Shofuku

I'm not always in the mood for Jiro-style ramen, but this time I tried Shofuku, a shop in Awaza for their pork ramen.

次郎系の気分はそんにないですけど、今回阿波座の「笑福」に行って、豚ラーメンを食べました。

The Bowl
It was a solid shoyu base, and to be honest, I was glad that it was one of the mildest Jiro-style bowls I've had. The noodles, were, thick, square and wheaty, and the bonito flakes too helped to mellow out the bowl. The chashu wasn't necessarily brimming with flavor, but it was juicy and fatty in a way that kept me warm on a cold winter day.

よく見る醤油スープで、正直に言うとがっつりとした感じが薄くて胃がありがたかったです。麺は極太で、麦の感が強くて、カツオの影響でちょっとマイルドした味になりました。チャーシューはジューシーで油濃かったので、ほっこりとなりました。

Would I Go Again?


Should You Go?


Information
ラーメン・つけ麺 笑福

Tori Soba Kobako

I like when shops open up in Nishi-ku, they're slightly away from downtown but still easy to get to. Kobako is a chicken ramen shop in Awaza, and I ordered the chicken fish soba.

西区で店が開いてうれしいです。難波とかからちょっと離れていますけど、ぜんぜん行きやすいです。「小箱」という鶏系専門店は阿波座ら辺にあって、そこで鶏魚煮込みそばを頼みました。

The Bowl
I came in hungry and happily received the ramen, a bubbling-with-oil, extra thick, extra salty chicken gravy. It was good for the first few bites of the short, medium noodles, but it was a bit much to handle for much more than that. The toppings were good though; the pork was a well-textured piece of sausage that had an almost cheese-like aftertaste.

おなかがすいて、油濃い、とろーとした塩辛鶏ガララーメンをもらいました。最初の一口とかは結構うまかったですけど、それ以上かなり濃かったです。トッピングがうまかったです。チャーシューはソーセージみたいな形で、歯ごたえがよくて、後味がなんかチーズに似ていました。

Would I Go Again?
There was good to be had here, but the broth was a bit too strong for me.

おいしかったはおいしかったですけど、私にはちょっと濃かったです。

Should You Go?
Only check out Kobako if you can handle your salt.

塩辛が苦手な人は気を付けてください。

Information
鶏そば 小箱

Ramen Bakappuru

I don't make it out of Osaka city very often, and there are a lot of shops in the burbs that I haven't visited. I'm always excited, then, when shops decide to move closer to the action. Ramen Bakappuru was technically in the city, but now moved to the convenient location of Awaza, where I was able to visit it easily. They had a chicken paitan, but the owner recommended the unusual bonito ramen, so I went with that.

あまり大阪市を出ませんから、郊外に行ったことがないラーメン屋さんがなかなか多いです。ほんで、店が市内に引っ越ししてくれると嬉しいです。「らーめん ばかっぷる」は旭区から阿波座に来て、すぐ行けるようになりました。鶏白湯が気になりましたけど、オススメしてもらった鰹節らーめんにしました。

The Bowl
I've never had a bowl so deep with the flavors of one kind of fish. The soup was a very peppery bonito syrup, but not overly fishy and eminently drinkable. The thickness of the soup was perfect for the medium, al dente noodles to drink in.

There was no shortage of toppings. Large chunks of fried onion marked their territory by standing out in one corner of the bowl. They got a bit soggy, unfortunately, but still tasted good. The stewed pork, on the other hand, was rich with flavor but mellowed out by the bonito stock. On the side, wasabi, lemon, and shichimi were served, and even more surprisingly, they worked. The wasabi added a tinge of its expected spiciness, triggering memories of sashimi.

こんな魚系のラーメンは食べたことがありません。スープは胡椒っぽいとろみがあるスープでした。でも、飲みやすかったです。そんなとろみで堅い目の麺がちょうど良かったです。

トッピングもいっぱい載っていました。でっかい玉葱の天ぷらのひとつがあって、スープでちょっとぬるってきましたけど、まだ美味しかったです。豚角煮がすっごいうまくて、魚介系のスープでまろやかな味になりました。

食卓の上に、わさび、レモン、七味が置いてありました。わさびは特に面白くて、混ぜたら刺身と食べているかのようでした。

Would I Go Again?
I really wish I could. But like many other shops, Bakappuru packed up and moved on.

