Ramen Ciel

Shio ramen is pretty rare in Osaka, but Ramen Ceil in Nakatsu specializes it, so that's what I ordered.

塩ラーメンは大阪で珍しいですけど、中津のらーめん Cielは塩専門店なのでそれを頼んでみました。

The Bowl
And shio it was. A not-too-salty drinkable broth, with flat, thick-ish, wheaty noodles. There were a couple of different kinds of pork slices, and a simple chicken slice too.

塩らしかったです。しょっぱ過ぎない飲みやすいスープと若干平たい麺でした。チャーシューの二種類があって、さっぱりとした鶏チャーシューも乗っていました。

Would I Go Again?


Should You Go?


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らーめん Ciel

Mankai

There is a shop of Nakatsu that has bounced around between ownership, but for the recent while it has been Fukushima-founded tonkotsu Mankai. I stopped in and tried the shio tonkotsu.

オーナーが点々変わって中津の店がって、最近しばらく福島のとんこつラーメンまんかいになっています。潮とんを食べに行ってきました。

The Bowl
A pretty straightforward tonkotsu, as I'd expect from Mankai, the shio tonkotsu was saltier than the standard. By-the-book thin, firm noodles and thin, melty slices of chashu left this place in my mind as a solid, consistent option.

まんかいの期待した標準のとんこつで定番のとんこつより若干濃かったです。博多風ばり方細麺でとろけるチャーシューが乗っていました。やっぱりとんこつ食べたいときにまんかいですね。

Would I Go Again?


Should You Go?


Information
まんかい

Ramen Kasumi

One of the ever changing shops in Nakazakicho has changed again. First it was shrimp tsukemen shop Typhoon Gang. Then it was jiro-style shop Ginjiro. Now it's the second shop of fantastic Awaza shio Kasumi. A bit of a difference from the light bowls from the first shop, the new branch specializes in thick chicken shio ramen.

中崎町でよく変わる店がまた変わりました。最初海老つけ麺の「台風ギャング」でした。そして、二郎系の「銀二郎」になりました。今阿波座のおすすめの塩ラーメン屋さん「香澄」の2号店ができました。本店のあっさりとしたラーメンと違って、2号店の定番は塩鶏白湯です。

The Bowl
This was the polar opposite of the flagship's bowl of shio. Where the the original shio was light and easy to drink, this was a syrupy, pungent bowl of salty chicken gravy. The noodles were medium-with a good chew, but they couldn't help but take in some of the massive amounts of sodium in the soup. The slices of chicken were the best way to take in the broth. They were moist with a bit of sweetness on their own, which ended up meshing well with the gravy. This bowl had some good highs, but was hard to take the full amount.

本店のラーメンと真逆です。本店の塩はさっぱりとして、今回のラーメンはドロ〜とした塩辛いチキングレービーソースみたいでした。麺はちょっと細い方で歯ごたえが良かったですけど、塩をめっちゃ吸いました。鶏チャーシューがベストでした。ジューシーでほんのり甘味もして、スープとのバランスがすごかったです。このラーメンが美味しかった点がありましたけど、ちょっとしんどかったです。

Would I Go Again?
I'm not sure, I would certainly hit up the original Kasumi before I went back to this one.

また行くかどうかは迷っています。とにかくまた行く前に本店にまた行きたいです。

Should You Go?
Thick chicken paitan lovers might like this one, but it shouldn't be first on your list.

ドロドロの鶏白湯ファンが好きだと思います。

Information
らーめん 香澄

Eguchi

One of the most famous tsukemen shops in Osaka just happened to open a shop right by where I work! It replaced a mediocre-at-best curry udon shop, so this was a win-win. Many moons ago I visited the Esaka flagship shop of Eguchi, so I knew what I was in for, and I didn't feel bad for ordering the spicy tsukemen over the standard one.

