After TWO AND A HALF HOURS, we are finally inside the restaurant!  (Occasionally, servers would come out with free cans of green tea and politely thank everyone for waiting, which was appreciated.)
​Upon entering, the staff greets you with a cheerful "irasshaimase," a Japanese welcoming custom which  you may have been exposed to by some well-intended 80's movie sushi scene, and which feels a world away from the typical "college aloof" Berkeley vibe.  To us, Ippudo's irasshaimase showed that even though Ippudo is becoming an international icon, the trendy ramen spot is also still fully attached to its Japanese roots and culture. A very good sign, which portends excellence for our upcoming meal of traditional Japanese ramen soup.  

The Bowls. 
Ippudo has four bowls from which you may choose, after choosing your style of broth (for broths see below).  You may choose a basic bowl (with noodles, pork belly, bean spouts, mushrooms, and scallions), tomago (which has all of the above, plus a boiled egg), chashu (all of the above, plus extra sliced pork), or special (which has all of the above, plus both egg and extra pork).  The shoyu ramen features a fish based broth, as opposed to the tonkatsu options above, and is only available in one bowl style.  Full Menu here:  http://ippudo-us.com/pdf/Ippudo_Berkley%20Menu_food.pdf

For our introductory meal at Ippudo, we both went for the Spicy Special - yes, extra flavor please, and with all the extras! 

The Broth.

Ippudo simmers their broth for 20 hours achieve the well developed flavors of the pork fat, bone marrow, and caramelized aromatics, as well as its famous milky texture.  While Ippudo does not feature the most aromatic nor the most umami of all broths we have tried, its spicy tonkatsu was perfectly balanced and delicious. 

Quick public health tip: beware, food adventurers, as ALL ramen is packed with insane amounts of sodium, and not to be approached without consideration and planning for this fact.  (Be sure to try to run a 5k before hand,  or at least have a low salt day, and then prepared to desalinate over the next few days after!!) So be wary of drinking all of the amazingly delicious broth it due to its sodium content.  If you can't help yourself, make sure to hydrate plenty afterward. 

The Noodles. 
The soup noodles in ramen tend to be thin noodles, either straight or wavy.  Ippudo's house made thin noodles were just slightly thinner than what we were used to, and delicious. What is fun about Ippudo is that they let you choose the firmness from soft to medium to firm -  "yawa, futsu, kata, or bari kata".   We opted for "kata" this time around.

Next time, Michael would stick with the kata firm noodles which had a great hearty mouth feel and chewiness (firmer than "al dente," but since the noodles are fresh they are not crunchy like an undercooked dry noodle would be - just nice and meaty), while Cygridh would opt for the "futsu" or maybe even "yawa", which is what most readers will be more used to. Cygridh was also not expecting this thin of noodle (pretty close to angel hair thin). We have, however, had this thin noodle before at a Japanese chain ramen shop Ajisen, which is our favorite one-$ ramen, at Westfield mall.

In keeping with its observation of authentic Japanese tradition, Ippudo also offers the "kaedama".  Thus, if you let your server know "kaedama, please" just before you finish your first serving of noodles, your ramen chef will bring out a second serving of noodles for you for $2.00. (This was very tempting, but by the time we got there, we could not eat another bite.  We must also apologize, we were way too stuffed to try any red bean or lychee ice cream for dessert.)

All in all, we found Ippudo's fare to meet expectations of expertly prepared ramen, earning it a well-deserved spot in our Top Three Bay Area Ramen List!

(For all those who are curious, our Top Three list goes:
#1) Mensho Ramen, San Francisco  $$$
#2) Katana Ya, San Francisco $$ 
#3) Ippudo Berkeley $$$$
Feel free to comment with your faves, and let us know where to go next!)

double-deckers, pubs, stolen artifacts.

We cannot go further without mentioning our affordable air carrier who made this all happen: Wow! Air. (No, we are not famous enough to be paid or sponsored. They have no knlowledge or approval of this 100% post.) Below is a list, in order, of our collected thoughts on Wow. (Spoiler alert. The good outweighs and precedes the bad, so it's worth reading til the end.)

#1. Cheap fares!! Our round trip tickets to Paris were under $500 each, Including taxes. In the end, we unexpectedly had to pay for a bag (which added $75 each way), but that still brings the tickets to $570 each including the bag (one free carry on and one free personal item each allow for a briefcase and a backpack, duffle and a purse, or what have you), so I call it a win compared to $1400 each. The savings of $1600.00 more than covered the "duelling 3 Michelin resraurant" post yet to come... so, thanks, Wow!.

