background of the photo of me with the red Mazda RX8. We rented that car for one day and then took some pictures down by the sand at Kailua Beach (there is a launching ramp for small boats there).

Have fun with the recipe! Aloha.....

Lanikai Style Pineapple Gazpacho

2 cups chopped fresh pineapple
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 chopped yellow bell pepper (yellow Paprika)
1 chopped orange or red bell pepper (orange or red Paprika)
½ cup chopped onion (Tama negi)
1 medium chopped cucumber (Japanese Kyuri ok)
2 cans tomato juice, each can 11.5 oz./340 ml (or V8 brand vegetable juice)
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh ginger (Shoga)
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
1-2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
Juice of one small lime
½ to 1 cup chopped cilantro (Coriander) leaves, according to taste/as you like
¼ cup olive oil

Use a large bowl or similar container for the gazpacho soup.

Cut up the pineapple and chop (just use the soft fruit, do not use the hard core/center).

Next, chop the bell peppers (Paprika), onion, cucumber, and tomatoes, into small pieces (approximately 1/4 inch or so - less than 1cm) and place in the bowl.

Pour 2 cans of V8 juice or tomato juice in the same bowl. Add the chopped garlic and sea salt.

Chop the ginger real small, it is hot when it is raw and in this recipe, it replaces the spicy chiles that are typically used in Spanish style gazpacho. So remember that a little goes a long way.

Add the remaining ingredients and refrigerate a few hours or overnight. The flavors will marinate and become mellow.

Serve this gazpacho soup cold in small bowl and garnish with chopped cilantro.

To make a shrimp cocktail using this Gazpacho, just add some cooked, chilled shrimps and serve in a tall glass. I think I will like it this way best.

Some interesting trivia about Pineapple:

Pineapples contain the enzyme bromelain. Bromelain aids in digestion as it breaks down proteins.

Bromelain is an anti-inflammatory and can help with sprains, strains and muscle injuries as well as swelling, bruising, healing of wounds and minor operations. Some claim it will even help with arthritis.

Pineapple is rich in minerals such as Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium as well as Vitamin C and many amino acids. It is also low in calories.

Pineapple is a natural diuretic.

Pineapples are good for your oral health.

Pineapple juice can be used to tenderize meats.

Choose the only fresh fruit because it has the most healing properties. Unfortunately, most of the bromelain in canned pineapple is destroyed due to the heat used in the canning process.

The most important factor in determining ripeness of a pineapple is smell, let your nose help you decide. Ripe pineapples give off a sweet, fresh tropical smell. Avoid pineapples that give off an unpleasant odor or have any soft spots or areas of dark discoloration. Once home, let the pineapple sit on your counter at room temperature until ready to use.

Daisy Can Sit! 「デイジー、お座り」

Today Daisy learned to sit. She is very food motivated! It took 30 minutes to get a consistent 'sit'. Then she was happily sitting all day for treats and toys. I hope she will remember it tomorrow! I think she is a fast learner for only 13 weeks old. Enjoy the video.

Daisy's New Bed 「デイジーのベッド購入」

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　何見てんんねんっ！？」って感じ....
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　「んっ？何っ何っ？」

Daisy got her first bed yesterday. She knew right away what it was for like she has had it for years. It is a bit tempting to chew on though, but I guess that is just what puppies do. Thankfully, 3 days of rigorous concentrated efforts to stop the hand biting seems to be working. Wow, nothing like puppy teeth! Like putting your hand in the mouth of a shark! We hope by the end of this week our hands and other body parts will be completely safe.

A Lolo (crazy) Puppy 「ビーグルがやって来た！」

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　カメラ目線のデイジー

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　んっ？　虫？！

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　可哀想なウルトラマン.....

Well, we have gone and done it. Ken finally broke down and got me a puppy. You know that old saying, 'be careful what you ask for'? I have had bronchitis this past week (yes again, 3rd time in 5 months) and it's been tough with a new puppy in the house. Maybe we are the ones who are lolo (not the puppy).

She is actually very good for 12 weeks but she is just a puppy and full of energy. She is a "Lemon" colored Beagle, so far, no howling. I hear that is mostly when they are lonely, just incase anyone in addition to my mother wants to let me know they are famous for this. Mom sent us the cutest little puppy travel set already.

Her name is Daisy. First we thought of Ipo (Hawaiian for 'sweetheart') but she didn't seem to respond very well to that. I also thought of Lulu Aina because of her markings, or Makamae a Hawaiian favorite doggie name, but then after a few days she reminded me of a daisy's color (the flower). Also my mom reminded me that my great grandmother Eva Williams had a dog named Daisy. She responds right away when you say 'Daisy!'. The pronunciation in Japan should be ok too. So I think officially her name will be Daisy Ipo.

Enlarge the middle picture and look what pretty blonde eyelashes she has, they're so cute!