また行きたいです。でも、結局潰れてもうた。

Should You Go?
I hope you went before this post went up.

これを投稿する前に行ったら良かったです。

Information
らーめん ばかっぷる

Chuka Soba Kazura

Lunch only ramen shops are very frustrating, but pretty common. I'm not sure why so many shops don't open for dinner, and especially so many popular ones. I guess if you sell out of your soup during the day, you don't need to pay staff for dinner. Still, it makes them annoying to visit.

Today's lunch only shop is luckily one very central: Chuka Soba Kazura in Awaza. Kazura is a small shop, seating only 9, so I had to wait on line for a bit before I could enter. They had only two menu items: a shoyu dashi soba and their shio awai soba. I waited my turn and ordered the dashi soba.

昼のみ営業しているラーメン屋さんは面倒くさいですけど、結構多いです。なぜ人気なラーメン屋さんが夜営業していないのがよく理解できません。昼にスープが無くなったら、ディナーを出さなくてもいいということですかね。とにかく、行くのが大変です。

今回の昼のみ営業の店は「中華そば葛」という店です。狭くて９席しかないです。ちょっと並ばなあかんかった。メニューは二つだけでした：醤油の出し蕎麦と塩のあわい蕎麦。ゆっくり待った上で、出し蕎麦を頼みました。

The Bowl
Just from looking at this ramen I would not be able to tell it was shoyu. Similar to all-time favorite Yashichi, it's kind of a modern approach to shoyu ramen. It was the closest thing I've seen to a ramen latte: frothy, milky, and easy to drink. The chicken-based umami was there, but with very soft edges. The noodles were round and medium-thick, maybe even a bit too thick, but solid overall. The chashu was light with just a bit of chew. It didn't have that much flavor on its own, but provided a different texture to take in the creaminess of the broth.

ラーメンを見る限り醤油か判断できません。大好きな弥七みたいに、新スタイルの醤油です。短く説明しようとしたら、「ラーメンラテ」って言っちゃいます。まろやかで柔らかい食感で飲みやすかったです。鶏の旨味も味わえましたけど、普通のラーメンより飲みやすかったです。麺は丸くて、中太かったです。ちょっと太い方でしたけど、一応美味しかったです。チャーシューは薄めでしたけど、歯ごたえが良くて、スープの味とちょっと変わった食感でいい感じでした。

Would I Go Again?
Yes.

また行きたいです。

Should You Go?
Yes.

ぜひ行ってみてください。

Information
中華蕎麦 葛

Tomato no Sato Shinanoji

I had been intending on getting a burger as a way of celebrating July 4th, but instead I found myself at a ramen shop in Awaza. Tomato no Sato Shinanoji is an unusual place; tomato ramen is their specialty. I ordered mine with a couple pieces of barbecue pork and a dollop of rice to clean up the soup at the end.

アメリカの独立記念日だったので、バーガーを食べるつもりでしたけど、阿波座のラーメン屋さんに行ってもうた。「とまとの里信濃路」の名物がトマトラーメンです。焼豚トッピングとあとめしと一緒に買いました。

The Bowl
Despite being noodles with tomato soup, this bowl was fairly different from pasta. The broth was an oily, light soup that tasted like a low-spice version of ra-yu with a simple tomato glaze. The noodles were long and firm, and were accompanied by lots of celery and a few small slices of pork. The barbecue pork was worth the extra money: the slices were tough but thick and juicy in a way that blended with the oil of the bowl.

麺ととまとの食事なんですけど、パスタの感じが全くしませんでした。スープはあっさりして油っぽかったです。ラー油みたいかつとまとがかかれた味がしました。固めで長い麺をはじめ、セレリーと豚バラが乗っていました。焼豚は特にうまくて、買う価値がありました。分厚くてめっちゃジューシーで、スープとよく合いました。

Would I Go Again?
It's not first on my list, but I would go again.

