Hey everyone! Joan here.

First of all, we’d like to apologize… again, for not keeping up with our blog. We were on a roll for a while, eating and blogging and gaining lots of weight, but we’ve been busy.

We are back at it, with a recent ramen run to blog about and a new look to our website! Tanya and I, along with my brother, Mark, went on our first ramen run of 2014 a few weeks ago in Hollywood, at a little place called Chibiscus Asian Cafe & Restaurant.

 Boba Trio!! Well almost… 

Because we were in Hollywood, we couldn’t help but think we would have trouble looking for parking. But to our surprise, Chibiscus was in a shopping center with a FREE parking lot! And we managed to score a spot right in front of the restaurant. The wait to get in wasn’t very long, we were seated at the bar in about 10 minutes. We were pretty hungry and ordered boba drinks and spam musubi to start.

Spam Musubi  

You may or may not know this about me, but my family was from Hawaii and the state is known for their spam and spam musubi. I can’t say the spam musubi here at Chibiscus could compare to Hawaii. But it satisfied our craving.

Spicy Ramen

Tender Chicken Shoyu Ramen

Tonkotsu Ramen

Mark ordered the Spicy Ramen and thought it was good. Based on Mark’s photo below, the ramen definitely lived up to its spice level.

Mark sweatin’ bullets from his spicy ramen

Hey, Tanya here.

I think I’ll start off with my ramen experience at Chibiscus. They place is really small, like cafe small. Very bright but gave off a good vibe. I didn’t feel anxiety as I thought I would with all the poppy Asian music in a bright small room. The place isn’t 100% known for it’s ramen but it was really good. I ordered the tender chicken shoyu ramen with a side of fried kimchi because I was craving kimchi ramen for a long while. The broth was really good, it wasn’t too overpowering with salt or oil. The noodles were flat, I wasn’t used to it. I liked it, it clumped a bit but separated easily. The noodles had such a nice chewy texture that I was eating slowly. I was the last to finish which is uncommon for me. The soft boiled egg actually fell apart really easy but it was good. The chicken was pretty tender, I usually worry that it would end up dry. I had the Japanese milk tea without boba and it was really good, I wish they had free refills hehe (Man, I’m eating kimbap while typing this and I’m craving ramen). It wasn’t the best ramen I have ever had but it was really good. It was actually located directly across the street from Takara ramen bar. I really like this area because there is free parking! As long as you can find a space. The only thing that got to me was the various kpop and jpop bands playing the big screen. A few of the bands almost gave me a seizure hahaha. Just don’t stare for too long. All in all, I can see myself coming back for another bowl for my ramen fix.

Joan again. I ordered the Tonkotsu Ramen and it reminded me of Ajisen ramen, except a little better. Their broth is supposedly cooked for 10 hours and it definitely had a rich flavor but wasn’t too oily. I liked the roasted garlic bits and sesame oil that was added, but the soft boiled egg was a bit on the gooey side. The chashu was pretty good, it was tender and had a nice, charred flavor. The noodles were al dente, the way I like them. I agree with Tanya, it wasn’t best ramen I’ve ever had. But if I were in the area again and craving ramen, I would definitely give this place another try!

Good ramen = happy girls

 K-pop at its finest

 Asian Backstreet Boys

 Creepin’ on the kitchen staff

Before we headed home, we made a pit stop in Little Osaka, to our favorite Japanese market, Nijiya. You know how much fun we have when we go to Nijiya! And how much money we end up spending…

 Don’t confuse this with milk. It’s sake… in a carton!

 If you wanna look as cool as those k-pop boys

You might be curious as to why we went on a blogging hiatus, and we thought this would a good time to share what’s been going on with our lives. Tanya and I have been through major transitions, but nothing that would stop us from eating ramen and blogging!

So here it goes…

Joan moved to Santa Monica!

Tanya got hitched and is expecting!!

J: On New Year’s Day, I moved to Santa Monica to start a new life. My lifestyle has definitely changed, especially since there were challenges that came along with the move. But I could not be happier! I started a new year at a new place, made some new friends and working with new musicians. AND I  just started a new job at a children’s theatre company that is only a 5 minute drive from my house! You have no idea how thrilled I am about that. The Joan-mobile can finally take a break from all that driving I used to do. One of the best things about moving to Santa Monica, is that some of the best ramen joints are nearby! I’ve been eating ramen all the time (but haven’t blogged… sorry.) That, and I love the beach and can go every day if I wanted to! But I wouldn’t have done this move without the support of my loving family and amazing friends. Although I am far away from Tanya, that won’t stop us from continuing our ramen adventures together! Duh.. we’re BFF’s!

T: Wow, it has been a busy new year. Big, life changing things. I got pregnant, got married and purchased a house. Insanity all rolled into one big, rushed, messy, awesome ball. I felt like life kicked me off a cliff of responsibility while yelling “GROW UP!” haha. I love it, love it all. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to spend my life and share these wonderful things with. I just hope we build our house into more of our home. I just found out that I’m having a little girl and we’re naming her Bernadette. I just pray that she grows healthy and healthy. Married life is going great. I’m really happy and it all wouldn’t happen without the right people in my life giving their love and support. Life is great ❤

So here’s to a New Year! We really wanted to personally connect more with our readers and that was why  we shared our lives with you. We also want to thank all of you for your continued support and reading our silly little blog. You have no idea how often our readers tell us to keep writing, and that is what kept us going. We must be doing something right… Hehe. So thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!

See you at the next ramen run!

Joan and Tanya

Restaurant Information:
Chibiscus Asian Cafe & Restaurant
7361 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323.977.9877

FREE parking in Hollywood… can you believe that?!