Ichimensei

For the second time, I planned to go to shio shop Kibariya. I was in Imazato with a friend heading to a bar, and we decided to stop by the shop. For the second time, it was closed. But this time, luckily, it had been replaced by a new shop: Ichimensei.

Ichimensei offered a pretty delicious looking tsukemen, but I had to go with their wilder Ago Soba, or Flying Fish Ramen.

二回目塩ラーメン屋さん気ばりい屋に行くつもりでした。友達と今里にあるバーに行こうと思っていたので、行く前にラーメンを食べようと決めました。今回も、気ばりい屋がありませんでした。でもその代わりに、新しいラーメン屋さんができました。

「一麺生」という店がおいしそうなつけ麺を提供していましたけど、一番気になったのは飛魚そばでした。

The Bowl
The bowl at its heart was a bowl of shoyu ramen; completely immersed in flying fish flavors, but balanced overall. The noodles were flat but thick, smooth and solid. The pork was tough but hearty, like a miniature pork steak on the side.

バランスがとれた醤油ラーメンでした。飛魚の味がすごかったですけど、優しかったです。麺が平打ちですけど、中太かったです。チャーシューがステーキみたいに固かったですけど、「肉」って感じがめっちゃしました。

Would I Go Again?
Yeah, this place was pretty good.

おいしかったのでまた行くかもしれません。

Should You Go?
If you're ever in Imazato, you should stop by.

今里にいるなら、行くべきです。

Information
一麺生

Naniwa Seimen Homare Shoten

Recently, one of my friends moved near Bishoen Station, southeast of Tennoji. Normally I would have no reason to go over there, but a tsukemen shop from Juso made the move too, and now I had two reasons to visit. Just a couple days after opening, Naniwa Seimen Homare Shoten offered their signature tsuke soba at a discounted 500 yen.

最近友達が美章園駅の近くに引っ越ししました。普通は行く理由は全くありませんけど、十三にあったつけ麺屋さんが移転したので遊びに行きました。ニューオープンセールがあったのでなにわ製麺誉商店の名物のつけそばを５００円で買えました。

The Bowl
A sweet and salty gyokai tonkotsu tsukemen, with medium, slippery noodles left me satisfied though not impressed, but Naniwa Seimen's unique feature is the zosui that follows. After finishing the noodles, my friend and I received a hot stone and a bowl of rice to mix together with the remaining soup. Just in case there was a chance you were still hungry, this congee-like rice porridge will fill you up. The combination brought back memories of Cho Tonkotsu Nodo 8 and Fujiyama 55 (may it rest in piece), which is a good thing.

甘くてしょっぱい魚介豚骨つけ麺と滑りやすい中太麺で満足でしたけど、この店の特徴は食後の雑炊です。麺を食べてから、ご飯と焼石をもらって残っているスープと一緒に混ぜます。まだおなかすいていたら、おかゆみたいな雑炊で絶対おなかいっぱいになります。そんなものを食べると「超豚骨濃度８」と「フジヤマ５５」（残念ながらつぶれました）の思いが浮きました。

Would I Go Again?
Probably not, it's far.

遠いので多分また行きません。

Should You Go?
If you're in the area, it's a good shop to have.

その辺りにすんでいるなら、行った方がいいです。

Information
なにわ製麺 誉商店

Ramen Jinsei JET600

Once upon a time I went to a delicious shoyu shop in Fukushima called Ramen Jinsei JET. It was delicious and still reigns supreme as one of the best shoyu shops I've been in all of Osaka. Then I discovered there's a second shop in Tamatsukuri, called Ramen Jinsei JET600. I happened to have a friend who lived in the area, so we went to check it out.