大阪のかなり有名なつけ麺専門店「えぐち」が職場の近くで二号店を開きました！微妙なカレーうどん屋さんの後にできたので、よろしいことだろう。昔に、江坂にある本店に行ったので、どんなものかすでにわかっていました。それで、定番のつけ麺じゃなくて、辛いほうの赤つけそばにしました。

The Bowl
Just like the flagship, this was a thin and easy to drink seafood soup tsukemen. The broth was quite red, but the spiciness was light and tingly overall. I appreciate Eguchi's choice of shiny, slurpable noodles that are thick, but not too much for their broth. The menma and chashu were both decent enough, but the draw of Eguchi remains the refreshing never-gets-old soup.

やっぱり本店と似ていて、あっさり飲みやすい系のつけ麺でいた。スープは真っ赤ですけど、ピリ辛なので、激辛まで耐えない方も気にしなくてもいいです。麺はスープとバッチリで、中太って、すっとすすれました。メンマもチャーシューも普通に美味しかったですけど、えぐちの特徴が飽きない透き通ったスープですね。

Would I Go Again?
I would, and have.

もう何回か行ったことがあります。

Should You Go?
Compared to most of the heavy tsukemen you find in Osaka, Eguchi is a welcome change of pace. Anyone looking for an easy to drink tsukemen should come here.

大阪のつけ麺がほぼ重いですから、軽い方を食べてみたい人にオススメです。

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麺処 えぐち

Ramen Kobo Ryoka

Tobei right near my office closed down. I had only been there a few times, but the closure of any ramen shop is still reason enough to pour a few drips of soup out. Only a few months later, though, Ramen Kobo Ryoka was born in its place. Ryoka is one in a series of shops in Ehime specializing in chicken shio ramen. I waited patiently until the day it opened, then went in and ordered the tori shio ramen with a side of chicken gyoza.

職場の近くにある藤平という店が潰れました。二、三回しか行ったことがありませんでしたけど、残念でした。何ヶ月後にあとに「ラーメン工房りょうか」という店ができました。りょうかは愛媛のチェーン店で、鶏塩ラーメンが名物です。できる日まで待って、贅沢のせ鶏塩らー麺と鶏餃子を頼みました。

The Bowl
Ryoka's clear ramen was like a bowl of shio yakitori soup. It was light with a bit of charred onion, with chicken in the broth and as a topping. It was tender and just a bit fatty. The noodles were very light, going down easy and just keeping a smidge of that charred essense with them. The gyoza were pretty solid too: thin and crispy skin and meat with a gristly crunch. The yuzu pepper served with them was an excellent companion.

りょうかのスープは透き通って、塩焼き鳥に意外と似ていました。焦げたネギの風味がしました。乗っていた肉が柔らかくて、ちょっとだけ油濃かったです。麺がすすりやすくて、ほんのり焦がした味がしました。餃子もうまかったです。皮がかりかりとして、中身が軟骨みたいにガリガリとしました。柚子胡椒とやっぱり合いました。

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

もう何回か行ったことがあります。

Should You Go?
Chicken lovers should check it out.

鳥が好きな人、行ってください。

Information
ラーメン工房 りょう花

Ramen Igei

On my visit to beloved Menya Taku just a few days ago, I discovered that one of the former chefs started a new shop. Called Ramen Igei, the shop follows in Taku's steps by specializing in tonkotsu gyokai ramen. I made my way to the far side of Nakatsu and ordered a bowl.

この前麺や拓に行ったときに、そこで修業した人が新しい店を作ったと知りました。「らーめん伊藝」という店で、拓と同じように名物は豚骨魚介らーめんです。中津の遠いところまで行って、それを頼んでみました。

The Bowl
This was a broth where the fish came first, and the tonkotsu second. It was rich if not super thick, and doused in fish powder. The surfeit of onions and sprouts kept the flavors in check, accompanied by some extra-long, woody menma. The noodles were thin and hard, almost like Hakata noodles, which was unusual in this kind of kotteri broth, but wasn't bad. There was a massive slice of chashu hiding beneath the waters, solid and porky.

