Chuka Soba Sandaime Sakaeya

A random shoyu shop popped up in Shinsaibashi, and I went by to check it out. The name was Sakaeya, and I tried their namesake, the Sakaeya Chuka Soba.

なんか醤油の店が心斎橋でできて、行ってきました。店名は「さかえや」で、さかえや中華そばを頼みました。

The Bowl
A clear, balanced shoyu is what the ramen looked like, and indeed that's what it tasted like. It was light and drinkable, if a bit on the salty side, with good curly, chewy noodles. The chashu was tender and tasted strongly of being stewed in shoyu.

透き通ったバランスが効いている醤油ラーメンに見えて、味もその通りでした。あっさりで飲みやすかったですけど、ちょっと辛かったです。麺は縮れて、もちっとしていました。チャーシューは柔らかくて、しょうゆで煮込んだ香りがしました。

Would I Go Again?


Should You Go?


Information
中華そば 三代目 さかえや

Jinjo Menya Gyukotsuo

It's not every day I get to visit a beef ramen shop. Jinjo Menya Gyukotsuo happened to open up in Nagahoribashi, though, so I stopped by to try the beef bone paitan ramen.

牛骨ラーメンは割とレアなものです。人情麵家 牛骨王が長堀橋でできたので、牛骨白湯ラーメンを頼みました。

The Bowl
It was advertised that there was no pork or chicken in this bowl, only beef, and it tasted it. It was strong and syrupy, tasting not unlike beef tendon, topped off with some crushed pepper. The noodles were bunched up, thin and firm, like giving beef bone ramen the Hakata treatment. Speaking of beef tendon, there were little niblets of beef innards in the soup, chewy and gelatinous.

スープにある動物系は牛肉だけと書いてあって、味で分かったかもしれません。スープが濃くて、とろみがあって、牛筋的な味がしました。その上にすっきりとした胡椒が乗っていました。麺は博多麺みたいに細くて、硬めでした。スープに入っている肉は何か歯ごたえがある柔らかい牛肉でした。

Would I Go Again?
Yes, I'm curious about their other beef concoctions.

ほかにどんな牛骨ラーメンがあるか気になるので、また行くかもしれません。

Should You Go?
Anyone feeling beef or avoiding pork should stop by.

牛肉の気分の方にどうぞ。

Information
人情麺家 牛骨王

Ichinichi Ichimen LAB+

No matter how hard I try to be aware of where I should eat, there are some shops that just slip through my fingers. Ichinichi Ichimen LAB+ is a shop that I noted when it first appeared, but I happened to be busy at the time. I forgot about it, but upon looking in a magazine I once again became aware of its existence. It's located right in Nagahoribashi, so getting there was no problem.

Ichinichi Ichimen offers a couple different versions of shoyu ramen. Their standard is the itsumo no yatsu or "regular one": a light soy sauce. If you're not in the mood for that, you can try the kyo wa kore or "today, this one", a sweeter shoyu, or the uwaki or "affair", with roast pork, ginger, and clams. I followed the strange menu's recommendation and got the itsumo no yatsu.

できるだけ大阪のニューオープンを把握しようとしますけど、結局どうしても見逃す店があります。「一日一麺LAB＋」という店が出来た時に気になりましたけど、その時に忙しくて行けませんでした。最近雑誌で見て、知ってきました。長堀橋にあるのですごく行きやすかったです。

一日一麺のラーメンは醤油です。定番はあっさり系の「いつものヤツ」です。その気分じゃない場合、甘味がある「今日はこれ」があって、ハマグリ、ローストポークと紅生姜が乗っている「浮気」もあります。メニューに初心者にいつものヤツがおすすめられましたからそれにしました。

The Bowl
The shoyu broth had some interesting flavors. It was light soy sauce, supplemented by charred garlic. It was very subtle chicken, mellowed out by muscles mixed into the soup. Uniquely, their noodles were round, fat, and filled with flax seed. The seeds themselves were all but tasteless, but the noodles were pretty good overall. There was but a single chunk of chashu, clearly stewed in soy sauce for a long time, so much that it fell apart as soon as I was able to bring it to my mouth. The egg was a weird midway between a half-boiled and hard-boiled, and the ultra-thick menma had a strange drunk taste to them.

