Kyo Tsukemen Tsurukame

A trip to Kyoto and a chance to try more Kyoto ramen! This time I visited Kyo Tsukemen Tsurukame and their Nishikyo miso tantan tsukemen.

京都の日帰りプラス京都ラーメン！今回「京つけめん つるかめ」の西京味噌担々つけめんを食べました。

The Bowl
Just as it looks in the photo above, this tantan tsukemen was more smooth than spicy. There was just a tickle of spice, which was fine since the sesame and rayu did the job of keeping the bowl flavorful and interesting. The noodles were fat and grainy, and there were thin slices of chashu, too, that were juicy and brimming with flavor.

上の写真とわかるかもしれません、スープは激辛じゃなくて、まろやかでした。ピリ辛だけでしたけど、ゴマとラー油などの味で満足しました。麺は太くてつぶつぶとしました。チャーシューはほそめで、濃くてうまかったです。

Would I Go Again?
Yes.

はい。

Should You Go?
A good stop for anyone looking for something a little different in Kyoto.

京都で普通じゃないものを食べたい人にお勧めします。

Information
京つけめん つるかめ

Tantan

For today's trip I decided to go to Tantan in Tennoji, a sister shop to Senba Tantanmen in Yotsubashi. Just like the former shop, they had a variety of different styles, including a mild white sesame bowl. I had to go with the spicy one, though, so I went with the Taiwan-style red tantanmen.

今日のラーメン屋さんは天王寺にある「担担」でした。船場担々麺の姉妹店みたいでした。その店と同じように、いろいろな担々麺を提供していました。やっぱり辛いのを食べたかったので台湾式赤い担々麺にしました。

The Bowl
As advertised, the bowl of ramen reminded me more of Taiwanese beef noodle soup than of traditional ramen. The broth was thin and dark, spicy, and with small pieces of pork and chives floating about. The noodles were short, curly, and chewy, and the miso diced pork was good, but the hard-boiled egg felt a bit out of place.

名前通り台湾牛肉麺にすごく似ていました。スープはあっさりした黒かったです。麺が細くて縮れていました。ニラもメンチも散らされていてうまかったですけど、玉子があまりあわなかったです。

Would I Go Again?
It was good, but I don't think I'll make another stop.

美味しかったですけど、他の行ってみたい店があります。

Should You Go?
If you're looking for some Chinese-style tantanmen, check it out.

中華っぽい担々麺に興味あるなら行ってみてください。

Information
中華厨房 担担

Musashibo

It was my last day in Hiroshima and it wasn't long before I had to make the train back to Osaka. I had already eaten spicy tsukemen that day, but it felt somehow like it was not enough. I consulted the map again, and discovered Musashibo, one of the few tantanmen places that was open on Sunday. This time I went with a paltry spiciness level 3.

広島の最後の日でもうすぐ大阪行きの電車に乗らないとだめでした。辛いつけ麺をあの日にもう食べましたけど、何かもうちょっと食べたかったです。地図を見て、日曜日に開いている「武蔵坊」という店に行きました。今回３辛だけにしました。

The Bowl
Musashibo's tantanmen was a slew of short noodles in a spicy, red sauce. What made this bowl stand out more than others was the amount of sides they had. Three kinds of chili pepper were offered: green, red, and young, along with their house special that was a mixture. Of course I had to try all of them one by one. The green had a strong aroma, and its spice when straight to my nose. The red was crunchier, and had a bit more flavor to it. The young one was less spicy than the others, but had more peppery taste to it. I mixed and matched, and by the end could barely feel my tongue.

武蔵坊の担々麺には短い細麺と辛いタレがありました。一番気になったのはおいてあった山椒でした。青山椒、赤山椒、若山椒と混ざった「武蔵坊花椒」がありました。青は風味がして、すぐツーんとなりました。赤いのはカリカリしてちょっと辛かったですけど、味が濃かったです。若山椒はあまり辛くなかったですけど、味が強かったです。いろいろ混ぜて最後に舌がすっごいビリビリでした。

Would I Go Again?
Yes.

