Kikuhan

Nakazakicho ramen alert! This little area of town is known for its boutiques and coffee shops, and among ramen otaku like myself, for ramen shops too. The chef at Kikuhan comes from nearby local chain Teru. Like Teru, Kikuhan puts forth a rich bowl, but unlike Teru, this bowl has no fish, just pork and chicken.

中崎町ラーメンアラート！この地区は服屋さんとカフェでよく知られていますけど、ラオタの中にラーメンでも有名です。きくはんの店長は麺や輝で修業しました。輝みたいにきくはんがこってりのラーメンを出しますけど、輝と違って魚介系じゃなくて鶏豚骨ラーメンです。

The Bowl
Despite being a mix of two meats, the soup here was so smooth and frothy it went down easy. This may have made it harder for the medium, square noodles to grab the broth, but the lighter flavors were more welcome in the toppings. The egg was a delightfully creamy; one of the best I've had in a long time, if not ever. There were some lightly tangy slices of chashu as well, and gingery balls of pork that tasted like skinless gyoza.

二つの肉が入っているのに、まろやかな意外と飲みやすいスープでした。それで平打ち麺でそんなにスープの味がしませんでしたけど、さっぱりとしたトッピングで喜びました。味玉がトロ〜として大阪のベストに入るぐらい美味しかったです。チャーシューの大きなスライスがすっきるとして、生姜っぽいポークが餃子の中身みたいでした。

Would I Go Again?
Yeah, this was good and in a convenient location.

うまくて便利だったのでまた行きます。

Should You Go?
Add it to the list of shops worth stopping by in Nakazakicho.

中崎町の行かなあかん店のリストに追加してください！

Information
らぁ麺 きくはん

Gokuno Tsukemen Buttsuke Kozo

Not too long ago Kozo in Fukushima opened up, offering super rich pork ramen every day of the week but Sunday. Now they have found a way to fill in that missing day, with an alternate shop: Gokuno Tsukemen Buttsuke Kozo. The idea is essentially the same, except instead of rich and fatty ramen, they serve rich and fatty tsukemen. I love their ramen, so I was happy to try it in another form.

この前に福島にある「小僧」ができて、日曜日以外にどろどろとしたこってりラーメンを提供していました。今日曜日にのれんわけの別の店を作ったみたいです。「極濃つけ麺 豚つけ小僧」が生まれました。テーマがほぼ一緒なんですけど、ラーメンじゃなくてつけ麺を出しています。小僧のラーメンが大好きなのでつけ麺もきっと好きだろうなと思っていました。

The Bowl
Just like the ramen, the tsukemen broth was an ultra-thick pork porridge, flavorful and very umami. The noodles were short, fat, square tubes, made to be coated in pork sludge, and separated from the broth, never grew soft. Surprisingly, the side pieces of chashu were pretty simple, nicely not pushing the porkiness of bowl over the edge.

ラーメンと似ているように、つけ麺のスープはめっちゃどろっとしている旨味がよく聞いているシチューでした。麺は極太四角で、スープと分かれていたので、ぜんぜん伸びませんでした。チャーシューは意外とさっぱりで豚を飽きない感じでした。

Would I Go Again?
At time of writing, I'm thinking of going tonight, so yes.

今記事を書いているところで、今日に行こうかなと迷っています。

Should You Go?
You should definitely check this place out.

この店に絶対行ってみるべきです。

Information
極濃つけ麺 豚つけ小僧

Butakin

In spring of last year, I was offered an opportunity to appear on a morning show with a ramen critic known as Men Baka. Of course I was happy to take the opportunity. We met in the morning to grab a bowl at Ashiharabashi's Fujii. After some additional location footage around town, we headed to Miyakojima's Butakin, a super porky tonkotsu shop.

去年の春に、「麺馬鹿」というおはようコールのラーメン専用コーナーで登場する機会がありました。まず芦原橋にある「ふじい」という店で食べて、それからいろいろな場所でロケしました。最終的に都島にある「豚きん」で食べました。

　

The Bowl
Butakin's ramen was a thick sludge of pork, with just enough green onions to keep the taste in line. I could talk more about it here, but why when you can just see the footage yourself?

豚きんのスープはすっごいどろどろとした豚骨でした。もっとここでかけますけど、動画の方が味が伝わると思います。


Would I Go Again?
Yes.

はい。

Should You Go?
Yes.

