Kinryu

Finally, the day has come for me to try Kinryu. One of the most famous shops in Osaka, if not the most famous, it had been on my must-visit list since I arrived in town. Following in my New Year's resolution, I hit Kamukura and earlier, so now it was finally time to visit Kinryu. To make it a true visit, it had to be early in the morning, after a long night of drinking.

ようやく金龍を食べる日が来ました。大阪の一番有名なラーメン屋さんかもしれません。大阪に来てからずっと行くつもりでしたけど、今までやる気がありませんでした。新年の抱負のためにこういう有名な店に行かないとだめだと思ったので前神座に行って、今回金龍に行くことになりました。ちゃんとしめラーメンのため一杯飲んでから朝に行きました。

The Bowl
I came in worrying that this would be a disgusting bowl, but in the end it was...bland. Neither the oily broth nor the middling noodles had any flavor, let alone anything unique. At Kinryu, they leave out bowls of kimchi and garlic chives for you to put in your bowl, and doing that added some flavor, but not much. I can see why this is a shop people go to drunk and craving carbohydrates, but not a shop I would go expecting flavor.

めっちゃまずいという心配がありましたけど、逆に味がほとんどありませんでした。油っぽいスープも普通麺も特徴あまりありませんでした。キムチとニラがおいてあって、それを入れたらちょっとおいしくなってきました。酔っ払い人がみんなここに来るのはわかりますけど、おいしいラーメンを期待している人は別の店に行ったほうがいいです。

Would I Go Again?
No.

いいえ。

Should You Go?
If you don't need flavor, then it's fine, otherwise stick to one of the other shops in the area.

その辺の他の店に行ったらいいと思います。

Information
金龍ラーメン

1968 Kotan

Earlier in the month I visited Kamukura, Osaka's most famous ramen chain. Wanting to keep up with my resolution to visit more Osaka chains, this time I went to Kotan. One of my friends says good things about Kotan, but I have never been motivated enough to go. I happened to be in Tennoji's Abeno Q's Mall one day, so I stopped in the food court for a bowl of shoyu ramen with gyoza at 1968 Kotan.

この前大阪の有名なチェーン店神座にようやく行きました。新年の抱負を続けるように今回古潭というチェーン店に行きました。友達においしいと言われましたけど、今まで行く気がぜんぜんありませんでした。たまたまあべのQsモールにいたので１９６８古潭に行ってしょうゆらーめんぎょうざセットを頼みました。

The Bowl
When I visit mediocre-looking chains, I remember why I don't go very often. Kotan's broth was oily and generic; edible, but nothing special. The medium noodles were passable, and the chashu was standard and not exciting. I would have appreciated this meal more when I first came to Japan, but now that I have a number of good shops under my belt, I can't go back. The gyoza were decent, though.

普通っぽいチェーン店に行くとなぜそんなに行かないか思い出します。スープは油っぽくて普通でした。麺は中太くてチャーシューはまあまあでした。来日したばかりな頃にこんならーめんがめっちゃ好きだと思いますけど、今おいしいラーメンをいっぱい食べたので口が肥えてしまいました。餃子がまあまあうまかったですけど。

Would I Go Again?
No.

いいえ。

Should You Go?
No.

いいえ。

Information
1968古たん

Nara My Home Festa

One Saturday morning, I got a message from a friend. He was in Nara and wanted to join him. I had plans later in the day, so I didn't think I'd be able to make it. But then he let me know that happening at that moment was the Nara My Home Festa, a mostly boring event that happened to have eight different ramen shops presenting bowls to the public. I got out of bed and headed over there.

I arrived and took in the calm atmosphere. There were eight shops, but I only had the stomach to try a couple of them. I decided first to go with Nara's own Menya Kukan, and their tonkotsu shoyu bowl.