また行きたいです。

Should You Go?
Yes.

行ったらいいです。

Information
武蔵坊

Suzurantei

After a night of drinking in Hiroshima, it was time for some food. I made a promise to myself this trip that I would eat more than my fair share of soupless tantanmen. I checked my map and noticed that a shop called Suzurantei was still open, so I went in and got tantanmen with an egg.

広島でいっぱい飲んでから何か食べたくなりました。今回の旅行にいっぱい汁なし担々麺を食べたかったです。地図を見て、「すずらん亭」という店がまだ開いていました。入って、汁なし担々麺温玉付にしました。

The Bowl
The noodles were extra thin, but still had a good chew to them. The spice this time was mostly pepper, but there was a bit of sansho mixed in for good measure. It was spicy in the right way, and there was a cinnamon aroma too. The whole mixture was smoothed out by the egg's glaze.

麺がとうに細かったですけど、噛みやすかったです。山椒はちょっと入っていましたけど、それより胡椒が利きました。辛かったですけど、シナモンの風味もしました。温玉でまろやかになりました。

Would I Go Again?
Yeah, it was good.

美味しかったのでまた行きたいです。

Should You Go?
If you're out and about in Hiroshima, this place is a good place to stop before calling it.

広島で遊んでいる場合はすずらん亭で〆したらいいです。

Information
すずらん亭

Kinguken

It's time for another trip! I visited Hiroshima a year back and had some spicy tsukemen. I went back, but this time with a goal to have more, and try some of Hiroshima's famous soupless tantanmen. I had a map of a number of places, and as soon as I arrived in Hiroshima, I aimed to start eating. The first closest place was Za Nakamura.

また旅行です！１年前に広島に行ってからいつ毛麺を食べました。今回また行きましたけど、広島ご当地グルメ汁なし担々麺を食べたかったです。地図を持っていたので広島に着いた瞬間に店を探しはじめました。一番近いのが座・中村でした。

But they were closed. I continued searching and stumbled upon a ramen alley.

閉まっていました。いろいろ探して、らーめん横町を見かけました。

No tantanmen there, though. I tried another place.

担々麺はなかったです。他の店に行ってみました。

But no luck. Finally I made my way to Kinguken, a small chain of Hiroshima tantanmen shops. I ordered the tantanmen, at level three out of five spice.

あかんかった。ようやく「キング軒」という店が見つかりました。３辛の担々麺を注文しました。

The Bowl
I like the level of simplicity that was brought to my first bowl of Hiroshima soupless tantanmen. The noodles were thin and chewy, soaked in a fine spicy oil. With each bite, the sansho's buzz could be felt more and more. As soon as I ran out of noodles, they gave me a lump of rice to put in. It lacked the punch of the noodles, but combined with the leftover oil and a bit of vinegar, it was a sweet and refreshing way to cap it off.

この初めての広島風汁なし担々麺がかなりシンプルでした。麺が細くて食感がよかったです。辛いタレに潜んでいて、食べれば食べるほど山椒が利いていました。麺がなくなったらあとめしがもらえました。麺よりちょっと薄めでしたけど、お酢をかけたらさっぱりした味がしました。

Would I Go Again?
Yeah, it was good. But there are also so many other places to try.

美味しかったです。でも、他の食べてみたい店がいっぱいあります。

Should You Go?
If you're visiting Hiroshima, Kinguken is a solid place to try Hiroshima tantanmen.

広島に行くなら、キング軒がおすすめします。

Information
キング軒

Senba Tantanmen

Some shops in Osaka have downright unreasonable hours. Highly ranked Yashichi is only open on weekdays for lunch, but happens to conveniently be by my office. Berashio down south is just open from 11 to 1 on weekdays. Add to the list Senba Tantanmen. It's a tantanmen shop in the heart of Horie, open only for lunch while I'm working. I happened to have a random half day off, so with no other plans, I headed for Horie and ordered their Sichuan style rich tantanmen.

