Nov 30, 2011

Enshin in Ikebukuro and Akihabara

*External link to the Japanese website
**External link to the website except written in Japanese


About 6:30 p.m. I went to Ikebukuro (池袋) from Waseda (早稲田) by Toden Arakawa line (都電荒川線) in order to see an old friend since high school student, Enshin.
And with him I visited Ramen Dai Ikebukuro (らーめん大 池袋店) at the east side of Ikebukuro station about 7 p.m.
This is the first time for me to visit this shop as well as him.


Arakawa line tram I took(maybe the newest one)


Outside of Ramen Dai Ikebukuro

I chose middle-sized ramen (らーめん中盛) (750 yen) and he also chose middle-sized with more slices of roast pork (ちゃーしゅーの有料トッピング) (120 yen).

He said that yesterday night he had lost his wallet and cellular phone because he got drank badly after the work.
Next day (today) he had been able to find them out but 50,000 yen and PASMO* card had been stolen from the wallet.
Now he is very silly rather than unlucky! (see the article titled "unlucky man" on Nov. 19, Sat.)


Middle-sized ramen

I asked staffs to add "a little more" vegetables (ヤサイ多め) but he asked "more" (ヤサイマシ) therefore he had to eat incredible amount of vegetables.
(By the way when you ask "more and more" [ヤサシマシマシ] there, you see uneatable amount of vegetables.)

Frankly speaking, Dai Ikebukuro is not good (boo!), and Enshin agreed with my opinion.
It is very surprising that it has No. 280 ranking in Ramen Datebase* (as of Dec. 4.)
Tough noodles were tolerated, but roast pork was very tough and not good; Enshin was unlucky because he ordered non-free roast pork.
I would never visited this shop again unless it develops new ramen (for example, miso ramen.)

And inside the shop it was hot and very humid.
We were in a sweat so much while eating, especially Enshin more than I.
That is one of reasons why I do not like this shop.


Enshin

About 7:40 p.m., after left the shop, we went to Akihabara (秋葉原) by Subway Marunouchi Line (地下鉄丸ノ内線) from Ikebukuro because he wanted to visit Maid cafe (a kind of Costume-playing restaurants**) there.
In fact we got off the train at Subway Ochanomizu station (東京メトロ御茶ノ水駅) (don't confuse Shin-ochanomizu station [同 新御茶ノ水駅] I always use) and went to Akihabara Electric Town (秋葉原電気街) from there by walk.
He said that he had never visited any Maid cafes in Akihabara, whereas he had frequented a Lolita cafe* in Shinjuku (新宿) before.
That is, he loves such a Costume-playing cafe! (I would not like to find fault with others' taste...)

About 8:30 p.m. we arrived at "At-home Cafe" (@ほぉ~むcafe), which has been in the fifth floor of the same building, Don Quijote Akhabara (ドン・キホーテ 秋葉原店) which has been also occupied by AKB48 Theater** (AKB48劇場) (the eighth floor.)


Entrance of At-home Cafe (photos are prohibited inside. A person on the photo is neither Enshin nor I.)

When we entered the cafe, waitresses called "maid" in the same uniform greeted us, "welcome back home, our masters!" (ご主人様) though this is NOT OUR HOME here of course.
They call you "our lady" (お嬢様), not "mistress" (上記masterの女性形) if you are a woman, albeit young or old.

We were charged 700 yen for admission (oops!)
And the menu is very expensive, the most reasonable is non-alcohol drink at 500 yen.
I chose iced cocoa (アイスココア), and he chose iced cafe au lait (アイスカフェオレ) (500 yen each, see the menu*.)

They showed us to the table in front of a small stage, on which after a while two maids started a game of scissors-paper-rock (janken) with the guests including us.
It was the game that the winner got a right to take a photo with those two maids on the stage in front of, or seen by, other customers.
I lost in the first game as soon as the game started.

Oh, let me out!
I was not able to enjoy myself at heart here.
I live in the real, third dimension world.

"Your face looks stiffened,"
Enshin said.

About 9:30 p.m., after left the cafe, we entered "Saizeriya"** (サイゼリヤ) near it and Subway Suehiro-cho station (東京メトロ末広町駅) in order to get rid of the aftertaste of maids.
And Enshin wanted to eat sweets; he is a member of "Sweet Party" (甘党).

There and then while talking with him I found out that my watch stopped running!
I was given it by my father eight years ago, this is the third time that it did not work (also 2006 and 2009.)
(After that day I asked the makers to repair it.)

About 11:30 p.m. we went to JR Ochanomizu station (御茶ノ水駅) by walk from Saizeriya and parted from each other there.

No comments:

Post a Comment