すぐ行くつもりじゃありませんけど、また行きたいです。

Should You Go?
Yes.

行った方がいいです。

Information
とまとの里 信濃路

Onihei

RIP Gomihacchin, and welcome Onihei to the Nishi-ku ramen scene. Onihei takes a tori tonkotsu bowl of ramen, and offers a few different versions of it: the black, the white, and the red. They all sounded pretty good, so I went with the most popular black, a tonkotsu with ma-yu.

五味八珍がなくなったのが残念ですけど、鬼平に、西区ラーメンシーンにようこそ。鬼平がいろいろな鶏豚骨白湯を提供しています。黒、白、赤もあります。全部おいしそうでしたから、一番人気な焙煎黒まー油 黒鬼麺にしました。

The Bowl
Onihei's ramen had a thin layer of oil and soup on top, with a cloudy thicker broth hiding below. The ma-yu mixed itself into the tonkotsu, creating a garlicky but not overpowering soup. The thin noodles, too, coated themselves in ma-yu as they were pulled out of the bowl, giving them a bit more punch than other bowls. The chashu was pretty good too, split into small, hearty pieces strewn about the bowl. This was not a record-breaking tonkotsu, but a solid one with an interesting twist.

ラーメンの上に油が乗っていて、その下に濁っている白湯が入っていました。マー油がよく混ざって、バランスをとれたニンニクの味がしました。細麺も食べようとしたときにマー油を絡みました。ちっちゃいチャーシューのかけらが多々スープに入っていました。この豚骨がうまくて、普通と変わっていますね。

Would I Go Again?
I might go again to try one of their other menu options.

他のメニューが気になるので、また行くかもしれません。

Should You Go?
Tonkotsu and ma-yu fans should check this place out.

豚骨とマー油が好きな人が行った方がいいです。

Information
鬼平

Sakura Saku

A new ramen shop, right in my own backyard of Awaza! Sakura Saku was a welcoming shop with a lot of menu options and a vague theme of being run by women in yukatas. They offered shio and shoyu ramen, with either whole grain noodles or Hokkaido wheat noodles. I had a hard time choosing, but ended up going with the whole grain shio. There was a samgyeopsal maze soba too that was tempting...but alas, for another time.

阿波座に新しいラーメン屋さんができました！さくら咲くで明るい雰囲気して、いっぱいメニューを提供していました。店員が全員女性で、ラーメンを持ってきてくれた人が浴衣を着ていました。塩、醤油ラーメンがあって、全粒粉か北海道小麦粉の麺がありました。全粒粉麺塩にしました。サムギョプサル混ぜそばも気になりましたけど．．．今度です。

The Bowl
The broth was a fine shio - light and oniony. The noodles stood out a bit more as being hearty, whole wheat ropes, which is unusual in such a light broth. The tender chashu and barrels of onions mixed well with the broth, and on top of the whole thing was a piece of sweet potato for some texture difference. Sakura Saku also served a special black oolong tea guaranteed to help fat digestion. All together a good mix of the expected and the unexpected.

スープはあっさりでネギの風味の塩でした。麺は普通の塩ラーメンより太くてガッツリ全粒粉でした。チャーシューとネギはスープとあって、その上に紅芋がおいてありました。食感が麺と違ってよかったです。油の消化のための烏龍茶も提供しました。結論は基本の塩と変わっている麺とトッピングのミックスなのでうまかったです。


Would I Go Again?
I would and I already have.

もうまた行きました。

Should You Go?
It's not a must-stop, but it provides a solid variety of ramen to make it one of Awaza's best.