大阪にめっちゃ行きづらい店が何軒かあります。評価されている弥七は平日ランチのみですけど、たまたま職場に近いです。南の方にあるべらしおは平日の１１時から１３時までしか開いていません。それに船場担々麺。堀江にある平日ランチのみの担々麺専門店です。たまたま半休があったので、堀江へ向かって四川式濃厚担担麺を頼みました。

The Bowl
A bowl of red; a layer of transparent oil on top, but too murky to see inside. The soup was spicy and chunky, and I swear a sensed a tomato flavor to it, or maybe it just reminded me of tomato ramen. Floating amidst the soup were yellow translucent noodles, chewy and mixed in with the ground pork and bean sprouts. The oil wore me down a bit by the end, but the rice on the side did a lot to keep it at bay, at least until I was finished my meal and ready to lie down.

真っ赤なラーメンで上に油が浮いていました。辛くてちょっととろみがあって、中身が全く見えませんでした。ちょっとトマトの味がしたかなと思っていましたけど、トマトラーメンを思い出しただけかもしれません。もやしと豚肉を絡んでいる黄色い麺が乗っていました。最後の方に油がちょっとしんどかったですけど、ご飯と食べたらちょっとさっぱりとなりました。

Would I Go Again?
I would, if it were feasible.

行けるならまた行きたいです。

Should You Go?
This tantanmen is worth a lunch break, if you can make it.

行ければ、昼ご飯としてこの担々麺を食べてください。

Information
船場坦々麺

Shiru Nashi

Tantanmen is one of my favorite kinds of ramen (or ramen-like noodle dishes if you don't consider it ramen), and there's really not enough in Osaka. Let alone soupless tantanmen. But in steps Horie newcomer Shiru Nashi, brought to you by the same parent company as Kyuji. They opened in a good location, so I went with a friend to try their namesake dish - soupless tantanmen.

麺料理の中に担々麺がけっこう好きです。汁なし担々麺はもちろん、普通の担々麺もあまりありません。で、きゅうじを作った会社が堀江に「汁なし」という店を開きました。いい場所でできたので友達と一緒に汁なし担々麺を食べに行きました。

The Bowl
This is the simplest kind of abura soba - some eggy noodles, onions, sesame, and a solid dose of ra-yu chili oil. Mixing it together gives just a light tantan taste, with Sichuan numbing spice that grows a little bit with each bite. There's nothing deep here waiting to punch you in the face after each bite, just a simple, solid execution.

シンプルな油そば。黄色い麺、ネギ、ごま、ラー油。混ぜたらあっさり坦々味がして、だんだん山椒が利きます。パンチとかはなくて、本間に薄めのおいしさです。

Would I Go Again?
Yes.

はい。

Should You Go?
If you like soupless tantanmen.

汁なし担々麺が好きなら行ってください。

Information
汁なし

T's Tantan

Day two of my end of year visit to Tokyo, which means it's time for my second bowl of ramen. My vegetarian friend recently moved to Tokyo, and compared to Osaka, it's veggie heaven. There's even, as we discovered, a vegan ramen shop. Located inside Tokyo Station (but outside of the illustrious Tokyo Ramen Street), T's Tantan specializes in tantanmen. Vegan and spicy? Yes please. I got a set with a side of fake-chicken karaage.

年末の東京の遊びの二日目なのでラーメンの二杯目を食べることになります。最近大阪に住んでいたベジタリアン友達が東京に引っ越ししました。関西に比べると、東京にはベジタライアンレストランがめちゃくちゃ多いです。東京駅の中にある「T's たんたん」は動物系を使わない担々麺専門店です。ビーがんと辛いのでめっちゃ食べたくなりました。白たんたん＋（にせものの）ミニから揚げ丼にしました。

The fake chicken was pretty good; it didn't taste like chicken, nor should it. 