昔々にめっちゃおいしい福島にあるしょうゆラーメン屋さんに行きました。ラーメン人生 JETでした。やっと、玉造にある「ラーメン人生 JET600」という支店を発見しました。その辺りには友達が住んでいたので一緒に食べに行きました。

Information
ラーメン人生 JET600
Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi, Higashinari-ku, Higashiobase, １丁目３−３

The Bowl
Just as I remember, peppery, hot, classic shoyu. Fantastic. The noodles were flat and easy to down. The chashu was alright, and otherwise in the bowl was menma, onions, seaweed, and a fishcake.

思った通り黒こしょうで熱いクラシックなしょうゆでした。うまかったです。麺が平たくて食べやすかったです。チャーシューの上にメンマ、ネギ、海苔、なるともありました。

Would I Go Again?
Yeah, here or the one in Fukushima.

福島の本店かここにまた行きたいです。

Should You Go?
Yes, to at least one of the JETs.

JETの福島店か玉造店に行かなあかんです。

Sumiyoshi

Ever since I went to Koyoken, I'd been curious to try neighboring old-school Takaida-kei shop Sumiyoshi. My brother was still around, so together we made the trek east to Fuse. Sumiyoshi was very small, and reminded me of Ganso Nagahamaya in Fukuoka in that, unlike some new posh ramen shops, Sumiyoshi feels like it's filled with people from around the area just looking for a good bowl of cheap noodles.

光洋軒に行ってからその近くにある住吉という高井田系の店に行ってみたいなと思っていました。兄がまだいたので一緒に布施まで歩いて行きました。住吉は狭くて、福岡にある元祖長浜屋みたいに新しいオシャレな店じゃなくてクラシック的においしくて安いラーメンを食べたい客様が入っていました。

Information
住吉
Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi, Higashinari-ku, Fukaeminami, ３丁目２０−８

The Bowl
Like other Takaida-style bowls I had before, the broth was a light, but sharp and salty shoyu. The noodles were very thick and very firm. They tasted good along with the saltiness of the soup. The chashu was alright and the menma was very flavorful.

高井田系ラーメンらしくスープが塩辛くて飲みやすいしょうゆでした。麺が太くてスープの味と一緒においしくなりました。チャーシューはよくて、メンマが厚かったです。

Would I Go Again?
Maybe, it was fun to bring my brother there.

兄と一緒に行くのが面白かったのでまた行こうかな。

Should You Go?
Takaida-kei is worth trying, and this is as good a shop as any if you make it out to Fuse.

高井田系ラーメンが食べる価値があるので、もし布施にいたら行ったらいいかもしれません。

Koyoken

Takaida.  What was an old bus stop, is now a subway stop, and will forever remain an Osakan style of ramen.  Takaida-kei ramen is a classic chuka soba, simple shoyu ramen.  What makes it stand out is that the broth is a much darker, richer, soy sauce, and that the noodles are fat and straight.  This style is not famous at all, but as an Osakan ramen amateur, it's come across my radar a number of times.  I've tried the most famous chain, Kinguemon, but I've always wanted to try one of the original places.

Koyoken was one of the first, having been established in 1953.  I walked all the way out to Fuse, expecting that a place of lore like this would have a huge line all day long.  Nope, there was only one other customer in the shop when I got there, and no one else came while I ate.

Information
光洋軒
3-20 Fukaeminami

The Bowl
Something tasted very "raw" about this shoyu broth.  It wasn't as dark as the other Takaida-kei shops I had been to.  It was much saltier, though, and therefore harder to drink.  It kind of tasted like what would happen if you took the sauce of some Chinese stir-fry dish and turned it into a soup.  The noodles were a bit better, being fat and straight they absorbed the flavor of the broth and just the right amount of salt.  The menma was alright, and the chashu was standard.

Would I Go Again?
I'm glad I tried it but I can understand why people flock to the newer shops.  I'd like to go back to Takaida, but I think I'll hit one of the other classic shops.

Should You Go?
Eh, it's far.  I'm curious about the other shops in the area, but you'd be better off heading to Kinguemon or Marujoe in town.