はい。

Information
ラーメン豚きん

Kashiya

Onwards and upwards. There's no time to stop when I'm aiming to complete the Ra-sai stamp rally. Next on the list was Kashiya, a shop down by Tamade. I barely made it there by closing time in the early afternoon, but that still allowed me to make it inside and order their famous wafu tonkotsu.

まだまだです。らぁ際スタンプラリーをクリアしたいので休憩する暇もありません。次は玉出にある「かしや」という店です。ギリギリ入れましたけど、和風とんこつを頼んで食べられました。

The Bowl
This was such a smooth bowl of pork. True to its "wafu" name, it was full of Japanese-style fish-broth dashi, which rounded out the edges of the otherwise porky broth. It made me think it was a good idea to finish the soup the last drop. Let's not forget the rest of the bowl too - curly, knotty noodles that looked like they were hand-pulled, and a couple big slices of melty pork. Now I have a reason to make another visit to Tamade.

すっごいまろやかな豚骨でした。「和風」らしくスープに出汁がブレンドされて飲みやすくなりました。ついすぐ最後の一滴まで飲んでしもた。スープ以外もうまかったです。麺が手作りっぽく縮れていました。チャーシューの二枚は厚くてとろけていました。また玉出に行っちゃうかな。

Would I Go Again?
Yes.

はい。

Should You Go?
Yes.

はい。

Information
かしや

Ramen Kozo

Fukushima has long been a bastion of good ramen, and the Ra-sai stamp rally has been a good motivator for me to visit shops that I haven't gotten around to yet. For my fifth stamp I visited new super-porky tonkotsu shop Kozo. Just looking at the photos online had me intimidated: would this be as extreme as Muteppo? I went in and ordered the extra-thick ramen.

ラーメンの激戦区を考えたら、福島がいつも出てきます。らぁ際のおかげで、まだ行ったことがない店に行く機会ができました。濃厚豚骨専門店「極濃拉麺 ラーメン小僧」は５軒目にしました。ネットで写真を見たら、ヤバいなと思っていました。無鉄砲ぐらいこってりかな？店に入って極濃豚骨ラーメンを頼みました。

The Bowl
As I expected and hoped, the broth was a thick, porky sludge. Surprisingly, though, it was very drinkable. The noodles were short and curly, coating their wide surface area with pork and fat as I dragged them out of the bowl. Breaks from the weight of the soup were provided by the egg and slices of chashu. The chashu was a little tough, but it was lighter than most, providing a good balance to the bowl. This was a bowl not for the weak of heart, and though it hit me hard afterwards, it really managed to be drinkable despite being so rich.

期待通りスープがどろっとした豚っぽかったです。でも、意外と飲みやすかったです。麺が太縮れ麺で毎回スープから拾ったときに、油とスープが絡んでいました。濃厚の味からの休憩として味玉とチャーシューが乗っていました。チャーシューはちょっと固かったですけど、普通のと違ってさっぱりした感じがしました。小僧はやっぱりすっごいこってりでしんどかったですけど、それなりに飲みやすくてうまかったです。

Would I Go Again?
Yes.

また行きたいです。

Should You Go?
Yes.

行くべきです。

Information
極濃拉麺 ラーメン小僧

Shiromaru Base

Ippudo is a chain, and branches can be found all over Japan. However, in Umeda sits a very special branch, just above the normal shop. An experimental tonkotsu shop, Shiromaru Base is a sub-brand of Ippudo offering more kotteri soups than its standard shops. In central Umeda, I had overlooked the shop for a long time, but finally made it out to try their signature tonkotsu ramen.

一風堂は結構広がっているチェーン店でどこにでもあります。だが、特別な支店が梅田にあります。実験的なラーメンが作れるように別のブランドを作って「白丸ベース」という店を作ったらしいです。ド梅田にあるのでいつでも行けると思いながら行ったことがありませんでしたけど、ようやく行って名物のこってり豚骨を頼みました。

The Bowl
It had been a long time since I visited Ippudo, but a sip of Shiromaru Base's broth and the memories came streaming back, only magnified. It was like someone took whatever mechanism they use to tune the ramen at Ippudo and pushed it to the max; each sip tasted like a fatty dollop of the essence of tonkotsu. The hard Hakata-style noodles, kikurage, egg, and barbecued chashu were all of the solid standard Ippudo always meets. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to make it through the bowl, but the strong tonkotsu was kept just to the point where I could enjoy it through the end of the noodles. Sounds like this experiment was a success.