偽者のチキンがおいしかったです。チキンの味がしませんでしたけど、しないはずですね。

The Bowl
A thin, sesame, yet very spicy, broth. The noodles were thin, and curly. If I didn't know any better, I would not have guessed there was no meat in this bowl. In fact, in place of the ground pork, there was ground fake-pork. It was pretty good, and went well with the mountains of sprouts inhabiting the soup. This wasn't just some of the best vegetarian food I've had in a while, it was among the best ramen I've had in a while.

とろみはなくてごまも辛みがいっぱいあったスープでした。麺が細縮れ麺でした。既に知らなかったら、動物が入っていないとは知りません。豚肉の代わりに偽者の豚肉が入っていました。うまくて、大盛りのもやしとよくあいました。最近のおすすめなベジタライアン料理だけじゃなくて、やっぱラーメンとしてもおすすめです。

Would I Go Again?
Yes, it's different and delicious.

変わっていておいしかったのでまた行きたいです。

Should You Go?
Yes.

はい。

Information
T’sたんたん

Maratantanmen Dojima

In this year's edition of ramen walker, they have a page dedicated just to spicy ramen in Osaka. If there was ever a feature written for me, this was it. I've already been to one or two of the shops, but that means there's quite a few left for me to check out. I went to a side alley in Kitashinchi, where Maratantanmen Dojima sits, a shop with various kinds of tantanmen. They offered soupless varieties in addition to ones flavored with black or white sesame, like one of my favorite shops. After some deliberation, I got the black sesame tantanmen.

今年のラーメンウォーカーに大阪の辛いラーメンを紹介するページがあります。こういうフィーチャーは僕のために書いたみたいです。一つか二つの店にもう行ったことありますけど、後何軒かに行きたいです。今回北新地にある横道に行って、いろいろな担々麺を提供している麻辣担々麺堂島に入りました。スープなし担々麺もあるし、僕が好きな店みたいに白と黒胡麻担々麺もあります。迷ってから黒ごまにしました。

They offered five, yes five, different kinds of spicy seasonings. Two, the Sichuan spicy pepper and the green Sichuan spicy pepper, have Sichuan numbing spice. The homemade ra-yu and chotenrajao are made from hot peppers. And, of course, the marajao contained both hot peppers and Sichuan peppers. The veritable king of spices.

五つの香辛料を提供しています。四川山椒と四川青山椒は山椒のびりからが入っていました。朝天辣椒と特製ラー油は唐辛子が入っていました。最後は麻辣椒で、両方は行っていました。最高やな。

The Bowl
The black tantanmen was deep and smokey, the colors of the oil reflecting the spice and flavors of the broth. It wasn't too spicy, but was a bit sweet; this changed as I mixed in the different spices. With five to choose from it was easy to get the right level of numbing and hot pepper spice I wanted. I put in a lot of the green Sichuan pepper, though it's hard to beat the marajao that had both kinds of spiciness. The noodles captured the taste of the soup, and overall it was a complex and delicious bowl.

黒胡麻担々麺は深くてスモーキーでした。そんなに辛くてちょっと甘かったですけど、香辛料をかけながらバランスが調節できました。五つもあったのでけっこう実験してみました。四川青山椒をいっぱいかけましたけど、やっぱり両方のスパイスが入っている麻辣椒がよかったですね。麺はスープの味を吸収して、面白くてうまいラーメンになりました。

Would I Go Again?
Yes.

はい。

Should You Go?
If you like spice at all, then yes.

辛いものちょっとだけでも好きなら、行ってください。

Information
麻辣坦々麺 堂島

Chibo no Tantanmen

It was the short time in Japan between the chilly winter and humid summer - May. I had one last day, so I decided to walk by Utusubo Park. Around there was a tantanmen shop I had wanted to try for a while. There were tons of spicy options, but since it was my first time I went with the staff-recommended white sesame tantanmen.