醤油のスープはなんか変でした。あっさりとした醤油で、焦がしたニンニクがよく効いていました。ほんのり鶏の風味がして、貝柱でバランスがとれました。麺がすごく変わっていて、アマニが練り込んでしまいました。チャーシューのでかい一枚があって、めっちゃ醤油味がして、口に入ったらすぐとろけました。味玉は半熟よりちょっとゆでて、劇厚メンマはなんかの酔っ払い味がしました。

Would I Go Again?
This was a good shoyu with some interesting flare. I might be back.

なかなか面白い醤油でした。また行くかもしれません。

Should You Go?
Citizens of Shinsaibashi, check this place out.

心斎橋人は行くべきです。

Information
一日一麺LAB＋

Ramen Mazesoba Arashi

These Taiwan mazesoba places are popping up everywhere! It was only a matter of time before one appeared in Shinsaibashi, and Ramen Mazesoba Arashi gets to claim the trophy of being first. As per standard, it has a straightforward menu with one main dish: the Taiwan maze soba.

台湾まぜそばやさんがどんどん増えてきました。やっと、心斎橋ら辺に一軒が出てきました。「らーめん まぜそば あらし」が最初でた店です。台湾まぜそば屋さんらしく、名物は「台湾まぜそば」です。

The Bowl
These bowls are starting to fall into a pattern. The noodles were nice and thick, with a tiny spice kick and rich konbu flavor. It wasn't bad, but it was salty and a little simple compared to the others I've had.

台湾まぜそばはけっこう決まっているフォーマットですね。麺が太くて美味しかったです。ピリ辛で、昆布の風味が広がりました。美味しくて、他の店よりさっぱりとした感じがしました。

Would I Go Again?
It would be a good stop late night, but there's enough of these shops I think I'll try a different one.

〆として結構いい気がします。

Should You Go?
You should definitely try this style; this wouldn't be my go to, but it's decent and is in a good location.

台湾まぜそばを一回食べて欲しいです。この店は場所的に便利です。

Information
らーめん まぜそば あらし

Menta Jisuta

Out with the old and in with the new. A few months ago, Nakamuraya shut down, and in its place came Menta Jisuta, the third branch of the Jisuta family. The last time I went to a branch, I ordered the strange maze men so this time I went with the menta soba, a standard chuka soba with wontons.

古い店が閉めながら新しい店が作られます。何ヶ月間前に中村屋がつぶれて、その代わりにメン太ジスタの３号店ができました。前回行ったときに不思議な混ぜつけ麺にしましたけど、今回ワンタンが入っている「メン太そば」という中華そばを頼みました。

The Bowl
The clear if oily shoyu that Menta Jisuta offered was about what I needed on a cold February afternoon. The broth was filled with green onions, giving it a crisp flavor that could be soaked up by the yellow, elastic noodles. The toppings were the strong point though, with a thick-skinned flavorful wonton and a firm but tasty egg.

二月の寒い日に透明な油っぽい醤油がよかったです。スープにはネギがいっぱい入っていて辛い味がして黄色い麺が絡んできました。長所はやっぱりトッピングでした。ワンタンは皮だらけでうまかったです。卵も固かったですけど、よくできていました。

Would I Go Again?
Overall I enjoyed the ramen, but I don't see a reason to go again.

おいしかったですけど、また行く気分はないかな。

Should You Go?
I would recommend trying wackier Menkuimen Tsujita Danieru no Bai over this.

ここよりもっと変わっている「麺喰いメン太ジスタ だにえるの場合。」に行ったらおすすめです。

Information
メン太ジスタ

Miyata Menji

After opening and closing three times, Miyata Menji is back for a fourth! Last time I could only try one set of noodles, but this time I could try all three, KK100, TM3, and T2G.

三回開いてしまった宮田麺児が四代目になりました！前回にT2Gしか食べられませんでしたけど、今回KK100、TM3、T2Gを全部友達と注文しました。

Information
宮田麺児
Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi, Chūō-ku, Higashishinsaibashi, １丁目１３−５

The Bowl
This place is known for their noodles, but I should mention that like last time, the broth was a surprisingly good, sweet gyokai tonkotsu. The TM3 were soft and chewy; they weren't straight like the other two, and tasted especially good in the soup. The KK100 were darker, and tasted a bit more like soba. The T2G were more standardly straight and chewy, with a little bit of a sour tinge to them. My favorite was the TM3, but it's really hard to go wrong with any of them.

宮田麺児は麺で有名ですが、魚介豚骨スープも意外とおいしかったです。TM3は柔らかくてもちもちで、手で作った見た目がありました。スープに特においしかったです。KK100はもっと暗くて、そばに似ている味がしました。T2Gは普通の麺みたいにもちもちでストレートでしたけど、ちょっと酸っぱい味がしました。私が好きだったのがTM3でしたけど、全部うまかったです。

Would I Go Again?
Yes. Probably when the close and open again.

