Secret menu.

Y and I went to my favorite ramen place again at 56 and 6th. We bouldered in Central Park for several hours. I hope Y publishes some photos on his blog, since I'm cameraless these days. We also had the pleasure of learning from the local bouldering sensei Yuki Ikomori. His short black hair has grown into a flowing mane of white. He looks like an ancient warrior. I think he's 60, but he has the grace and power of somebody much younger. He has no problem leaping down like a cat from 6 ft off the ground. He is inspiring to behold. Very soft spoken, he dressed in a black hoodie, looking like Ghost Dog, he politely declined our invitation to ramen and silently disappeared into the crowds of tourists and sunday strollers by Wollman Rink.

This was not on the menu for the gaijin. Y ordered it. It was ramen with mackerel flavor. Y also prefers Kirin over Sapporo. In the first picture he is pouring out the Kirin for both of us. It's the japanese style to order a large bottle and pour it into various glasses. It's a little more communal than everybody getting their own. We ordered chicken liver and leeks and hand-made gyoza as appetizers. A dense cloud of cooking vapor hung directly over our heads. If we were to stand up we would have immediately suffocated. I cannot recommend this place highly enough.