一風堂に行ったのは久しぶりでしたけど、このラーメンのスープを一味食べたらすぐ思いつきました。一風堂のラーメンみたいですけど、豚骨感がめっちゃアップしました。博多風かた麺、キクラゲ、味玉とチャーシューは一風堂らしくてうまかったです。こんな豚骨をすぐ飽きるという心配がありましたけど全然食べきれました。実験が成功したみたいですね。

Would I Go Again?
Yes.

はい。

Should You Go?
This is a must for all tonkotsu lovers.

豚骨が好きな人が行くべきです。

Information
SHIROMARU BASE

Cho Tonkotsu Nodo 8

A few months ago Menya Tenkei closed its doors for good. Sad, though it is, a new ramen shop opened up in its place. Cho Tonkotsu Nodo 8, or in English "Super Pork Bone Thickness 8", is a rich tonkotsu shop. Much like Osaka staple Zundoya, it's a drop of a hat from Namba, and is open late, making it a prime late night location. In addition, at Cho Tonkotsu Nodo 8, after finishing your noodles you can order atomeshi, rice and toppings to go with the remaining soup. This month's special was cheese curry, and if you know anything about me, you know that I couldn't imagine anything better.

何ヶ月間前に麺屋天啓がつぶれました。悲しいですけどその代わりに新しい店ができました。超豚骨濃度８は名前通りこってり豚骨の店。大阪の大好きなずんどう屋みたいになんばに近いし遅くまてやっているのでしめラーメンでおすすめスポットです。超豚骨濃度８であとめしも頼めます。今月のはチーズカレーだったので私は考えずに頼みました。

Cheese curry on rice, pre-soup

チーズカレーライス

Cheese, curry, and tonkotsu

チーズカレー豚骨

The Bowl
The broth was a deep, very porky tonkotsu. It had a bit of a kick to it, spicier than you'd find in most bowls, which helped to balance out the saltiness. The noodles were thin, Hakata-style, and on top was a thick piece of chashu with the name of the shop branded on it. That alone would have been a tasty bowl, but the curry rice took it to the next level. I never thought that a spicy, cheesy, tonkotsu mixture would work - or maybe it's so obvious that it does. I was dying from all the rich flavors and grease by the end, but if that's how I leave this world, it will have been worth it.

スープは深くてめっちゃこってり豚骨でした。けっこう辛くていい感じのピリ辛がしました。麺は博多風細麺で店名が焼いたあるチャーシューも乗っていました。それだけでうまかったですけど、あとめしでレベルアップできました。辛くてチージーな豚骨ご飯はそんなにおいしいと思いませんでしたけど最高でした。油などで死にかけそうでしたけど、死んでも食べがちがありました。

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

もうまた行きました。

Should You Go?
Yes.

はい。

Information
超豚骨 濃度8

Mankai

In one of my favorite areas of Osaka, Fukushima, I saw a new shop was opening up. I've been to a number of shops shortly after they've opened, but only rarely have I had the chance to go to a shop on opening day. I headed over after work and waited on line with the rest of the crowd. Mankai offered three kinds of tonkotsu ramen: Jun Ramen, a classic tonkotsu, Shio Ramen, gyokai tonkotsu, and Tomato Ramen, which was a tomato tonkotsu bowl. As badly as I wanted to try all of them, I forced myself to go with the popular classic Jun Ramen.

好きな地域福島に新しい店ができました。最近オープンの店に何回か行ったことありますけど、オープンの日に行くのがあまりありません。仕事が終わってから歩いて行って、みんなと並びました。まんかいは三つの豚骨らーめんを提供しました。スタンダードの博多豚骨「純ラーメン」、魚介形「潮ラーメン」、トマトの「トマトラーメン」。全部おいしそうでしたけど、やっぱ人気な純ラーメンを頼みました。

The Bowl
This was a standard Hakata style tonkotsu through and through. An oily but tasty pork bone broth. Very thin noodles that were al dente, but not quite to the firmness you can get in Fukuoka. Decent chashu, mushrooms, onions, and bean sprouts. Nothing unique, but well executed.

