Dogamori Maccho

I had skipped lunch, so I was pretty hungry.  When I was thinking about where to go, it crossed my mind that I had not yet ever been to a Jiro-kei shop in Osaka.  In Tokyo, there is a famous chain of shops called Ramen Jiro.  They make a shoyu-based soup that is heavy on pork, garlic, and fat.  And when I say "heavy", I mean to the extent that it's in a giant pile on top of your bowl.  Finishing the contents of a Jiro bowl is very difficult, and drinking all the soup is stupid, if not impossible.

Ramen Jiro makes a unique and popular enough ramen that it has become a style in its own right, Jiro-kei.  You can usually choose how much garlic, fat, and vegetables (read: bean sprouts) you get, though even saying "normal" will get you a medium sized heap.  I'd been to a small handful of Jiro-kei restaurants in Tokyo, but never to one in Osaka.  I looked up a nearby Jiro-kei shop, Maccho, and as I always do with Jiro-kei, I set off with good intentions, knowing full well that in the end I would regret it.

Maccho had tsukemen and even abura soba, but I went for the ramen.  They say that the normal size has as many noodles as a large at other places, so I didn't try to be a hero and just stuck with that.

Information
自家製太麺 ドカ盛 マッチョ
Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi, Chūō-ku, Nipponbashi, ２丁目７−２２
Maccho is south of Nipponbashi Station, in one of the side streets west of Sakai-suji.

The Bowl
As you can see, they don't shy away from the toppings here, and yes, that small mound of yellow stuff on the top is raw garlic.  It would be two or three times as big if I had asked for extra.  The broth was extremely fatty and garlicky.  It was delicious for the first few sips, but there's a reason you're not expected to finish it.  The noodles were of medium thickness, and very greasy.  There were two or three big pieces of chashu which were brown, fatty, and more flavorful than I expected.

Would I Go Again?
It's been a while since I've been to a Jiro-kei and it will be a while until I go to one again.  That said, when I do, I'll probably see if I can find a different one.

Should You Go?
Everyone should try Jiro-kei once.  My favorite so far is probably one in Tokyo but Maccho was not bad, and the chashu was quite good.  If you live in Osaka, you wouldn't be wrong to make this your Jiro-kei trial.