このスープは豚骨より魚介がすごかったです。ドロドロじゃありませんでしたけど、こってりで魚粉がいっぱいかけられました。もやしとネギがあったので、ちょっとしたバランスがとれました。長くて木の風味がしたメンマも乗っていました。博多風にちょっと似ていた麺は細くて固めでした。こんなラーメンにあまり見ませんけど、合いました。最後に、隠れた旨味のチャーシューが隠れていました。

Would I Go Again?
It was good, but why head all the way out there when Taku is so close?

美味しかったですけど、拓は近いのでそんな遠いところまだ行かないかな。

Should You Go?
It's worth a check for Taku lovers.

やっぱ拓が大好きなら一回行ってみてもいいと思います。

Information
らーめん伊藝

Kyosuke

New shop alert! The longer I've been in this ramen eating business, the more aware I've been of new shops opening up. A shop can barely exist for a few days without being photographed and posted on some blog, so a careful search will show me where I need to go next. This time is a new branch of gyokai tori paitan Kyosuke near work in Kita. Kyosuke was delicious when I had it in Sakaisuji Honmachi, how will it be this time?

ニューオープン！しばらくこのブログを書いているのでだんだん新オープンの情報がわかるようになってきました。店ができてから誰かすぐに写真を撮って、インターネットのどっかにアップすることですからググったら、どこに行けばいいかわかります。今回魚介鳥パイタン専門店きょうすけが中津にできました。堺筋本町店がほんまにおいしかったですけど、中津店は堂でしょう？

The Bowl
It tasted just as good as it looks, which is just as good as I remember it. Creamy broth, thick, barbecued pork, and a creamy egg. The firm noodles, menma, and negi went classically with the balanced mix of fish and chicken in the soup. Local competitor Menya Teru has some new competition.

見た目みたいにおいしかったです。スープも玉子もクリーミーでチャーシューが厚くて炙りました。かたくて中太麺がバランスした魚介鳥ぱいたんスープに合わせました。近くにある麺屋輝に競合になりました。

Would I Go Again?
Yes.

はい。

Should You Go?
Yes.

はい。

Information
麺屋 きょうすけ

Nakamotsuya

One of the places I occasionally eat at during lunch from work I noticed had a Mondays-only miso ramen deal. The horumon at that place is pretty good, and I had eaten tantan tsukemen there before, so I wanted to give the miso a shot too.

仕事の昼ご飯によくホルモン専門店で月曜日限定味噌ラーメンがあると発見しました。ホルモンがけっこうおいしいので、一回味噌ラーメンを食べてみたかったです。

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中も津屋
Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi, Kita-ku, Toyosaki, ５丁目７−１１

The Bowl
The broth was nice and rich, just like it looks. It tasted a lot like the sauce they put on their horumon, which is itself pretty good. The noodles were flat and non-uniformly curly in a way that reminds me of handmade Chinese noodles. It was different from the normal kind of miso I have, but in a good way.

スープが写真みたいに濃厚でした。その店のホルモンソースのような味がしたのでけっこうおいしかったです。麺が太くて平たくて手作り中華麺の感じがしました。普通の味噌と変わっているので主しかったです。

Would I Go Again?
I work nearby so I'm sure I'll end up there again.

その辺で働いているのでいつかまた行きます。

Should You Go?
It's kind of out of the way and only on Mondays, so it'll be hard to try.

月曜日限定なのでちょっと行きにくいです。

Tobei

A few of my coworkers told me about a chain ramen shop nearby, but I had never gone to check it out. One day I ate lunch with them, and they decided to introduce me into the wonderful world of Tobei. One of the big advantages of chain shops on weekdays is lunch specials. Ramen, gyoza, rice, or whatever else you want all for a fraction of the price you would normally pay. I don't have a huge stomach so I stuck with the gyoza set and the signature tonkotsu Tobei Ramen.

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らー麺 藤平
Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi, Kita-ku, Toyosaki, ２丁目４−２６

The Bowl
Compared with many tonkotsu bowls I've had, this was very light. Refreshing even. The ma-yu in the broth was a bit garlicky, and the soup was a little generic, but it was not bad. The noodles were thin and curly, and the slices of chashu were pretty good as well.

Would I Go Again?
It was fairly generic, so I'm not intending to, but I wouldn't be shocked if I ended up there again with my coworkers.