おいしくてスタンダードな豚骨でした。油っぽくてうまい豚骨スープでした。麺が細く固めでした。うまいチャーシュー、キクラゲ、ネギ、もやしが乗っていました。ユニークな点があまりありませんでしたけど、良かったです。

Would I Go Again?
A solid tonkotsu in Fukushima with a couple more interesting blends; I'll be back.

おいしい豚骨プラス二つちょっと変わっているメニューがあるのでまた行きたいです。

Should You Go?
If you're in Fukushima, this is the tonkotsu place to go.

福島にいれば、これはベスト豚骨です。

Information
まんかい

Hanakyo

It was finally May, and I decided to celebrate the beginning of summer by going to Kyobashi to get ramen with a friend. Kyobashi is a dirty place, filled with love hotels, pachinko parlors and karaoke joints. Fortunately that means it's full of restaurants and bars too. We first trekked to nearby Sakuranomiya to eat at famous kotteri chicken shop Koryumasu. Upon finding out that they were closed, we went to a shop I first went to shortly after arriving in Osaka two years ago. Hanakyo is a small place that fits no more than ten, known for its shoyu and tonkotsu ramen. Fast and delicious, it's the perfect place to make the first stop on a night of drinking. I ordered the kotteri tonkotsu ramen.

ようやく夏になったので、友達と一緒にラーメンを京橋に行くことにしました。京橋はめっちゃ下町の感じがするのでパチンコ屋さんとかラブホテルがある上にレストランもバーもいっぱいあります。まず桜ノ宮にある有名な光龍益に行ったんですが、たまたましまりました。それで、初めて大阪についてから行った花京という店に行きました。花京は狭くて、醤油と豚骨ラーメンを提供されています。私はこってり豚骨にしました。

Information
中華そば 花京
3 Chome-10-4 Higashinodamachi

The Bowl
Having this bowl of tonkotsu ramen shoved in front of me but a few feet from the bustling arcade made me feel like I was back in Fukuoka. The broth I got when I ordered at the food stalls in Fukuoka was light, but this was rich and fatty. The noodles were similar, though; thin and hard, the way they taste best in tonkotsu. In case that alone didn't fill me up, the chashu melted like butter in my mouth, ensuring I wouldn't be hungry for hours.

にぎやかな商店街の近くに豚骨ラーメンを急いで食べるのが福岡の屋台に似ていて懐かしくなりました。博多ラーメンが飲みやすいですが、このほうが濃かったです。麺がおいしく細くてかたかったです。チャーシューがとろけて、店を出てから何も食べられませんでした。

Would I Go Again?
Yeah, this was my second time and it's good enough to try a third.

二回でしたけど、もう一回行きたいです。

Should You Go?
Yeah, it's the perfect place to use as a jumping point to explore Kyobashi.

京橋にいろいろ遊んだら、花京で食べてください。

Zekkocho Ramen

One place I know I can come back to time and time again is Nipponbashi's Ramen Gekijo. It changes every few months to a new shop with new types of ramen. Last year I visited the beef-bone shop Gyukotsuo and then later I went to the Hakata style tonkotsu spin-off Aozora. I missed the Italian style place in the winter, but finally I had another chance to go back and try another Hakata style shop, Zekkocho Ramen.

日本橋にある「拉麺劇場」が好きになりました。季節によって変わって、新しい拉麺屋さんが出ます。去年に牛骨王という牛骨の店に行って、あと博多風豚骨の店青空に行きました。冬にはイタリア風のラーメン屋さんがあって行く機会がなかったんですけど、また博多風豚骨の店ができたので行ってみました。

Information
絶好調らーめん
4-10-9 Nipponbashi

The Bowl
It was a standard but good, thin, rich tonkotsu bowl. They had recommended the fat noodles, so I had chosen those, and they were firm and curly. Two chewy slices of chashu and a smattering of kikurage topped off the bowl.

普通でおいしくて濃厚な豚骨スープでした。太い麺がおすすめだったので、それを頼みました。縮れ麺でこしがありました。あと、チャーシューの二枚とキクラゲが乗っていました。

Would I Go Again?
Yeah, it's pretty good and there were a couple other kinds of ramen that sounded interesting.

おいしくて他のおいしそうなラーメンがあったのでまた行くかもしれません。

Should You Go?
At time of writing the next shop has opened up at Ramen Gekijo, so you can't go.

