Noodle Machine!

Please see my Everything you need to know about Yume Wo Katare post 

for more information.

I was so tired last night I forgot to say that the noodle machine was delivered to Yume Wo Katare yesterday! It seems the noodle maker came from a company called Shinjuku Yoshino Menki.

Noodle machine!

The guys from Yamato Transport had a hell of a time getting it into the restaurant because there's no loading dock. They had to go up the short flight of stairs in the front and there's very little room for maneuvering. Then they had to navigate the narrow openings to the back. They were totally professional and very Japanese - they looked like they were dressed for business casual Fridays in their Yamato polo shirts (tucked in, of course), khakis, and striped belts. I used to have a job where we had a lot of deliveries and these were hands down the most professional movers I've ever seen. There was no panicking, cursing, or complaining when they discovered how challenging it was going to be to get the thing inside - they just got some boards from the truck and started strategizing. I didn't actually see how they got it in since I was busy making signs with Naomi-san in the back. When I looked out it was already unpacked and the electrician had started working.

I've been wondering for a while if the owner of Sapporo was nervous about having another ramen shop a stone's throw away, but having tasted Yume Wo Katare's ramen, it's very different, so I don't imagine Sapporo will lose customers. Sapporo has a lot of choices and non-pork ramen so they're not really in direct competition with each other. In fact, Sapporo's owner stopped by last night wondering if they were open yet - he wanted some ramen!

Yume Wo Katare is Boston's 4th 3rd Japanese-owned ramen restaurant. I think Mentei is the oldest (Update 10/30/13: friends tell me they don't think Mentei is Japanese-owned), followed by Sapporo, and Pikaichi (formerly in the space formerly occupied by Ken's Ramen House). I'm not counting Guchi's Midnight Ramen, which is a pop-up restaurant. I still haven't made it there.

By the way, I keep seeing the restaurant's name written as one word, either as Yumewokatare or YumeWoKatare (which I was doing in earlier posts). I asked Naomi-san about it - I don't think they really care, but they're doing business as Yume Wo Katare (Cambridge License hearing transcript).

It's too bad it's raining this evening. Hopefully it'll clear up by this evening. Bring an umbrella if you're going to check out Yume Wo Katare! There's no space to wait indoors and the stairs have to be kept clear for egress.