This post was written in 2008. Shop details and prices may have changed since then.
Lately I’ve been meeting people out and about more and more. Is that a good thing? I’ve got a bit of a hikikomori streak in me, you see… Well, I might as well use these chances to hunt down the good places I haven’t gotten around to yet.
Today we’re meeting in Harajuku.
On weekends it’s always packed with cosplayers and foreigners.
The wind was strong and it was cold, but there were still tons of tourists. I forgot my 85mm again today, so no portraits. I swear I’ll bring it next time.
It’s way too cold outside, so we decide to duck into a building somewhere.
So we ended up at Omotesando Hills. I was a bit hungry, so we went into MIST, a ramen shop. Turns out it’s produced by Chabuya. Their ramen is very true to the basics, but a little short on personality. Well… that’s far better than it being bad.
The entrance
From the outside it looks like a cafe. It’s in Omotesando Hills, after all…
Water glass
You can probably sense it from the water glass too – apparently the whole place is going for a French restaurant vibe.
Toppings for the ume shio ramen
The ume looks great, but it comes as a whole plum, which makes it a bit awkward to eat. It would have been nicer chopped up, but I think this place is trying a little too hard to look cool.
The shio ramen.
Orthodox ramen. The basics are nailed down perfectly. You just put the toppings on and eat.
Spoon and chopsticks
When I went to eat, there were no chopsticks on the table. -_-; Turns out there’s a drawer under the table… A touch like this, which you never see at ordinary ramen shops, deserves real credit.
Plus an apple juice
I ordered it as a set with the ramen. We ordered one drink and sat there for ages, and they didn’t give us the slightest look. Wow, proper service. The ramen is on the pricey side, but when you think of it as a meal plus a cafe visit, it’s not really.
Having eaten, we take a little walk around the area.
A great neighborhood, as always.
Then it got cold and we tried to go into a cafe to warm up, but everywhere was full. That’s just Harajuku on a weekend.
So we ended up at Fujimamas. I think the one in the photo was a raspberry juice…
What sets this place apart is all the foreigners – customers and staff alike. The Zagat Survey review says the service is so-so and it’s expensive and not tasty, but the atmosphere is nice. On top of that, the prices are really steep. Go to the Lavazza nearby and you can hang out for a third of the price. Maybe that’s why there were plenty of seats even on a weekend ^_^ If you really can’t find anywhere to get into in Harajuku on a weekend, the easiest thing is to not overthink it and just go here.