これを書くときに次の拉麺劇場ができたので絶好調らーめんに行けません。

Muteppo

Finally, a trip to the fabled Muteppo. I had actually been there once before, and once to the shop in Tokyo, but it had been a long time and I had never reviewed the shop. Just one more full day before my brother left, so we decided to cap his second to last night off with one of Kansai's most famous shops.

ようやく無鉄砲に行きました。実は、大阪店と東京の中野店に行ったことがありましたけど、久しぶりだったしまだレビューしていませんでした。もうすぐ兄が帰ると知っていたので、関西の有名なラーメン屋に行こうと思っていました。

Information
無鉄砲

Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi, Naniwa-ku, Ebisuhonmachi, １丁目５−２１

The Bowl
Muteppo is the tonkotsu shop to end all tonkotsu shops. It's not just kotteri, it's super rich and super thick. Before I ever tried it it was described to me as "essence of pork", and that's a pretty fitting description. The broth is so thick and porky that the noodles float instead of sinking. All of the toppings' individual flavors are completely overwhelmed by the soup. PORK.

さすが無鉄砲がめっちゃこってりでした。スープ煮麺が浮くほどドロドロでした。スープの味は豚の源みたいでした。味が濃くてトッピングでもスープの味がしました。

Would I Go Again?
Yeah, just not on a night where I have to do anything afterwards.

また行きたいです。でも食べてから動けなくなります。

Should You Go?
YES!

イェス！

Gyukotsuo

Nothing beats a bowl of ramen on a hot summer day.  Barely being able to stand the heat and humidity of the outdoors, I chose to go to a place close to home.  I just discovered a section on the Ramen Walker website that lists new shops, and one of the more recent ones was Gyukotsuo.

In Nipponbashi, there is a shop called Ramen Gekijo, or ramen theater, where every three months, a new interesting shop is debuted.  The summer's specialty was a beef bone-flavored soup.  But in addition to that, they also offer a ramen battle, where the ramen from the current shop faces off against a bowl made by the head of Ramen Gekijo.  I ordered a set that came with a mini-bowl of each.  Gyukotsu vs Tonkotsu: who would win?

Information
拉麺劇場 人情麺家 牛骨王
4-10-9 Nipponbashi

The Bowl
Tonkotsu:
This was a serious tonkotsu bowl.  The broth was very rich and delicious, and the noodles were nice and chewy.  There were onions, kikurage mushrooms, sprouts, and an egg.  The chashu was a highlight; tender and very juicy.

Gyukotsu:
The broth was a pretty solid shoyu; not that salty and easy to drink.  There were pieces of beef tendon in the soup that were sweet and tender.  After sitting in the soup for long enough, the soup started to taste a bit like them too.  The noodles were alright, an dother toppings included onions, radish, and an egg.

Both were good, and though the gyukotsu bowl was more interesting and distinct, I enjoyed the tonkotsu one more, and cast my vote for that one.  In the end, the real winner was me, for being able to try both.

Would I Go Again?
This place was pretty good; I'll definitely be back in three months, and would even consider going back sooner.  There was some kind of beef tsukemen on the menu...

Should You Go?
Yeah, this place is good and interesting.

Manten

Normally my trips to get ramen take me north; be it deeper into the heart of Osaka or all the way up to Umeda.  Today I decided to go to a place a bit west, by the not-so-exciting Taisho Station on the not-so-exciting Osaka loop line.

Manten is in a small alleyway, and offers shoyu tonkotsu ramen, a combination of shoyu and tonkotsu that is the base for styles such as Wakayama-style and Tokushima-style ramen.

Information
大正橋 まんてん
Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi, Taishō-ku, Sangenyanishi, １丁目４−２０
Manten is in an alleyway just west of Manten Station.

The Bowl
The broth was shoyu tonkotsu, and I couldn't really pin down which it tasted of more.  It was really rich , but you could taste the soy sauce and tonkotsu both very well.  The noodles were thin and covered with onions.  There were bean sprouts as well, and the menma, which tasted somehow different from normal, was very good.  To top it off, the chashu was thick and melt-in-your-mouth tender.

Would I Go Again?
Yeah, there's not a ton of shoyu tonkotsu places and this was really good.

Should You Go?
Yeah.  You can go on your next routine trip to Taisho Station!

Ramen Zundoya

I was walking home and needed dinner, so I did a little bit of searching for a ramen shop that was not too far from Midosuji.  Ramen Zundoya came up, a shop that has a number of branches in Himeji, but only a few months ago opened its first and only Osaka branch.  It looked like it had a Hakata-style tonkotsu bowl, and it was right in the middle of Shinsaibashi, so I went to check it out.  I ordered the normal ramen with an egg.

