I used to work as a programmer back in the U.S.
But I quit and moved to Japan to make ramen.
I always loved ramen, even when I was in the US.
I had a ramen blog, and would come to Japan once in a while to seek out good ramen.
I eventually realized that I wanted to do something bigger with ramen.
I'm Keizo Shimamoto.
I'm the manager of a ramen restaurant called Bassanova.
I'm actually not Japanese.
My ancestry is Japanese,
but I'm a second-generation Japanese-American born and raised in the States.
Ramen is like people.
Just as how there are different types of people in the world,
there are also many different kinds of ramen.
Even the same kind of ramen tastes different when different people make it.
The personality of the cook goes into the bowl.
You can do anything with ramen.
There are no rules. Nothing's set in stone.
There's nothing you can't do.
Nothing at all.
Anything is possible.
We use flat noodles for the green curry noodle.
They're semi-thick.
It's a Thai-style Japanese ramen.
But our green curry noodle differs from regular Thai green curry.
We mix the flavors of Japan, of fish, with green curry.
This is our green curry noodle.
Even people who can't handle regular Thai green curry can eat this.
We use thicker noodles for our dipping noodle.
Our soup mixes pork broth with seafood flavors.
Pork-seafood mixes tend to be thick but ours is light.
This is our dipping noodle.
Some people don't want to eat a hot bowl of ramen.
With the dipping style, the soup is hot but the noodles are cold.
It's a good dish for the summer.
When the owner heard that the manager at the time was quitting
and moving back to Kyushu, he asked me if I'd like to take over.
I took him up on the offer.
I've been manager for over two years.
- Hey, how's it going? - Good.
Let me introduce you guys.
This is Boom.
We've worked together for the past 3 years keeping the Bassanova flavor intact.
This is Hiroshi.
He's a fellow ramen blogger.
I get him to blog about our new limited-time-only items.
Cheers!
Hold up guys!
- Have you ever had Eurasian food? - Nope.
- Do you even know what it's like? - No.
- I don't either. - All I know is ramen.
But I know a good place.
It's the Eurasian place upstairs from Bassanova. It's pretty interesting.
A neighbor, eh?
- Shall we? - Let's do it.
[Eurasian Cuisine - Hi no Maru Ken]
The interior is a bit eccentric.
The owner is a bit of a character, too.
He's Japanese, but he goes by the name of "Pepe Andre."
Sparkling wine... Cheap or expensive?
- Cheap or expensive?
The inside of the restaurant is a bit scary and strange, but I like it.
The same goes for the owner.
He's a bit scary and weird, but also interesting.
- How many years have you been in business?
Since he was 10 years old. Sorry...
Cheers! To Pepe Andre.
This is called tameya. It's made of beans and leeks.
Here we go.
Man, this smells great!
How do I put it?
It tastes good but, it's really hard to describe.
Tastes like I'm eating really high quality lawn.
My concept is a bit bluesy. Not pop. Blues.
It's not really rap either. It's blues.
Good food is when the customer says that something is tasty, wonderful, delicious.
I learned to cook by listening to them.
Here's the next dish. It's whitefish.
- Whitefish. - Wow!
- It's good right? - This is really great.
- Just the fish?
- This one too! - Yeah.
- Let's be civil here. - Sorry!
I cook this one in this oven.
This one's a meat dish. You ready for it?
You normally eat kebab with pita bread.
At Hi no Maru, you eat it with pizza.
It was simply amazing.
This kind of food is rare in Tokyo.
It was definitely my first time.
- Thanks for the food! - Thank you!
Pretty good right?
So do you want to have a few drinks?
Sure.
I know this Hawaiian bar in Shimokitazawa.
It's called the 808 Lounge, but everyone calls it "Yaoya."
It's a pretty cool spot.
I've been going to 808 since I first moved to Japan.
I'm good friends with the owner, Mr. Uno.
I really recommend the mojitos at 808.
I say they're the best in Japan, but he says they only need to be the best in the ward.
He puts a huge amount of mint in his mojitos,
so they taste really good.
They're good and cheap. Just an overall refreshing drink.
All the regulars at 808 call the bar "Yaoya."
If you go there you meet pretty much the same crowd every time.
Everybody's friends. We party together.
- Oooh yes! - Nachos!
These are awesome.
- That's huge! - Right?
Mr. Uno likes American food too, so he knows how to make proper nachos.
They taste like the real thing.
You can't really find nachos like that in Japan.
Say something. Don't just stuff your face.
There's no need to talk.
Some people say they don't come into Bassanova because Boom looks scary.
But still...
Why would anyone think I'm scary? I'm so handsome.
Thanks! See you later!
Ask me if I went to a Japanese school.
- Did you go to a Japanese school?
I did, but I skipped school to play basketball.
- I didn't study at all. - Maybe you should.
I did go to Japanese school once a week.
- Once a week!? - Yeah.
I had regular school, too, you know.
- Like regular American kids.
But I still managed to skip that one day a week.
Are you guys still hungry?
I can still eat and drink more.
How about yakitori? I know a good place called Katsu in Shindaita.
- Here we are. - Let's do it!
- Welcome! - Hey, long time no see!
- Can you fit 3 people? - No problem!
It's only a 30 second walk from Bassanova.
Katsu is just such a cheerful place. The staff are super energetic.
When you walk in, they all go wild yelling "Welcome!"
- You shouldn't ring it. - I won't, see?
If you press the button, you have to buy a round for all the staff.
See, no sound.
Drink it down chump!
Thanks!
Yakitori is basically chicken skewers. Chicken on a stick.
You eat the sticks one at a time while having a few beers. It's pretty fun.
Japanese is difficult!
Sorry if my Japanese is all over the place.
I'll keep studying.
Take a look at this! I'm no match for him.
Look at that, such strength!
- Hey, thanks for the food! - Thanks for coming!
- Looking forward to seeing you again. - Why so formal?
And now, what are we going to eat at Bassanova? A noodle-burger?
A barbecue cheese noodle-burger!
We went back to Bassanova, made noodle-burgers, and a few friends dropped by.
My cousin even rapped for a bit. It was a fun night.
Yen, Euro, Dollar. I'm still the Takara Daddy.
Never gonna stoppa.
Drops to the rice fields. Bombing Tokyo.
I don't remember much after that.
Now I'm going to make some noodle-burgers.
That's a noodle burger, not a hamburger.
I'll have a drink while I wait.
- Get on the knife. - I can't cut anything now.
I managed to cut something, but I'm pretty drunk.
A noodle-burger is made with noodles instead of bread.
And instead of a patty you have a thick piece of barbecued pork.
This is a noodle-burger.
Ready to eat.
Wow, this is super good!
A vagina burger Oops, I can't let my wife hear that!
- You're wasted.
Let's drink!
Cheers everybody!
We're going to open another Bassanova in New York.
Our goal is to spread good Japanese ramen to the rest of the world.
I want to share the taste of Bassanova with the people of America,
and do what I can to help move ramen forward.
I'm here at Bassa. Avoiding cop raids.
K-M-$ blowin cess.
I believe, Y-E-S.
Yen, Euro, Dollar. I'm still the Takara Daddy.
Never gonna stoppa.
Drops to the rice fields. Bombing Tokyo.
Spending my time adding digits.
I'ma grab these notes, and live an easy life with everyone.
I'll be dreaming till that day.
Bassa, my cousin Keizo, no doubt.
Hungover? Yeah I guess a bit.