Love at first bite

It's an understatement to say I hate queueing. Which is why I'd long ignored the tremendously popular noodle bar Ichi-Ban Boshi. But today there were only a few hungry punters waiting and curiosity overcame impatience. While my gluttonous instinct in Japanese restaurants is to favour lunchbox combos, this joint is renowned for its ramen, so that's what I requested. Chilli prawn wonton ramen. I paid two Oxford scholars to add marinated bamboo shoots from the list of extra toppings and they were a winner. The soup was sizeable and not too spicy (with chilli oil rather than fresh stuff or flakes). Floating in it were half a dozen meaty parcels and plenty of greens (seaweed, spinach, spring onions, a different seaweed?). There was a mass of noodles underneath and the broth (pork and sesame seed, I believe) was good to the last slurp. It was worth all the water I subsequently drank to dilute the salt and, damn it, it was worth the queueing.


Listening: "Permission To Land" (2003) and "One Way Ticket To Hell...And Back" (2005) by The Darkness, "Magic And Loss" (1992) by Lou Reed.
Reading: "New Mutants - Back To School" (2005) by Lots O'People.
Watching on deev: The likeable cartoon characters of "Role Models" (2008) and the realistically reprehensible quartet of "Closer" (2004).
Watching on teev: "Cracking The Maya Code".

Thanks for those - in order - go to my collection, ditto, ditto, Amazon US, Universal, the Ks and ABC1.