はい。たぶんまたしまって開くときに。

Should You Go?
Yes. Bring a friend.

はい。友達と行ったらいいです。

Nakamuraya

Finally, hanami season! The cherry blossoms were blooming, and I was off to visit Osaka Castle Park to drink in the sun and stare at flowers. The snacks people usually bring to those gatherings was not enough, though, so I stopped at Nakamuraya in Senba on the way. Nakamuraya is a Gifu-based set of ramen shops, known for their sweet and sour tsukemen.

ようやく花見になりました！桜が咲いて、大阪城公園に飲みに行きました。花見の集まりにはみんなお菓子とか持って行きますけど、ちゃんと食事食べたかったので船場にある中村屋に寄りました。中村屋は岐阜には本店があって、甘くて酸っぱいつけ麺で有名です。

Information
中村屋
Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi, Chūō-ku, Bakurōmachi, ２丁目６−１３

The Bowl
The soup was light, sweet, sour, and even a little spicy. It was different from other gyokai tonkotsu I've had before, and tasted good with the extra-long, chewy noodles. All of the toppings tasted good in the sweet and sour soup too; the menma, egg, and melty chashu.

スープが甘くて酸っぱくてちょっと辛かったです。他の魚介豚骨に比べると違っておいしかったです。麺は長くてもちもちでした。とろけるチャーシューもスープの味を吸収して、さらにおいしくなりました。

Would I Go Again?
It was different, and good. Maybe I'll bring a friend there.

普通じゃなくてうまかったです。ひょっとしたら友達を連れて行くかもしれません。

Should You Go?
If you're in Senba, it's the place to go.

船場にいれば行くべきです。

Miyata Menji

All the time the world is blessed with the birth of a new ramen shop.  Other times we must bow our heads in sadness as a ramen shop disappears.  Miyata Menji, one of the first shops I ever visited in Osaka, has had its time come.

Miyata Menji was founded by a Japanese comedian, Miyata Tetsuji.  He wanted to show the world how delicious wheat flour in noodles could be, so he had them made for Miyata Menji.  After about two years of operation, Miyata felt that his duty was complete, and had the place shut down.  And what spookier day to say goodbye to a ramen shop than Halloween?  I came straight from work so sadly I was not in costume.

Miyata Menji typically has three different kinds of noodles available, but for the final night they had only one type of noodle available: the T2G Final.

Information
宮田麺児
1-13-5 Higashishinsaibashi

The Bowl
Miyata Menji is all about the noodles, but they offered a pretty solid broth too.  It was a sweet gyokai tonkotsu, with a strange-but-fitting tomato taste.  The noodles were good on their own and in the broth; they were very chewy and covered in little bits of wheat flour.  There was an extra-chewy large noodle sheet, too.  In addition to the pork, menma, and egg, which were all good, there were some vegetable chips with the noodles.  I've never had anything like that in ramen before, but they went pretty well.

Would I Go Again?
I would.  But alas, it is no more.

Should You Go?
Yes, but you can't.

R.I.P. Miyata Menji.

Tenbijio Ramen Iizumi

The other day my landlord yelled at me for writing a ramen blog in Osaka and not including any shio shops.  It's a good point, though most of the places I've found in Osaka don't specialize in shio.  One way or another, Ramen Walker helped me find one near Shinsaibashi and I stopped there on the way home.

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天日塩らーめん いゝずみ
Ōsaka-fu Ōsaka-shi Chūō-ku Minamisenba ２丁目７−３１
Iizumi is on one of the streets northeast of the big Shinsaibashi Tokyu Hands.

The Bowl
Light and refreshing.  Iizumi's shio ramen didn't make me super full like some of the thicker bowls I've had.  It had a clear soup that tasted very sesame and a bit oniony.  The noodles were thin and slippery, which made them very easy to slurp down.  The one slice of chashu was very tender; it had a stubtle taste that while very delicious, was not as in-your-face as the thick kakuni a lot of shops offer.  The egg, on the other hand, was very flavorful.

Would I Go Again?
I'm more of a kotteri guy and this is an assari place, but I would come back again if I'm not hungry enough to take down a full bowl of tsukemen or tonkotsu ramen.

Should You Go?
It's in a good location and it's a good shio bowl, so yeah.