ある土曜日の朝に友達からメールが来ました。奈良にいて、一緒来ないと聞かれました。だが、その時点でならマイホームフェスタがやっていると言われました。そのイベントはそんなに面白くないですけど、ラーメン屋さんが８つ提供していました。ベッドから起きて行きました。

着いて奈良らしく雰囲気が穏やかでした。店が８軒ありましたけど、２つぐらいしか食べられませんでした。取りあえず奈良からの麺屋空間の豚骨しょうゆを食べに行きました。

The Bowl
I always prefer to start out these ramen crawls with a rich bowl. Menya Kukan lived up to that with an oily, garlickly bowl. That was about the best part of it, though, as it was a bit overly salty, the noodles were rubbery, and the chashu was bland.

But that's why I eat multiple bowls. Next I decided to go for a much lighter bowl - a light shio from Amano Jack.

こんなラーメンはしごをすると最初こってりラーメンによくします。麺屋空間は思った通り濃かったです。油っぽくてニンニクもいっぱいありましたけど塩っぱくて麺もチャーシューもまあまあでした。

なので複数のラーメンを食べました。次はあまのじゃくのあっさり塩にしました。

The Bowl
This was a welcome break from the rich garlic of the previous bowl. Amano Jack's broth was salty, but was cut into by a refreshing lemon accent. The noodles were light and easy to drink, and the chashu had the strong and delicious flavors of having been marinated in soy sauce for a long time.

前のラーメンのニンニクの味に比べるとあまのじゃくが飲みやすかったです。スープは塩っぱかったですけど、レモンのアクセントがあったのでいいバランスが出来ました。麺はすすりやすくてチャーシューは長時間で醤油に煮込んでいた味がしました。

Information
奈良マイホームフェスタ

Takaraseimenjo

I was taking a leisurely walk home from work one day, hoping maybe to stop somewhere and get dinner on the way. I spotted Takaraseimenjo in the Shinsaibashi arcade, a shop I had been to before and had a good experience, but I was not intending to visit again, at least not on this night. Then I saw what they had added since I had last been there: shrimp miso tsukemen. There are too many buzzwords there for me to ignore, so I dropped everything and went inside.

ゆっくり会社から歩いて帰る途中でどこかで食べようかなと考えていました。心斎橋商店街に宝製麺所を見かけて行くつもりじゃありませんでしたけど、気になるメニューがありました：海老味噌鯛つけ麺。おいしそうな言葉がいっぱい入ったので店に入ってしまいました。

The Bowl
The miso broth was very shrimpy, but not too thick. The noodles, on the other hand, were extremely fat, and had a good sour kick from the sudachi vinegar added to them. There was a big chunk of chashu in the soup that was very juicy. To finish the meal off, I ordered extra rice and wari-soup. The soup went well with the rice just as it did noodles, but the wari-soup watered it down a bit too much.

スープがめっちゃ海老っぽくてとろみちょっとありました。麺が極太くてすだち酢に会ってちょっと酸っぱい味がしました。とてもジューシーなチャーシューも会って、最後に割りご飯と割りスープを頼みました。スープはやっぱりご飯と一緒においしかったです

Would I Go Again?
This was pretty delicious and is now by Dotonbori, so I might stop by again.

うまくて今道頓堀に引っ越ししたのでまた行くかもしれません。

Should You Go?
Any miso fan should check it out.

味噌が好きなら行ってください。

Information
らーめん宝製麺所

Cho Tonkotsu Nodo 8

A few months ago Menya Tenkei closed its doors for good. Sad, though it is, a new ramen shop opened up in its place. Cho Tonkotsu Nodo 8, or in English "Super Pork Bone Thickness 8", is a rich tonkotsu shop. Much like Osaka staple Zundoya, it's a drop of a hat from Namba, and is open late, making it a prime late night location. In addition, at Cho Tonkotsu Nodo 8, after finishing your noodles you can order atomeshi, rice and toppings to go with the remaining soup. This month's special was cheese curry, and if you know anything about me, you know that I couldn't imagine anything better.