#2 Wow! has such clean, spacious planes. The seats are comfortable and there is a ton of legroom. Our one compliant about the comfort level was that they blast the A.C. at a frigid 18 degrees F (so it felt) and do not provide blankets. Bring a coat to stay warm.

#3 they fly from limited airports in the US., but dozens of great international destinations are available. (If you are on east or west coast, you are in luck.)

#4 flights are Always through Iceland. Wow! Air is a young Icelandic airline. They service all flights through Keflavik. The Keflavic airport is stunning in its cleanliness and design.
​Moreover, short or long stop overs in Iceland are possible with this arrangement (i.e., add a Bonus city to your vacation or hit the Nordic spa which provides a shuttle to and from the airport.)

With the Blue Lagoon, northern lights, and tons of gorgeous waterfalls to offer, Iceland looks amazingly beautiful and Reyevik seems quite fun for partiers. Not to mention, Icelandic yogurt will change your conception of how great yogurt can be!
#5 NO SERVICES INCLUDED.
Okay it must be said. In consideration of all the above, you get only outlets on the plane. So, if you preloaded your tablet with films and shows to bingewatch, good for you! Otherwise, prepare for a Loooong meditation. There is no Wi-Fi. There are no movies. There are no screens. You do get an in flight magazine and a shopping catalogue, but they do not take 8 hours to read...

Oh, also water costs, no snacks, no free coffee or treats of any kind.

Word of warning: if you don't know what's up, your wow flight from Sf could be an 8 hour, thirsty, hungry, freezing ordeal as well as incredibly boring. However, it doesn't have to be!

Solution: come prepared. Books, tablets, a laptop or pen and paper, or some other form of stimulation are recommended, along with food, drinks, and a blanket or coat. (These are good ideas for any flight actually, since preparation is the key to good travels!)

Little known fact: they only change the guard at Buckingham Palace every other day (which, sadly, was not the day we went). And, in any event, not in the rain (which, sadly, was the day we went).
Sadly, this one didn't work out.

[Insert photo essay here, next time... in the mean time here are some photos of the unchanged guard, a disappointed crowd, and a statue.]

MPR

The high pitched revving of a half dozen motor scooters occupied by men in suits; the smell of roasted chestnuts at a make shift Muslim street vendor; one building after the next adorned with ballustrayed balconies, French doors, dormer Windows, friezes and columns; it's like every capitol building I have ever seen, plus all the monuments in dc have been collected onto one street... but that one street is only one of dozens, or a hundred. I can't count at this point. "Oh look," says Cygridh, "that's the fifth Rolex shop I've seen so far!" We have only been walking for about a half hour.

The ornate greek mythology fountains, wrought iron street lamps and fruiting chestnut trees, all so novel at first, now practically have become mundane they are all so common on the streets of Paris. Is this a culture steeped in excess or do they simply love decorations? I hope one day to find out.

Speaking French is important to people here. If you begin the conversation by asking whether they speak English, the customary answer is "no." But if you begin with a sonorous "bonjour!" And then proceed to stumble through broken, but well intended French, they will certainly begin to speak Engish. They are right next to England, after all...

Having just had lunch at the 3 Michelin star Pavillion Ledoyen overlooking the gardens at Champ d'ellyses, I know it was one of the most expensive and delicious meals I've ever had, but I have no way of knowing whether it will be the most memorable of the trip. For, the trip has only just begun!
​

• Mpr

Having spent 20 hours in transit, we feel about as lively as the permanent residents of Paris's subterranean catacombs... its 5am our time, but 2pm here, which means there will be no rest for the weary! (We may end up joining them before this is all over. Jk)
Our plan today is to stop by a cafe for some authentic local fare, scout the city with our cameras, and see how long we last. More updates to come from the City of Lights...

​Bienvenue a Paris! - M&C​

1. Keep a copy of your passport (or upload a photo to the cloud) in case you need an emergency replacement.
2. Check your debit and credit cards to see which have the best terms for international transactions and exchange rates. Some cards will ding you for every international transaction, or use one exchange rate for the year regardless of whether todays rates are better. This can get very expensive!
​3. Save locations, cities, and navigation to your phone via googlemaps for offline access without using data or wifi. When you are used to unlimited connectivity, this one is clutch for keeping your phone on airplane mode/wifi only the whole time. (Beware the temptation to turn on calla or data "check in quickly" which may result in your phone processing an automatic data dump costing you hundreds.)

​Happy travels! M&C