５月にはちょっと春っぽい天気があるので、外を歩きたくなります。靭公園に行って、その辺りに行きたかった担々麺屋さんがありました。辛いメニューがいっぱいありましたけど、初めてなので、お勧めしてもらった白胡麻タンタン麺にしました。

Information
ちー坊のタンタン麺
3 Chome-3-8 Utsubohonmachi

The Bowl
Wow, they weren't kidding about the white sesame in this bowl. There was a ton of it and white pepper hovering at the top. It was pretty spicy but not overwhelming. The noodles were curly and chewy, and the sprouts and ground pork went with the sesame flavor well.

やっぱり白胡麻がいっぱい乗っていました。白胡椒もけっこうあって、辛くてうまかったです。麺がもちもちの縮れ麺でした。もやしも豚肉もゴマの味に合いました。

Would I Go Again?
It was a solid if standard bowl of tantanmen, but I want to try the other items on the menu.

普通でおいしいタンタン麺でしたが、他のメニューを食べてみたいです。

Should You Go?
For those in Osaka craving some spice, this is a good place.

辛いものが好きな人、行ってください。

Tsukemen Makoto

When I walk home from work, I take different routes depending on my mood. Sometimes I walk through Kitashinchi, and then down Yotsubashi Dori. Makoto is a shop I passed around there all the time, but was never intrigued or hungry enough to go in. It didn't look amazing, but it had a few interesting menu items including curry tsukemen and spicy tantanmen-like ramen. One day I knew I'd have to try it, and today was that day. I went for the spicy ramen.

会社から歩いて帰るときに、いろいろなルートを歩きます。たまに北新地を通って、四ツ橋通りで南へ行きます。その辺に眞というラーメン屋さんをよく通りますけど、いつもおなかすいてなくて入ったことがありませんでした。カレーつけ麺とか辛いラーメンがあったので、いつか行ってみないとだめかなと思っていました。ようやく入って、旨辛辛眞ラーメンを注文しました。

Information
つけ麺 眞
2 Chome-2-37 Dōjima

The Bowl
This was a spicy ramen I could get behind. It was kind of a miso ramen, with tons of the Chinese chili oil ra-yu poured in. It was almost like a miso tantanmen. Sprinkled with onions, pork, and with one sheet of nori, the bowl was completed by standard but good medium, straight noodles.

こんな辛いラーメンがおいしいですね。味噌ラーメンですけど、辣油がいっぱい入った味がしました。オニオン、ネギ、のりも入って、普通でおいしい麺も入っていました。

Would I Go Again?
Yeah, this was good and I want to try the other kinds of ramen, too.

おいしくて他のラーメンを食べてみたいのでまた行くつもりです。

Should You Go?
It's not as canonical as other places, but if you're in Nishi-Umeda it's a pretty good choice.

他のおすすめの店より行かなくていいんですが、おいしいので西梅田のほうにいれば是非行ってください。

Ryukishin LAB0

Long time readers of Friends in Ramen will recall that a while ago I went to a shop called Ryukishin in  Kyoto. It's a pretty good shio ramen shop with branches in Kyoto, Osaka, and even now in the Kansai Airport and London. Recently they opened up an experimental shop where the late Tsukmen Tetsu used to be called Ryukishin LAB0. Every once in a while they change styles, and I found about it just in time to catch the last weekend of the first style: tantanmen.

Information
龍旗信LABO
Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi, Naniwa-ku, Nanbanaka, １丁目１４−１２

The Bowl
This was a solid if standard bowl of tantanmen. Spicy, bright orange broth that tastes a lot like chili oil, and thin, round, firm noodles. But it was good and I hadn't had standard tantanmen in almost a year. There were some interesting toppings; ground pork, onions, and what looked like fried lotus root.

Would I Go Again?
I would like to, but by time of writing LAB0 has changed themes. I'm sure I'll go for the next one though.

Should You Go?
You can't get tantanmen anymore, but if the next theme is as good, it's worth checking out.