何ヶ月間前に麺屋天啓がつぶれました。悲しいですけどその代わりに新しい店ができました。超豚骨濃度８は名前通りこってり豚骨の店。大阪の大好きなずんどう屋みたいになんばに近いし遅くまてやっているのでしめラーメンでおすすめスポットです。超豚骨濃度８であとめしも頼めます。今月のはチーズカレーだったので私は考えずに頼みました。

Cheese curry on rice, pre-soup

チーズカレーライス

Cheese, curry, and tonkotsu

チーズカレー豚骨

The Bowl
The broth was a deep, very porky tonkotsu. It had a bit of a kick to it, spicier than you'd find in most bowls, which helped to balance out the saltiness. The noodles were thin, Hakata-style, and on top was a thick piece of chashu with the name of the shop branded on it. That alone would have been a tasty bowl, but the curry rice took it to the next level. I never thought that a spicy, cheesy, tonkotsu mixture would work - or maybe it's so obvious that it does. I was dying from all the rich flavors and grease by the end, but if that's how I leave this world, it will have been worth it.

スープは深くてめっちゃこってり豚骨でした。けっこう辛くていい感じのピリ辛がしました。麺は博多風細麺で店名が焼いたあるチャーシューも乗っていました。それだけでうまかったですけど、あとめしでレベルアップできました。辛くてチージーな豚骨ご飯はそんなにおいしいと思いませんでしたけど最高でした。油などで死にかけそうでしたけど、死んでも食べがちがありました。

Would I Go Again?
I've already been there again.

もうまた行きました。

Should You Go?
Yes.

はい。

Information
超豚骨 濃度8

Strike-ken

Perhaps the biggest recent boom in the Osaka ramen scene is the opening of the Tenma shop Strike-ken. Created by the chefs of now-closed Nunpoko and new wave shop Fusuma ni Kakero, Strike-ken was built to settle an argument: which is better, traditional ramen, or new, wacky ramen? I have a hard time making a decision on that myself, but luckily I don't have to. I can go to Strike-ken and have both!

Strike-ken has a slight baseball theme, which fits in with their two options. Straight - a traditional shoyu chuka soba, and Sinker, a seafood chicken paitan ramen. I went with a friend and tried both.

最近に天満にあるストライク軒が大阪のラーメンシーンの中に話題になりました。「ぬんぽこ」の中華そば屋さんとニューウェーブ系の店「麸にかけろ」を作った人に作られました。そのスタイルの中にどっちがおいしいかのけんかからストライク軒が生まれました。私もどっちが好きかわかりませんから両方食べてしまいます。

ストライク軒がちょっと野球のテーマがあってメニューも野球の単語を使っています。ストレートはクラシックな中華そばでシンカーは貝が乗っている鶏白湯でした。友達と一緒に行って両方食べました。

No shop is complete without Beavis and Butthead lookalike posters

なんかアメリカのアニメビーバス・アンド・バットヘッドっぽいです

The Bowl
This may have been a classic shoyu, but it was a classic shoyu done right. The broth was light and salty but not overpowering, it had just a tad of sweetness that cut into the salt content. The yellow, thin noodles were firm but easy to drink down. The bowl was topped off with seaweed, onions, a fishcake, and some very juicy chashu.

クラシックな中華そばなんですけど、よく出来ているクラシックな中華そばでした。スープはあっさりで塩分がちょうど良かったです。黄色な麺は細くてすすりやすかったです。海苔、ネギ、なると、ジューシーなチャーシューも乗っていました。

The Bowl
The Sinker was from a different world from the Straight. The yellow broth tasted like it looked: rich, and buttery, the most decadent kind of chicken soup I've ever seen. The noodles too were thicker than the Straight's counterpart, and tasted like the sweet oily soup that they were pulled from. And of course, the bowl contained several slices of chicken chashu and clams.

シンカーはストレートに比べると別の世界から来ました。黄色なスープは見た目に似ていた味がしました。濃いバターっぽい感じがしてすごい鶏白湯でした。めんはストレートよりちょっと厚くてスープと一緒のバター味がしました。で鶏チャーシューもハマグリも上に乗っていました。

Would I Go Again?
In the end, they were both very good. The Sinker was very rich, so I'd sooner order a full bowl of the Straight, but I'd be happy to try either or both again.

結論的に両方おいしかったです。シンカーがすごい濃くてストレートのほうが飲みやすいですけど、またどっちでも食べたいです。

Should You Go?
Yes.

