Ramen Tsurumusha

I happened to be in Kyoto, and I used the opportunity to stop at Tsurumusha, where I ordered the standard ramen.

京都にたまたま行って、鶴武者によって定番のラーメンを頼みました。

The Bowl
It was a cloudy chicken broth, with clam mixed into the tare. It ended up being a light, buttery blend of chicken and clam, along with a spice I couldn't quite put my finger on. The noodles were square and tasted as buttery as the broth. My favorite topping ended up being the egg, oozing yellow into the soup.

アサリなどのたれがついた鳥白湯のスープでした。バター風味のさっぱりとして、あと何か指摘できない香辛料も入っていました。麺はしかくて、スープと合わせてバター風味になりました。黄色い分がとろける味玉はお気に入りでした。

Would I Go Again?


Should You Go?

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らーめん鶴武者

Chuka Soba Takayasu

Continuing on my first trip to Ichijoji, I finished my hike and was ready for dinner, i.e. round two. My second shop was Ichijoji staple Takayasu. Takayasu is known for their tonkotsu ramen but perhaps even more than that for their gigantic pieces of karaage. Even though I wasn't that hungry, I found myself ordering a set that came with both.

初めての一乗寺の旅行をひきつづき、ハイキングを完了して、晩御飯、いわゆるラーメンの第２杯、を食べるつもりでした。2軒目として「高安」に行きました。高安はとんこつラーメンで有名ですけど、それより巨大なからあげの方が有名かもしれません。そこまでお腹が空いていませんでしたけど、からあげ定食を注文してもうた。

The Bowl
The broth was a greasy, stinky tonktosu. It was messy and salty, and pretty delicious if a bit generic. Eating the thin noodles without sipping too much of the soup cut out enough of the salt to make it more palatable.

The karaage were big, hulking chunks of chicken with fresh, crispy skin. The pieces were coated in curry powder, and though the inside was a bit dry, overall they were quite good.

スープは油っぽい臭いとんこつでした。汚くて、塩辛くて、うまかったです。細い麺を食べたら、スープより塩分がちょっと控えて、より食べやすかったです。

からあげはでかい塊で、揚げたてサクサクとした皮が最高でした。カレー粉がかけてありました。中身はちょっと乾いていましたけど、全体的に美味しかったです。

Would I Go Again?
Yeah, especially when if I'm very hungry.

特にお腹が空いている時にまた行きたいです。

Should You Go?
I recommend it for those who are hungry; I hear students enjoy this place because of how cheap it is to stay full for days.

お腹空いている人にお勧めします。安くてお腹がいっぱいになるので学生がかなり好きらしいです。

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中華そば 高安

Chinyu

One area I had been meaning to go for ramen since I first moved to Osaka was Ichijoji. Ichijoji is a small area in northern Kyoto city that is famous for not much outside of ramen. My plan was to visit one shop, go for a hike, and then make another stop at another shop. With that in mind, I picked somewhere pretty digestible at first: chuka soba shop Chinyu.

大坂に引っ越しして以来ずっと一乗寺に行くつもりでした。一乗寺は京都市の北側にあるラーメンでしか有名じゃない場所です。一軒に行って、ハイキングして、もう一軒行くつもりでした。それで、まずは食べやすい中華そば専門「珍遊」に行ってみました。

The Bowl
This was kind of similar to another Kyoto bowl I had recently, Shinpuku Saikan. It was a classic chuka soba, but where Shinpuku Saikan had a dark broth, Chinyu's was a cloudier chicken broth, with the same amount of pork back fat floating in it. It was simple, with standard chashu and firm noodles: a nice foundation on which to go hiking.

最近食べた京都ラーメン新福菜館と似ていました。昭和風の中華そばなんですけど、新福菜館と違って、真っ黒じゃなくて、濁っている鶏系ラーメンでした。背脂がすごかったです。シンプルなチャーシューと硬めの麺でハイキングの準備としてよかったです。

Would I Go Again?
I wouldn't trek all the way out to Ichijoji for it, but I think they have other shops I would consider stopping in.

一乗寺までもう一回行かないと思いますけど、他の支店があればまた行くかもしれません。

Should You Go?
If you're looking for a sessionable bowl in Ichijoji, this place might be for you.

食べてもしんどくないラーメンが欲しいなら、珍遊をお勧めします。

Information
珍遊

Tsukemen Man

As a continuation of cherry blossom season, I took an all-too-rare visit to Kyoto to go to another hanami event. With an opportunity like that, though, I decided I needed to stop and get a bowl of ramen on my way there. Nearby Demachiyanagi there's not a ton of shops; but there is one I've had my eye on: Tsukemen Man. They embraced their name and offered up a specially made rich gyokai tonkotsu tsukemen.

まだ桜の季節なので花見のイベントのために京都に行きました。せっかく京都に行くならそこら辺のラーメン屋さんで食べてみたいと思いました。出町柳に店があまりありませんけど、一つ気になる店がありました。「つけ麺マン」に入って特製濃厚つけ麺を頼みました。

The Bowl
The broth was a mostly by-the-numbers thick gyokai mix; though it was a bit too rich and salty. The noodles made up for that as they were thick and shiny, easy to pick up yet resilient enough to take in a lot of soup and add a light egg flavor of their own. The chashu was good, though like the soup too, a bit salty, and over time it became harder to finish the bowl.

スープは普通の魚介豚骨ですけど結構かかったです。でも麺が太くて食べやすくてちょっと玉子の味がしたのでうまかったです。チャーシューもおいしかったですけど、濃かったです。全部濃すぎて最後の割スープでも飲みきれませんでした。

Would I Go Again?
I'll try another place in Kyoto next time I'm there.

次回京都に行ったら別の店に行きます。

Should You Go?
If you want some tuskemen in Demachiyanagi, otherwise go somewhere else.

出町柳でつけ麺食べたければ行ったらいいです。

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つけ麺マン

Tenkaippin Sohonten

It had been a long time since I had first visited Tenkaippin. Given how just how many branches of this super chain there are, it's almost surprising this would be my second visit.

My brother and I were visiting Kyoto on a Sunday. We decided to walk the Philosopher's Walk, stop at a couple of temples nearby, and end up at the flagship shop of the famous Kyoto franchise. Tenkaippin fans say that each branch has a slightly different flavor, and that nothing beats the original. I ordered the kotteri and prepared to find out if that was true.

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天下一品
Ichijoji Tsukudacho

The Bowl
The broth was a thick shoyu just like last time. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either, and it was a bit too salty. The medium noodles, chashu, and menma were all pretty run of the mill. I enjoyed the bowl, but it didn't really stand out from my previous visit to a random branch - decent enough but not worth going out of my way for.

Would I Go Again?
No.

Should You Go?
Eh, you should hit up Tenkaippin once at some point. The flagship is pretty far out of the way though.