Maramen Yanyan

Just the other day I went for a stroll around Tenma and Tenjinbashi, and while I was there I noticed Maramen Yanyan. Yanyan advertises its soupless tantanmen, full of both standard-spiciness and the numbing spiciness you get from Sichuan peppers. I love both, and so as soon as I could I headed over there.

I went for the soupless tantanmen and threw in an egg for fun. For both normal and numbing spiciness, you can choose from 1-4. The owner suggested I get 1 on each, but I balked at the idea of getting the lowest and went 3 for both.

Information
麻拉麺 揚揚
6-7-24 Tenjinbashi

The Bowl
That doesn't look so spicy, right? The whole bowl smelled like Sichuan pepper. I've had my experiences with more spice than I can handle, but I had never had too much Sichuan pepper before. A few slurps into the bowl and my tongue tingled. A few more and my lips too. Two thirds of my way through and it was like I had eaten miracle fruit; everything I put in my mouth tasted different from what I thought it should. Water had a very tangy taste. Isn't water not supposed to taste like anything? My mouth continued buzzing for thirty minutes or an hour after the meal.

Self-prescribed over-spice aside, the bowl was good. The noodles were thin, curly, and firm, and though the taste of the sauce was pretty light, it did the job.

Would I Go Again?
Yeah, it's not quite as good as the best soupless tantanmen or abura soba bowls I've had, but it's definitely solid.

Should You Go?
Check it out! But watch what level of spice you get.

Rakuzan

The quest for curry ramen continues!  I'm blown away by just how many curry specialty ramen shops there seem to be.  Not too far from Miyagamiya lies Rakuzan, with curry ramen, tsukemen and tantanmen.  I love curry tsukemen, and this isn't the first time I've had curry tantanmen, but I couldn't stop myself from choosing such a spicy, delicious-sounding combo.

Information
楽山
4-6-2 Hiranomachi

The Bowl
Once again, a curry tantanmen bowl delivers on its name.  The broth was a light but syrupy curry, doused in the Chinese chili oil ra-yu.  The noodles were long and thin.  The menma stood out as being very thick and flavorful, and the chashu was very thick and tasted like it might have been barbecued.

Would I Go Again?
Yes.  There is still tsukemen to be eaten.

Should You Go?
Yeah, it's right in the middle of the city, and is delicious.

Shioya

Wow, so it's been a year.  It hasn't yet been a year since when I first started posting, but it's been a year since I moved to Osaka.  A new year means a new apartment, and a new apartment means a new base for ramen walks.  In my first exploration, I headed into Horie to check out a small shio ramen shop.

They offered a few different permutations of shio ramen, but one item in particular caught my eye: shio tantanmen.  I've tried mixed styles recently with success, so why not try again?

Information
塩ラーメン専門店 汐家
2-15-13 Kitahorie

The Bowl
If the curry tsukemen I had previously was a little crazy, then was straight up insane.  The broth was thin and clear, but a very flavorful and hot-peppery shio.  As if the spicy broth wasn't enough, the flat noodles were pretty spicy themselves.  The ground pork and egg were both great; the only thing lacking in this bowl was the standard chashu.

Would I Go Again?
Absolutely.  The owner said that they make a ma-yu ramen in the winter that's not on the menu, too.

Should You Go?
Yeah.  It'll give you a good reason to venture out into the wilderness that is Nishi-ku.

Menya Itadori

My friends had one last night in Kyoto, and so we yet again went searching for ramen.  We failed to find a place we were looking for by the river, but luckily I had a backup prepared.  A backup with curry.

Itadori offered a variety of curry options: curry rice, curry tsukemen, curry tantanmen, and curry udon.  Curry alone is great, but an opportunity to get curry and tantanmen in one bowl?  I couldn't say no.  Plus, I added in some pork shabu shabu as a topping.