はい。

Information
ストライク軒

Nosuta

One of my least favorite styles of ramen is Jiro-kei. Invented by Jiro Ramen in Tokyo, Jiro-kei ramen is shoyu ramen with as much oil, fat, garlic, and piles of bean sprouts as you can eat. Shops that server Jiro-kei often have challenges to eat as much as a whole kilogram of a noodles. This is a quantity-over-quality argument, and when you have that much oily shoyu, it tends to be not so great. But still, once or twice a year I decide it's been a while and I need to try it. Today was Namba's shop Nosuta.

ラーメンの中にそんなに好きじゃないのは次郎系です。麺、背脂、もやしなどはいっぱい乗っていて、チャレンジみたいになります。おいしさより量が大事なので、私はあまり興味はありません。だが、年一二回ぐらいに食べてみようと思っています。今回なんばののスたに行くことにしました。

The Bowl
After mixing the bean sprouts into the bowl as recommended, I dug in to the mountain of carbohydrates and oil that awaited me. The broth was oily as expected, but surprisingly light. The noodles were thick, and flat, and picked up the soup nicely. The chashu, although large and fatty, was not that flavorful. Overall, the broth was light and fatty, but tasted a bit better after adding pepper as they recommended.

もやしを麺などに混ぜてから食べてみました。スープはめっちゃ脂っぽくて意外と薄めでした。麺は太くて平たいでした。チャーシューがでかかったですけど、まーまーおいしかったです。やっぱりそんな量で飽きますけど、こしょうを入れたらもっとおいしくなってきました。

Would I Go Again?
Nah.

いいえ。

Should You Go?
If you're looking for Jiro-kei, I would suggest Maccho down the round.

次郎系を行こうとしたら、マッチョに行けばいいです。

Information
のスた OSAKA

Kamukura

Two and a half years. Somehow it's taken me this long to visit Osaka's famous Japan-wide chain Kamukura. Kamukura is a classic shime-ramen, the kind of ramen you've had dinner, several beers, but for some reason you're a bit hungry on your way home at 3AM. I personally have a tough time downing a bowl after lots of food and drink, but one of my New Year's resolutions was to stop in some of the must-visit shops I hadn't yet, so planning for the night I ate a light dinner, had some craft beer, and stumbled to Dotonbori to try the "Oishii Ramen".

二年半。それぐらい大阪に住んでいるのに有名な神座に行ったことはありませんでした。神座はしめラーメンの店だと思うのでしらふに行ったらあかんと思います。私は普通いっぱい食べて飲んでからそんなにお腹がすいていませんけど、新年の抱負のために行きたかったです。量が少ない晩ご飯を食べて、地ビールをいろいろ飲んで、酔ったまま道頓堀に行って「おいしいラーメン」を頼みました。

The Bowl
Kamukura's ramen is shoyu ramen, but it doesn't taste like what you'd normally think of as shoyu ramen. In Japan during the winter, people often gather and eat hot pot. They use a base, often soy sauce, and put vegetables, meat, and boiling water in. Towards the end, noodles are added to soak up the last of the oily broth. That is what Kamukura tastes like. Not high class ramen by any means, but it has a certain refreshing and recognizable flavor. Just like a lot of hot pot, the chashu was mediocre, and the whole thing was filled with cabbage.

神座のラーメンは醤油なんですけど普通の中華そばとぜんぜん違います。冬の鍋にはみんなよく麺を入れるんですね。そんな油っぽい鍋のスープの最後の分プラス麺という味がしました。「めっちゃうまい」と言えませんけど人によって気に入る味かなと思います。しかも鍋みたいにチャーシューはまあまあでキャベツがいっぱい入っていました。

Would I Go Again?
Not on my own; maybe with a drunk friend.

一人でまた行きませんけど、ひょっとしたら酔っ払い友達と一緒に行きます。

Should You Go?
I wouldn't recommend this to people who are looking for the best, but I would say you should go if you want something very Osaka.

最高のラーメンを探している人にお勧めできませんけど、大阪の文化をみたい人にはいいかもしれません。

Information
神座