Rokubei

In August, two new shops opened in Umeda. Both in the Osaka Ekimae buildings, and both created by chefs who worked previously at Osaka staple Tamagoro. Offshoots of Tamagoro are not uncommon, and they almost always have some sort of fish-based broth. Rokubei, and its counterpart Uonosuke, are no exception. I decided to check out Rokubei's ramen this time, saving Uonosuke for later.

８月に梅田に新しい店が二つできました。両方大阪駅前ビルにあって、大阪の有名な玉五郎で働いた人に作られました。玉五郎から店がよくできて、そんな店が普通に魚介系のラーメンを作ります。最近できた六兵衛と魚之助もそんな感じです。今回六兵衛にして、魚之助はあとに行くことにしました。

The Bowl
The soup was based on bonito, and it did not let up on its fishiness. It was thin, but packed a punch. Even more than than the flavor, though, was the saltiness. The thin noodles were easy to slurp, and the power of the broth made them taste very fishy too. But still, partway through I couldn't take the level of salt and had to quit on finishing the soup.

鰹ベースのラーメンらしくほんまに魚の味がしました。とろりがなかったんですけど、味が強かったです。でも、めっちゃ塩辛かったです。麺が細くて飲みやすかったですけど、それも強い魚の味がしました。やっぱ、塩分がすごすぎて、スープを飲みきれませんでした。

Would I Go Again?
This broth was way too salty, I couldn't stomach it. Also, the shop has since closed.

塩辛すぎて、飲みきれませんでした。それに、閉店しました。

Should You Go?
No.

いいえ。

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魚らーめん 六兵衛

Koryumasu

Sakuranomiya is mostly a ramen-free area. It's an area on the Osaka Loop Line, mostly notable for the park nearby. In the spring, the park lights up with cherry blossoms and people, and in the summer it has a small beach area that's good to sit by or dip your feet in. At night though, there's not much going on, except for the one shop I've had on my list for a long time now: Koryumasu.

Koryumasu is consistently in the top rankings of Osaka ramen on the internet, so it was in my sights. They serve a heavy chicken bowl with a side of as-much-garlic-as-you-can-eat. I tried to go here once a while back, but failed because it was closed for no reason, as ramen shops often are. Luckily this time was a success, and I could eat Koryumasu's garlicky chicken ramen.

桜ノ宮にはラーメン屋さんはほとんどありません。レストランよりその近くにある公園で有名です。春に花見のいいスポットで夏にビーチっぽい場所もいいポイントの一つです。でも、夜に駅の変は何もない感じがします。ところが、ずっと行きたかった光龍益という店があります。

大阪府のインターネットでみるベストラーメンランキングの中に光龍益がけっこう出ます。ニンニクによく合うドロドロな鶏白湯を売っています。この前行ってみたんですけど、ラーメン屋さんらしく適当にしまったので入れませんでした。今回運がよくて入れました。

A side of garlic that my coworkers were not too happy about the next day.

The Bowl
The bowl offered a molasses-like thick chicken broth that overpowered me and started to fill me up pretty quickly. It's a lot like the well-known kotteri chicken ramen offered at Kyoto's famous Tenkaippin, but balanced a bit better. The noodles were thin, but that didn't stop them from soaking up loads of the soup. The pork came in ample supply, and tasted like the sweet pork that you often see at Chinese restaurants. Last of all was the garlic. Just when I thought I was overwhelmed by the sheer bulk of the broth, the garlic adds a welcome kick. It wasn't enough to help me finish the bowl, but a man's stomach only has so much it can take.

やっぱめっちゃドロドロなスープですぐお腹がいっぱいになりそうでした。京都の有名な天下一品のこってりラーメンに似ていましたけど、天下一品よりバランスがよかったです。細い麺がスープを吸収したら、ちょっと太麺の感じがしました。焼豚もいっぱいあって、中華風の甘い炙った豚肉の味がしました。最後に、ニンニクを入れました。入れてからスープがちょっとパンチがあって、うまかったです。

Would I Go Again?
It's a bit too much for me on my own, but it's definitely a place I would take a friend who was looking for this kind of ramen.

一人で行かないと思いますけど、そんなラーメンが好きな友達がいれば、絶対連れて行きます。

Should You Go?
If you like super rich ramen like Muteppo, or thick chicken ramen like Tenkaippin, this is the place for you.

無鉄砲みたいなめっちゃドロドロなラーメンまたは天下一品のこってりラーメンが好きなら、光龍益行ってください。

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光龍益