阿波座の店の中にけっこういいので行ったらいいです。

Information
麺匠 さくら咲く

Mitsubosi Seimenjo

One of the oft-talked about ramen shops in Osaka is Mitsuboshi Seimenjo, a rare gyokai shoyu ramen in Fukushima. I visited there a while ago and realized that the shop lived up to the hype; it had a rich creaminess that you don't see often in tsukemen, let alone ramen. Since then, they have opened a second shop in Nishinakajima, and just recently a tsukemen shop in Awaza. I needed to see how their tsukemen compared to the ramen, so I checked it out.

よく話題になる大阪にあるラーメン屋さんはレア魚介醤油を提供している「みつ星製麺所」です。この前そこに行って、みんなが言っている通りおいしいと認めました。その時以来西中島に二号店ができて最近阿波座につけ麺専門店ができました。すごいおいしいラーメンに比べたらつけ麺はどうかなと思いながら阿波座の方に行ってみました。

The Bowl
The soup was written to have been cooked with pork, vegetables, and chicken, and the tare was made with scallops and fish. I couldn't pick apart each of these ingredients individually when tasting the soup, but the thick, gyokai flavors mixed together in a heavenly way. There was a choice of medium-thick and super-thick noodles, and the super-thick I went for were square and firm, holding their form after several dips. The toppings stood tall as well, a very creamy egg, thick, and juicy kakuni, and the unusual addition of a lemon that added a refreshing sourness to the concoction.

スープに豚、野菜、鶏肉が入っていてタレに魚と貝柱が入っていると書いてありました。個別に材料の味が出たわけじゃありませんでしたけど、混じったうまいこってり魚介系味がしました。中太麺か極太麺があって、やっぱり極太麺にして四角くてなんかいかつけても固くておいしかったです。クリーミーな味玉と濃い角煮もよくて、びっくりしたのはレモンでした。麺にしぼったら、以外と変わっているさっぱり味がしました。

Would I Go Again?
The tsukemen was good, but not as mindblowing as the ramen. I might check it out again.

つけ麺がおいしかったですけど、ラーメンより特別と思いませんでした。また行くかもしれません。

Should You Go?
If you're in the area, it's definitely a solid shop, but I would check out the ramen shop in Fukushima first.

阿波座にいれば、行ったらいいと思いますけど、どっちか選ばないとだめなら、福島の本店に行った方がいいです。

Information
みつ星製麺所

Awaza

There are some times when I spot a shop on my way somewhere and stop and eat there immediately. There are other times where I try time and again to go to a ramen shop, only to discover that they are closed each time for some strange or unsaid reason. Awaza is one of the latter shops. Located by its namesake station, I had walked by there a few times on weekends hoping to eat there, only to discover that it has strange hours. Finally I decided to go there on a weekday on my way home from weekend, and it was open. The staff recommended the shrimp shio ramen, but I couldn't help myself and ordered the interesting-sounding gyokai spicy miso tsukemen.

店をぱっとみて、すぐにそこで食べることにすることがあります。何回も行くつもりですが、諸事情でしまっていることもあります。麺屋あわざは後者の一つでした。よく通ったんですけど、週末の営業時間が変で、いつも入れませんでした。平日に仕事帰りで寄ってみようと思っていて、ようやく空いていました。海老塩ラーメンがおすすめでしたけど、私は味噌を好きすぎて、魚介辛味噌つけ麺を頼んでしもた。

Information
麺屋 あわざ
4 Chome-9-10 Itachibori

The Bowl
So many things I like mixed into one bowl! Fish, miso, spicy, tsukemen. The broth was rich, but the miso flavor was not too strong. There was just a bit of a kick to it; I would have preferred more spice, but it wasn't a bad level. The noodles were chewy, and flat, and went well with the broth and rich chashu. My main complaint was that the broth ended up being a bit salty, but otherwise a weird and good combination.

めっちゃ好きな物が一つのボールに入っていました！魚、味噌、辛さ、つけ麺。スープがとろりがあって、味噌の味がちょっと薄めでした。ピリ辛で、私は「もうちょっと辛いほうがいいかな」と思ったんですけど、うまかったです。太平麺とチャーシューもおいしくて、スープがちょっと塩辛かったんですけど、よかったです。

Would I Go Again?
Yeah. I still have to try that shrimp shio ramen.