Should You Go?
Don't go out of your way for it, but they do have cheap lunch specials if you work near a branch, too.

Takezawa

After accidentally getting my coworker obsessed with Teru, I figured I had to show him the other ramen shops in the area.  I had been to Takezawa before, months ago, but not since I started this blog.  We headed over there and found out that it was actually about to close.  According to one of the employees, the store was going to relocate to China!  There was only a week and a half or so left until it was gone for good, so we were pretty lucky.  Takezawa specialized in light shoyu ramen, so I went with that.

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閉店麺屋たけざわ
Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi, Kita-ku, Nakatsu, １丁目１０−１３

The Bowl
The broth was clear and much lighter than most shoyu ramen that I've had.  If I didn't know any better I would have thought it was shio just looking at it.  It wasn't too salty and was very refreshing.  The noodles were thin and light too, which  worked well.  The egg was creamy and quite good, while the kakuni was decent but nothing special.

Would I Go Again?
I went back one last time before it closed, to try one of their other special ramens, and I would have gone back on occasion if Takezawa hadn't closed.

Should You Go?
Takezawa is already closed at time of writing; maybe you can go find it in China?

Menya Teru

Just after I moved to Osaka and started my job, I learned that one of my coworkers was kind of a ramen expert.  Apparently, back in his heyday he ate ramen almost every day, and knew a ton of different shops in the area.  He's since realized that he'll die early if he continues to do that, so he's cut down considerably.  Nonetheless, he's introduced me to a few good shops, some for when I traveled to random places in Japan, and some right near the office.  Menya Teru is the latter, and I first went before I started writing this blog, and decided to go there again with one of my new coworkers.

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麺や 輝
Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi, Kita-ku, Toyosaki, ３丁目８−８
Teru is just southeast of Nakatsu Station in the small maze of alleys.

The Bowl
Teru makes gyokai tonkotsu, and I went for the ramen version.  I usually get this kind of broth in tsukemen, and the version that Teru makes for ramen is much smoother and more drinkable than standard gyokai tonkotsu tsukemen.  The noodles were medium sized and firm, there were bean sprouts, onions, an egg, menma, and of course chashu.  The pieces of chashu were decent but not super flavorful, and the egg was very creamy.  The strangest thing was that the menma tasted strongly of ginger.  Overall I was reminded a lot of Men Life Taku, except with a pork taste instead of chicken.

Would I Go Again?
I've already been there again, so yes.

Should You Go?
Yeah, it's quite good.  There's a number of branches, including one in Shinsaibashi, so you don't necessarily have to trek out to Nakatsu to eat there.

Yashichi

Ah, the elusive Yashichi.  One of the most critically acclaimed shops in Osaka, and the second highest ranked on ramendb at time of writing, Yashichi can be hard to get into.  It's only open on non-holiday weekdays, for lunch.  If you have a fulltime job, you'd better take a day off if you want to eat here.  Luckily, it happens to be walking distance from work for me.  Unfortunately, the line is normally long enough to take well over an hour, and on a normal day, Yashichi is not an option.  One fateful day, though, it rained and it poured and the line was pretty short!  I had eaten ramen as my previous meal and didn't have my camera on hand, but I could not be stopped, and after waiting on line for a short time, entered and ordered the Shoyu ramen.

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らーめん 弥七
Ōsaka-fu Ōsaka-shi Kita-ku Toyosaki ３丁目４−８
Yashichi is right down the road from exit 1 of Nakatsu station.

The Bowl
As mentioned above, I didn't have my camera, but luckily I was able to get my coworker to take a photo for me with his smartphone.
One of the reasons that shoyu is not my favorite kind of ramen, is that many shoyu bowls are thin, salty, or not that rich in flavor.  This is not the case with Yashichi.  The broth was rich, fatty, boiling hot, and covered in pepper.  The medium-sized noodles were long and very easy to suck down.  The chashu and the egg also shined, both extremely tender flavorful.

Would I Go Again?
If I ever see the line that short again.

Should You Go?
If you're ever free when it's open.