Goruya

As part of my trip to Tokyo, I made a stop in Yokohama. And what would a stop in Yokohama be without a meal at a Yokohama-style Iekei ramen restaurant? It was late and I wanted to get some sleep so I picked a shop near where I was staying: Goruya. As is standard at an Iekei place, I got the shoyu tonkotsu.

東京に行って、横浜にも寄りました。せっかく横浜に行ったので、絶対家系ラーメンを食べなあかんと思っていました。ちょっと遅かったので、ホテルの近くの店を探しました。「ゴル家」に入って、醤油とんこつにしました。

The Bowl
It had been a while since I had the oily Yokohama-style ramen, and it was about as I remembered: oily and powerful, strong-tasting but also coma-inducing. The noodles were thick and firm, and the salt-doused nori and spinach were pretty good. The chashu on its own was representative of the bowl as whole: standard and solid.

家系ラーメンがかなり久しぶりでした。覚えていた通りこってりで油濃かったですけど、ちょっと胃もたれやすいです。麺が固い太麺で、ノリもほうれん草がスープと合いました。チャーシューがラーメンと同様にスタンダードで美味しかったです。

Would I Go Again?
Next time I'm in Yokohama I'll try a new place.

今度横浜に行くときに新しい店に行っていみたいです。

Should You Go?
It's a solid joint if it's right around where you are.

あの場所にいて食べたければ行ってもいいです。

Information
ゴル家

Tairyuken

Dotonbori is known for its myriad takoyaki shops, but often overlooked (at least by sober people) is its array of ramen shops. They are there mostly for drunk party-goers looking for some food before heading home. The lineup, including Osaka classics Shitenno, Kamukura, Kinryu, and Kinguemon doesn't change often, but every once in a while a new shop sprouts up. This time, Kanto shop Tairyuken has expanded to Osaka, right at Dotonbori. Tairyuken claims to be from Ebisu, a fashionable district in Tokyo, but the ramen they offer is Yokohama classic tonkotsu shoyu.

道頓堀はたこ焼きの屋台で有名ですけど、ラーメン屋さんもいっぱいあります。しめラーメンのイメージがします。大阪の有名な四天王、神座、金龍、金久右衛門全部あります。新しい店がたまにしか出ませんけど、最近、関東からの太龍軒ができました。恵比寿から来たと書いてありましたけど、横浜の家系ラーメンを売っていました。

The Bowl
Like any tonkotsu shoyu bowl, it was pretty heavy. There was a thin layer of oil topping off the bowl, and then underneath was a surprisingly creamy soup. The whole thing was a bit too salty; even the chashu that was otherwise pretty decent was overwhelmed by salt. Overall not a bad bowl, but for iekei in Osaka I'd still head over to Konshinya.

豚骨醤油らしくこってりでした。スープの上に油がたまりましたけど、スープが意外ととろりがありました。拉麺が塩辛かったです。チャーシューもおいしかったですけど、塩がちょっと多すぎました。結論的においしかったですけど、家系を食べたければ、たぶん魂心家に行くと思います。

Would I Go Again?
Nah.

たぶん行きません。

Should You Go?
It's not the worst of the lot if you're buy Dotonbori, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.

道頓堀にいればいいかもしれません。

Information
太龍軒

Konshinya

When I was visiting Denden Town with my brother, I noticed there was a ramen shop I didn't recognize before. A Yokohama-style iekei ramen shop; a true rarity in Kansai. I had only ever been to one before, and it had left something to be desired. What would iekei chain Konshinya bring to the table?

前兄と一緒にデンデンタウンに遊びに行った時に見たことないラーメン屋さんに気づきました。関西に珍しい家系店でした。大阪には一回しか行ったことなくて、もっと行ってみたかったです。家系チェン店魂心家はどうでしょうか？

Information
魂心家
Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi, Naniwa-ku, Nanbanaka, ２丁目４−３

The Bowl
It was a solid but not amazing iekei bowl. Rich, shoyu tonkotsu broth, but not overwhelmingly heavy like some of the bowls I'd had in Tokyo. The noodles were short and firm, and were accompanied by seaweed, chashu, greens, and something that looked like quail eggs.

おいしい家系スープでした。濃厚な豚骨しょう油で東京で家系より飲みやすかったです。麺が短くて、あと海苔、チャーシュー、野菜、ウズラの卵っぽいやつも乗っていました。

Would I Go Again?
If I want to show a friend in Kansai iekei, this is where I'll take them.

友達に家系を紹介したければ、魂心家に連れて行きます。

Should You Go?
If you haven't had iekei, give it a try.

家系を食べたことない方は一回是非食べてみてください。

Ajidono

Osaka is the third most populous city in Japan.  The first is obviously Tokyo, but what is the second?  It's Yokohama, the port town that's close enough to Tokyo to absorb a chunk of the people who want to live near the big city.  Yokohama has to its name a Chinatown, a baseball team, and most importantly, a style of ramen.

Yokohama style ramen, called "iekei", has tonkotsu shoyu broth, seaweed as a topping, and the customer can choose a few things about the ramen, like the hardness of the noodles and how rich the broth is.  I've eaten iekei bowls in a few places in the Tokyo area, including the home of the style, Yoshimuraya.  Iekei is all but unheard of in Kansai, so I hadn't had a chance to try any in Osaka.  Until today, when I found that there is a new shop replacing the late Nipponbashi branch of Tsuboya.

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らーめん あじどの
1-4-11 Sennichimae

The Bowl
This was my first time in a while to get iekei ramen, so I decided to get all the options as standard.  The broth was an oily tonkotsu shoyu strongly reminiscent of the bowls I had in Tokyo, but this soup was a little bland.  The noodles were medium, and the chashu was standard but nothing special.  Overall the bowl didn't leave a large impression on me, but maybe the right answer was to ask for a richer broth.

Would I Go Again?
I'm not in a rush, but if I do, I'll customize the bowl more.

Should You Go?
If you're in Kansai, this may be one of the other places you can get iekei ramen, but you'd be better off trying it in Kanto.