はい。また海老塩ラーメンを食べなあかん。

Should You Go?
Yes, if you're into slightly weird ramen.

微妙に変なつけ麺が好きなら、行ったらいいです。

Waon

On my way to Chibo no Tantanmen a few days before, I noticed a ramen shop right next to Utsubo Park. It was a small place on the corner, out of the way, but with a sign advertising its tonkotsu shoyu soup. I'll never turn down a chance to walk by Utsubo Park, so a few days later I headed over there.

先日にちー坊のタンタン麺に行く途中に靭公園の隣にあるラーメン屋さんに気づきました。過度にある狭い店でしたけど、豚骨醤油スープを宣伝しているサインが見えました。靭公園が好きなので、行ってみました。

Information
和おん
2 Chome-6-13 Utsubohonmachi

The Bowl
Normally when I see a tonkotsu shoyu bowl, I imagine that it will be overbearing, salty, and keep me from wanting to move for a few hours. Aside from the apparent saltiness, Waon's bowl was the opposite; light, refreshing, and easy to drink. The noodles too, although fat, were al dente as advertised on the menu, and light. The thin chashu and almost-raw menma added to the bowl. Overall there wasn't a lot of flavor, which made for a decent dining and post-dining experience.

普通、豚骨醤油と聞くと、重くて塩辛いイメージがします。塩以外、和おんのダブると言うラーメンがそのイメージと全く違いました。さっぱりで薄めで飲みやすかったです。麺も太くてアルデンテなのにすっきりでした。チャーシューもメンマもあったんですけど、一般の味はちょっとそばポックあっさりでした。

Would I Go Again?
There were some other weird menu items, so if I go back, it would be to try one of those.

他の変なメニューがあったので、また行こうとしたら、それを食べてみます。

Should You Go?
If you like assari ramen, it's worth a try and near the park.

あっさり系が好きだったら、食べる価値があります。

Chibo no Tantanmen

It was the short time in Japan between the chilly winter and humid summer - May. I had one last day, so I decided to walk by Utusubo Park. Around there was a tantanmen shop I had wanted to try for a while. There were tons of spicy options, but since it was my first time I went with the staff-recommended white sesame tantanmen.

５月にはちょっと春っぽい天気があるので、外を歩きたくなります。靭公園に行って、その辺りに行きたかった担々麺屋さんがありました。辛いメニューがいっぱいありましたけど、初めてなので、お勧めしてもらった白胡麻タンタン麺にしました。

Information
ちー坊のタンタン麺
3 Chome-3-8 Utsubohonmachi

The Bowl
Wow, they weren't kidding about the white sesame in this bowl. There was a ton of it and white pepper hovering at the top. It was pretty spicy but not overwhelming. The noodles were curly and chewy, and the sprouts and ground pork went with the sesame flavor well.

やっぱり白胡麻がいっぱい乗っていました。白胡椒もけっこうあって、辛くてうまかったです。麺がもちもちの縮れ麺でした。もやしも豚肉もゴマの味に合いました。

Would I Go Again?
It was a solid if standard bowl of tantanmen, but I want to try the other items on the menu.

普通でおいしいタンタン麺でしたが、他のメニューを食べてみたいです。

Should You Go?
For those in Osaka craving some spice, this is a good place.

辛いものが好きな人、行ってください。

Ramen Kasumi

Utsubo Park is a beautiful park in the middle of Osaka I went several months without noticing. It's smack in the middle of the city, so unless you live or work near Awaza you may never find it. Well, next time you go there you can find a good shio ramen shop nearby as well.

靭公園は大阪のど真ん中にある公園です。私は何ヶ月間大阪に住んでいてもずっと気づきませんでした。阿波座の辺りに住むまたは働かなければ、通らないかもしれません。もしその辺に行ったら、おいしい塩ラーメン屋さんにも寄ることができます。

Information
Link here
Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi, Nishi-ku, Kyōmachibori, ２丁目１２−１３

The Bowl
The broth was a light, yellow soup. It was a little oily, but a good shio, and easy to drink along with the thin, yellow noodles. There were two thin slices of chashu, and they were flavored with yuzu pepper, making them different and extra tasty.

