Menya Ichi

After a trip to Nagai Park, I stopped in gyokai tonkotsu tsukemen shop Menya Ichi. I ordered the tokusei gyokai tonkotsu tsukemen.

長居公園に行ってから魚介とんこつつけ麺専門店麵屋壱に行きました。特製魚介とんこつつけ麺を頼みました。

The Bowl
It really reminded me of when I lived in Tokyo. The broth was plenty thick, but mellow due to the fish, and the noodles were thick and slightly fat. The chashu were enormous pieces, and the egg was full of flavor and didn't even need to be eaten with the soup.

東京に住んでいた時になつくなしくなりました。スープはドロッとしましたけど、魚粉の影響によてバランスが取れていました。麺は太くて若干平たかったです。チャーシューはデカくて、味玉はそのままで食べてもおいしかったです。

Would I Go Again?


Should You Go?


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麺屋 壱

Chuka Soba Sen

One day I ended up in Abiko, and was able to visit one of those well-regarded shops in outer Osaka. Sen is a shop dedicated to chuka soba, so I ordered the special shoyu and took a seat.

ある日に、あびこにいて、好評しているちょっと遠い店に行けました。中華そば閃は名前通り中華そば専門店で、特製醤油中華そばにしました。

The Bowl
The bowl was made with a blend of shoyus, including some from notable island Shodoshima in Kagawa. The broth was sharp and clear brown, strong and refreshing. The noodles were long and yellow; firm and extra chewy, which an interesting departure from the simpler noodles I find in shoyu bowls. The toppings weren't anything super special, but the basics of this bowl were on point.

スープに小豆島の大豆をはじめ、いろいろな国産の醤油が入っていました。スープはしっかりとした半透明な茶色で、濃いめでした。麺は長くて、黄色くて歯ごたえがありました。普通の醤油ラーメンの柔らかい面と違って、なんか面白かったです。全体的に、このラーメンの基礎がうまかったです。

Would I Go Again?
If I'm in the area.

またその辺にいれば。

Should You Go?
Shoyu fans or anyone looking for a walk from Nagai park should.

醤油のファンと長居公園から散歩したい人におすすめします。

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中華そば 閃

Berashio

We're down to the wire, but I'm almost there. I'm talking about the Ra-sai Stamp Rally, that is. Just a couple more stamps to go, including the hardest one to get to, Berashio. Berashio only offers stamps at their Sumiyoshi shop, which is only open on weekdays for lunch. I sacrificed a highly treasured bit of PTO to make the trek.

ぎりぎりですけど、もうすぐ行けそうでした。何の話かというと、大阪らぁ際スタンプラリーのことです。スタンプは二個しか残っていませんでした。でも、一番行きにくい「べらしお」という店はまだ行っていませんでした。平日の昼のみなので大事な有休を使わないとだめでした。

Who is that by the entrance? I happened to go on the same day as Philoramen! We chatted for a bit and waited patiently for the shop to open.

店の前にゆっくり座っているのはだれですか？たまたまPhiloramenと同じ日に行ってしもた！いろいろ話しながら店が開くのを待っていました。

Despite the lack of line, I was given a ticket to order my ramen. They had a large menu of different kinds of shio. I went with the yuzu shio ramen, which came with kaemeshi, a small portion of rice with kimchi and spring onions.

列はあまりありませんでしたけど、整理券をもらいました。いろいろな塩らーめんがありました。ゆず塩らーめんにしました。キムチとネギが乗っているかえめしが付きました。

The Bowl
The bowl was a clear lake of shio ramen, with islands of chashu and egg, along with large helping of seaweed and onions. The broth was light and a bit pickley, spiced with scattered bits of yuzu. The noodles were thin and almost clear; easy to slurp but with the faintest amount of bounce. The chashu was a bit stronger but was good none-the-less; it tasted like a flank of pork chop. The egg was simple, but its melted as I slipped it in between my chopsticks. The only thing slightly off was the kaemeshi, whose kimchi overpowered everything around it.

透き通ったしおにチャーシューと味玉の島が乗っていました。ネギもわかめも散らかしてありました。スープはさっぱりでちょっと酸っぱかったです。ゆずもいっぱい入っていました。麺は細くてすごい飲みやすかったです。チャーシューは濃くて、ポークチョップみたいな味がちょっとしました。玉子はシンプルでしたけど、とろけておいしかったです。かえめしだけはちょっと変でした。キムチが多かったので、味が強かったです。

Would I Go Again?
I would like to, but I doubt I'll be able to make it down there again.

また行きたいですけど、やっぱり行きづらいですね。

Should You Go?
Anyone with access should check it out.

行けるなら、行ってみてください。

Just one to go!

後一個！

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べらしお

Hanamichi

Some nice days call for a walk.  And the only thing that determines when that walk ends is when it gets dark.  On this random Saturday I intended to go to a famous shop called Saisai in Showacho.  They close at 3PM or whenever they run out of broth - I got there at 2:50 and they had already run out.  Not being one to give up, I headed farther south.  I ended up all the way past Nagai Station when I got to the shop led to me by Ramen Walker.

Hanamichi offers tonkotsu ramen in three styles: shoyu, miso, and red spicy miso.  Now on any other day I would have easily gone with the red miso version, but Ramen Walker specifically put Hanamichi in their shoyu ramen section, so I went with that one.

Information
麺匠はなみち
Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi, Sumiyoshi-ku, Karita, ７丁目１２−２８
Hanamichi is on the east side of Abiko-suji just south of Abiko Station.

The Bowl
The broth was oily and the tonkotsu flavor came through clearly.  The soy sauce taste was there too, but second to the primary tonkotsu.  The noodles were very soft and chewy.  The bowl was lined with sesame seeds, bean sprouts, and onions.  The chashu may have been the highlight, being especially thick, and tasting strongly of that distinct pork bone smell.

Would I Go Again?
The ramen was pretty good and I'm curious about the miso version, so I might.  But at the same time, if I'm all the way down in Nagai I might hit up a new place or Ramen 3738 too.

Should You Go?
I wouldn't say don't go, but there are better places closer.

Ramen 3738

Another beautiful Sunday!  I woke up way too late, but I discovered from a friend that November 20th is Kansai Culture Day or something, which meant that a whole bunch of museums had free entrance.  I used this as an excuse to walk way south to Nagai Park, home of Osaka's Museum of National History.  After meeting my friend down there and exploring the park, we were hungry, and Ramen Walker knew a place nearby.

3738, pronounced "minamiya", had a giant menu of different ramen options, including ones with cheese and tons of garlic.  I followed the Walker suggestion and got the special spicy miso garlic ramen.

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3738
Ōsaka-fu Ōsaka-shi Sumiyoshi-ku Nagai２丁目１２−１４
3738 is on the northeast corner in a shopping arcade west of Nagai Station.

The Bowl
3738's ramen broth fits the image in my mind of spicy miso pretty well; the soup was rich, with enough spice to feel a little tingly.  The noodles were pretty firm and very hot.  As promised, there were slices of garlic in the bowl, which I enjoyed more than the normal crushed garlic that's mixed in.  There was a thick slice or two of chashu which left me wanting more.

Would I Go Again?
3738 doesn't beat my favorite miso shops back in Tokyo, but it was very solid.  I don't think I'll go out of my way to go back, but if I'm in Nagai Park again I may swing by.

Should You Go?
A good miso, which I haven't found a lot of so far in Osaka.  Why not see the autumn colors in the park and get some ramen, too?