Originally written on 23/08/2025 on my now defunct blogger.

Today’s weather was quite volatile— It went from cloudy skies to a gentle sprinkle, then to partly sunny weather, followed by a relentless downpour, back to a light sprinkle, and finally another bout of heavy rain! Regardless, the weather did not stop my family from visiting the big city to try out this noodle restaurant that was recommended by their friends. On the way there I saw some peculiar sights outside my windows such as:

– An odd looking car with a bullet(?) shaped hood driven by a driver with outlandish glasses and a license plate that had something to do with golf that I cannot recall.

– An old man on a scooter that’s decorated from top to bottom with decorative flowers.

– A cyber truck….

– A live trumpet performance at a pop-up market

– A tea store I visited a year ago now closed down and replaced with another business……

– A one of a kind handmade ceramic labubu mug

I didn’t expect the restaurant to be nestled in a bustling part of the city, and I missed the opportunity to jot down the strange sights I saw in my travel book. I even forgot to bring my kurimanju nui to take a cute photo op of the food agh! Regardless, we arrived at the restaurant and it was well decorated, though it had sort of an “aesthetics over practicality vibe” that makes me wary of ordering. My instincts were somewhat correct since the price of the food was exorbitant! I’m not even a fan of ramen (unless its instant) and the only menu items that didn’t have meat in it was the house special seafood ramen bowl, and 6$ wonton chips with seasoning and mayo…. I settled for the ramen since it was on my dad’s dime. I also decided to order a (slice) of Japanese cheesecake, also 6$ for a single slice.

Here’s the meal!

The presentation was really neat and the wooden spoon is charming! It was very convenient for holding the noodles while I scoop it up with chopsticks and was able to hold broth quite well despite its unconventional shape. The glass tray was pretty fancy though I can imagine it becoming a hindrance if you’re in a large group and you have multiple orders; my brother ended up getting those chips and we struggled to find room for it on the table among the large trays, pop cans, and water cups. I’d give the ramen a 6/10, it was okay and I was able to finish it, however the toppings were quite minimal compared to the meat counterparts. As I mentioned earlier, I’m not really a ramen fan in the first place, and I anticipate that even the most authentic and hand-crafted ramen straight from Japan itself wouldn’t live up to the simple yummyness of 2x instant chicken noodle packets and an egg stirred in. The chips were also alright but I wouldn’t pay 6$ for them imo, they were more like complimentary chips you’d get when you enter a restaurant instead of something you’d pay as a part of your meal.. My family made their ramen bowls a combo while I kept mine as is. One of the sides was garlic bread and it was strangely sweet when I tried it; I think it was drizzled with honey? Not too bad but I didn’t eat much beyond a bite since the noodle portions were pretty big.

After our meal we had 2 slices of cheesecake shared between the family. The cheesecake slices were TINY and I wish I brought my nui so I could place it beside the slice for scale. On the bright side the cake was incredibly tasty! It was like an actual combination between cheese + cake— the texture was initially spongy and soft before dissolving into a smooth creamy texture. The restaurant logo branded on top of the slice was also a cute touch.

In hindsight.. as I’m typing my review I come off pretty stingy for a meal I haven’t even paid for, but I must preface that the meal was good and I finished the entire thing! I just felt a little bad it was really pricey for a single ramen bowl and cheesecake slice. I probably wouldn’t come back to the restaurant unless they expanded their menu beyond ramen products but even then I’d probably find better alternatives that are more affordable elsewhere.

After the meal me and my sister decided to walk out and check out the live trumpet performance I saw when were driving by the street, but unfortunately the performer already packed up and left by the time we came out of the restaurant. We did take a look around the products that were being sold in a pop-up market in front of a boutique and there were an array of neat items such as patches, clothing, and charms. There was even a handmade ceramic labubu mug that amused me greatly (I did not get it)
We stopped by inside the boutique and took a look at the selection. We were entranced by the large wall of cat clocks we almost forgot to browse the rest of the store.

There was an array of other eccentric goods and locally made products, my favourite was a cookie tin patch that had sewing supplies on the flipped side.

(not my photo but an image of what the charm looked like)

We didn’t get much time to browse around the store before my mother called and badgered us to get out before the rain comes back.
As we were walking back to the car my father parked God knows where, I saw a poster promoting a labubu pop-up event occurring later that week. What a strange sight..
The skies cleared momentarily and we decided to visit the park instead of going back home immediately— unfortunately by the time we arrived it started to rain again; even harder this time which caused the surrounding to look like it was enshrouded in a blanket of fog. To make the most out of the situation, we opted to buy donuts from a krispy kreme that was close by.
It was packed when we arrived, and we were lucky to see the big donut conveyor belt in use! Apparently there was a harry potter collab going on which explains the crowd. I was pretty excited to try out my house donut (slytherin) and I tried to convince my brother to take the house test too so we’ll know which donuts to get. Regrettably an account is required in order to take the official house sorting quiz so we decided to enlist him in Ravenclaw for the time being. Funnily enough, our krispy kreme location only had Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Slytherin donuts available, which are the assigned houses me and my 2 other siblings are in. We bought two 12 dozen donut boxes and quickly rushed to the car, attempting to shield the boxes from the onslaught of rain. The donuts came out unscathed and we were on our way home.
There wasn’t much else to do because of the rain, and I wanted to get a cute photo-op of my chiikawa nui with the donuts, so I’m not too sad about cutting our outing short.
Here are the donuts in all their glory!

I was reminded that atelier pierrot also had a harry potter collab going on and thought about how cute it would be to do a krispy kreme meet with house motif inspired coords! Too bad I’m a slytherin with a wardrobe full of reds….

I personally think Chiikawa would make a great gryffindor despite her timid personality— similarly to Neville, she has the hidden potential potential for bravery and courage, especially when it comes to her friends!

I hope to experience and try out more tasty things soon!

Lori ✦

Currently Listening to:
Green Neon World – Yume 2kki OST

Feeling:
Content