スープがあっさりで黄色かったです。ちょっと脂っぽかったですけど、細くて黄色い麺と一緒に飲みやすかったです。薄いチャーシューが二枚あって、ゆず胡椒で味ついて、普通のチャーシューに比べるとちょっと違っておいしかったです。

Would I Go Again?
I might, it's in a good location and goes down easy.

いいところにあるしおいしかったので、また行くかもしれません。

Should You Go?
Yeah, have a drink in the park and then check it out.

靭公園でのんびりしてから行ったらいいです。

Gomihacchin

Every time you walk in a familiar area, you see the same restaurants and shops over and over. There are those ones you've been to a million times, and the ones that you're not even sure what they sell. I had passed Gomihacchin many times, but never ventured inside. One night on my way back from work I decided to give it a try.

Gomihacchin looked like a standard ramen chain, so it wasn't obvious what to order. I asked the guy working there and he directed me towards the special, the "tongarashi" bowl; a hot pepper tonkotsu bowl. Sold.

Information
五味八珍
1-15-15 Awaza

The Bowl
I don't always eat chain ramen, but when I do, I make sure they're spicy. A generic, tonkotsu broth filled the bowl, and it tasted there was a ton of Chinese chili oil poured in. The noodles were thin and soft, similar to the kind they have in a lot of Hakata tonkotsu bowls. The pork was not the standard chashu, but looked more like the buta-bara you see in Korean dishes.

Would I Go Again?
It was enjoyable despite being generic and chainy, but still not good enough to merit another visit.

Should You Go?
Nah, even if you're near Awaza there are better bowls.

Bushido

I was walking around Nishi-ku after looking at some apartments, and decided to get something to eat.  What better way to relax on a Sunday after walking around all day than a huge amount of garlic, oil, salt, and pork?

Bushido is a Jiro-style ramen shop located near Awaza.  Bushido is paired with a similar ramen shop in Teradacho called Wasshoi.  Both offer soups that will kill your breath and your stomach in huge, or "men's" sizes.  Thankfully they offer reasonable sizes for those of us who can barely finish a small.

Information
麺屋 武士道
4-6-20 Itachibori

The Bowl
A classic bowl of Jiro-style ramen: oily, garlicy, and covered with chunks of fat.  The broth was scalding too, so my tongue hurt for a couple days after this meal.  The noodles were oily, firm and eggy.  There were some onions and cabbage in there so you can pretend the bowl is at all healthy.  The chashu were, unlike Maccho, not large chunks, but thinner strips, and not as good.

Would I Go Again?
It wasn't bad, but the best thing about this brand of Jiro-style ramen is that it came in a relatively small serving.  I won't go back to Bushido, but maybe I'll review Wasshoi some time.

Should You Go?
It's Jiro-style ramen you can eat without getting a huge size, but if you're aiming for the best, try a different place.

Makenki Ramen

It was finally starting to get warm in Osaka, which encouraged me all the more to take random walks.  Today's was to Makenki Ramen, a shop I found in last year's Ramen Walker that has a number of different styles, but most notably shoyu tonkotsu.  I've really enjoyed some of the other shoyu tonkotsu shops I've been to before, so I was excited to give Makenki a try.

Information
まけんきラーメン
Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi, Nishi-ku, Itachibori, ３丁目７−１３
Makenki is south of Awaza Station, on the east side of Amida-ike Suji.

The Bowl
The broth was thin and very oily, reminding me a little bit of the broth at some chains I've been to.  It was salty and there was a roasty flavor, similar to roasted garlic or ma-yu.  The noodles were medium-thin and fairly firm.  There was an egg, menma, onions, and bean sprouts, but what really stood out was the chashu that was tender and tasted like Chinese barbecue pork.

Would I Go Again?
I wasn't blown away; I won't be back.

Should You Go?
The chashu was good and interesting, but everything else was mediocre.  Skip this one.