Information
ラー麺 ずんどう屋
Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi, Chūō-ku, Shinsaibashisuji, １丁目５−７
Zundoya has its own giant plaza just a couple blocks southeast of Daimaru in Shinsaibashi.

The Bowl
Zundoya's ramen was a classic Hakata tonkotsu very similar to beloved Ippudo and Ichiran.  The broth was maybe a little salty, but quite rich.  They let you choose the amount of oil, the kind of noodles, and the hardness; I got the  normal amount of oil and started off with a set of hard curly noodles, and then added an extra set of hard thin noodles.  Both noodles were actually fairly thin, but while the curly noodles were soft and tender, the thin noodles were much firmer and more like what I would expect from a Hakata ramen shop.  The egg was alright, and the chashu, though it broke apart very easily, like the broth was extremely flavorful.

Would I Go Again?
I've always been a fan of shops like Ippudo and Ichiran, and Zundoya was comparable - maybe even better.  There was something about the broth that made it seem like it was a bit stronger than the other two, though to be honest it's hard to compare directly since it's been well over a month since I've last eaten at a shop like this.  I'd go here again.

Should You Go?
If you're looking for a place a little less well-known than Ippudo or Ichiran, stop by here.  Located in Shinsaibashi, it's one of the most accessible ramen shops in Osaka, is new and clean, and has a large menu full of options.

Ichiran

One of the classic ramen chains, and also one of the first good shops I learned about is Ichiran.  Like Ippudo, it is a tonkotsu ramen chain, based in Fukuoka.  I had already been to Fukuoka a couple of months earlier, but I love Ichiran, and I was with a friend who had never been there.

Each branch of Ichiran has a similar layout: a series of narrow hallways with counters, but with little wall segments at each seat that prevent you from seeing your neighbors and the employees.  If you dare go to Ichiran with a friend, they can remove the blocker between just the two of you, so you can enjoy your meal together without having to bear the sight of anyone else.  You can also customize a number of parts of the bowl, such as the amount of garlic, the richness of the broth, or the spiciness.  Of course I went with rich broth, a little bit of extra garlic, and two times spiciness.

Information
一蘭
Ōsaka-fu Ōsaka-shi Chūō-ku Souemonchō７−１８
This branch, sadly the only branch of Ichiran in Osaka, is located on the north side of the Dotonbori river, just east of Don Quixote.

The Bowl
As expected Ichiran delivered a salty, fatty, and oily but drinkable tonkotsu bowl.  The extra onions and spice added really shined through and made me love an already delicious bowl more.  The noodles were thin and hard in Fukuoka tonkotsu style, and it wasn't without a good helping of some thin slices of chashu.

Would I Go Again?
I love Ichiran.  The debate will go on forever, and as many others I think I like Ippudo more, but I'm sure I'll be back to both.

Should You Go?
Absolutely, it's great.  There's no way to know which you like better between Ippudo and Ichiran unless you go to both at least once!

Ippudo

There are times to try new ramen, and there are times to stick with a classic.  Ippudo is a well-known high-quality ramen chain with Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen originating from Fukuoka, but has stores nation-wide and even internationally as far as New York.

I was wandering Namba with a friend thinking about what to get for dinner, when he mentioned he had never been here before.  I'd been to the Umeda branch among others, but not this one, so the decision was made.  As always I was tempted to try the super spicy habanero ramen, but for the sake of my stomach I went for the classic Akamaru.


Information
一風堂
Ōsaka-fu Ōsaka-shi Naniwa-ku Nanbanaka ３丁目１−１７
Ippudo is west of Namba Parks, close to the exit by the post office.

The Bowl
There's no way to go wrong with Ippudo.  Sides of bean sprouts and veggies to start, and then a bowl of tonkotsu ramen with a dollop of miso and a healthy dose of mayu.  While a little oily, these added some spice and flavor to the broth.  The soup had a rich tonkotsu flavor, but was very thin and drinkable.  The noodles were thin and hard, and the chashu, though sliced thin, was very rich.

Would I Go Again?
Absolutely.  This wasn't my first time and I'm sure it will be far from my last.

Should You Go?
If you haven't already.  And even if you already have.