Information
麺屋虎杖 四条富小路上ル
17-3 Tachiurihigashichō

The Bowl
This was an interesting mix.  I could tell it was clearly tantanmen, but there was also a strong curry flavor.  It was weird but they mixed well.  The curry was a bit light and the broth wasn't that spicy, so I would have liked it to be even richer.  The noodles were the curly, chewy kind of noodles that are standard with tantanmen.  The thin slices of pork weren't very flavorful, which was very good because there was enough flavor in the broth to make the pork taste good.

Would I Go Again?
Curry all the time?  Yes.

Should You Go?
Yeah, this place is unique and great.

Goma Goma

My friend from college arrived in town, and I had to show him some good ramen.  I've still not eaten at a lot of places that are highly regarded in Osaka, but one place that I'd been to once before and loved was the spectacularly spicy tantan tsukemen shop Goma Goma.  Goma means sesame in Japanese, and to match that theme, not only do they offer sesame grinders so that you can add as much to your bowl as you want, but the tea and wari-soup are also made from sesame.

They offer white and black broths, and spice levels normally from 1-10, then have a 15, 20, and just as a joke on the way bottom of the vending machine, 30.  Last time I got the black level 7.  I wanted a bit of a challenge, so this time I went for white 10.


Information
ごまゴマ
Ōsaka-fu Ōsaka-shi Kita-ku Toyosaki ２丁目４−５
Goma Goma is on the east side of Shin-Midosuji, east of Nakatsu station.

One thing I love about tsukemen places is that they often have a mystical order to how you're supposed to enjoy the bowl.  At Goma Goma, not only do you get a side of noodles and toppings, but you can use a mortar and pestle to crush as much sesame as you like.  In addition they give you a block of burnt rice, which you are supposed to carefully add to the bowl, wait until it gets nice and flavorful, and then enjoy.

The Bowl
The black broth I had ordered the last time I visited Goma Goma was very rich, and the white was comparatively much milder.  It wasn't a bad thing, but I preferred the black.  It was still fairly unique, and the mildness did not stop the soup from lighting my tongue on fire.  I went through a healthy supply of tea and tissues as I went noodle by noodle trying to survive and finish.  The sesame matched the broth quite well, and the rich chashu made my mouth tingle after sitting in the soup for a couple minutes.  To top it off, the burnt rice was very crispy; it was almost like eating a ramen-soaked rice crispy treat.  It absorbed the flavor of the broth, and stood out strongly in my mind.

Would I Go Again?
I brought my friend here because it's among my favorite places in Osaka, and this visit has only solidified that further.  I see more lunchtime spice challenges in my future.

Should You Go?
It's among the best tantanmen I've had, and easily the best tantan tsukemen, so this is not a place to be missed as long as you can handle a little bit of spice.

Kuroshio Ramen Takara

It was a rainy Saturday and I didn't feel like going far.  But still, I wanted curry or something spicy.  A bit of searching on ramendb and tabelog came up with Takara.  Supposedly they had a seasonal curry tsukemen, which is like two great dishes in one.  I trekked over, and while sadly they were not serving the curry tsukemen, they at least had a tantan tsukemen to appease me.


Information
黒潮ラーメン 寶

Ōsaka-fu Ōsaka-shi Chūō-ku Dōtonbori １丁目７−２

Takara is right on Dotonbori, on the west side of one of the major north-south arcades.

The Bowl
The broth was fairly thick; something I wouldn't expect from normal tantanmen, but I would from tsukemen.  It seemed like it was a normal gyokai tonkotsu soup, with an additional tantan flavor added to it.  The broth was quite nutty and spicy, but not overpoweringly so.  The noodles were medium sized, but went well with the soup, and tasted pretty good with the lemon squeezed over them, too.

Would I Go Again?
This didn't blow my mind, but it was a very solid bowl.  It will never take the tantan tsukemen crown from my beloved Goma Goma, but I would come back if I were itching for tantanmen in Minami, or to try their curry tsukemen.

Should You Go?
If you're looking for the best tantan tsukemen, go to Goma Goma in Umeda.  This is still a pretty good number two if you can't make it there.