Ramen New York × New York

On one of my regular checks of tabelog's new ramen shop section, I noticed a shop New York × New York. It's pretty far out in Sakai, some place I'm normally too lazy to go, but with New York not once but twice in the name, I knew I had to make it out there. I met up with a friend who lives in the area and ventured in the shop. They had a few different kinds of ramen, but the shop owner told us to go with the chicken paitan.

定期的に食べログのニューオープンラーメン屋さんペイジをチェックしたときに、「New York × New York」という店を気づきました。堺市にあるので、行くのが面倒くさかったんですけど、ニューヨーク人の責任を取って近くに住んでいる友達と行ってみました。いろいろなラーメンがありましたけど、店長に鶏白湯をおすすめしてもらいましたからそれにしました。

The Bowl
New York × New York's chicken ramen was a chicken potage; more like a thick chicken gravy than a normal bowl of ramen. It was strongly potato-flavored, and the thin noodles were sticky with the soup as they were pulled away. The chashu was very tender, softening up and melting into the soup. On top of the whole thing there were just a few red onions, adding a welcome bit of dry crispiness, and the one ingredient that reminded me of New York.

ラーメンはチキンポタージュみたいな感じでした。普通のラーメンと違ってどろっとしたチキングレービーっぽかったです。ポテトの味が強くて、麺を拾うとした時にはねばねばしていました。チャーシューは柔らかくて、とろけました。赤たまねぎが一番上に乗って、ニューヨークの懐かしさをしながらシャキッとしていました。

Would I Go Again?
It was good enough to, but I'm not sure I'll make it to Otori Station again.

ぜんぜん美味しかったですけど、鳳駅までまた行くかどうかは微妙です。

Should You Go?
If you are in Sakai for some reason, you should stop by.

堺市にいれば、ぜひ行ってみてください。

Information
ラーメン NewYork × NewYork

Rarara no Ramen Ittonriki

It's not every day I make it down to Sakai, but sometimes I get the hankering for a bowl of ramen or tsukemen that's famous down there. In fact, the last time I went out of my way to Sakai for a bowl of ramen was a year and a half ago. Similar to that time, it wasn't any dish that could tempt me, but curry tsukemen.

Rarara no Ramen is a shop I had read about in Ramen Walker ages ago, and kept wanting to go. As soon as I arrived, I realized they offered so many other items, such as a spicy miso tsukemen, but it was curry tsukemen I came for, so it was curry tsukemen I ordered.

堺市にあまり行きませんけど、たまに堺にしかないラーメンが欲しくなります。実は前行ったのは一年半前でした。あのときみたいにカレーつけ麺を食べたかったので行ってしもた。

らららのらーめんはラーメンウォーカーで知ってずっと行きたかったです。着いた時点にカレーつけ麺だけじゃなくて辛みそつけ麺などいっぱいおいしそうなメニューがあったのを気づきました。だが、カレーつけ麺を食べる使命があったのでカレーつけ麺を頼みました。

The Bowl
A dip of the noodles into the curry revealed that this well-spiced, hearty broth showed the signs of a great meal: the curry wasn't just good with the noodles, it would have been delicious eaten on its own or with rice. I did not reject the flat, grainy noodles, though which like the under-flavored chashu, came into their own after sucking in the rich soup. Even towards the end, although the soup was a bit salty when drank on its own, the wari-soup diluted it just enough to make for an after-dinner light curry snack.

カレーを一味するとスープの本物のおいしさがわかってきました。麺と一緒じゃなくてもそのままでもご飯と一緒でもスパイスがよく利いた風味がいいカレーが合いました。麺が平たくてもちもちでした。チャーシューはちょっと味が薄めでしたけど、カレーにつけたらちょうど良くなりました。最後の一滴でもちょっと塩っぱかったですけど、割スープと混ぜたら軽くて飲みやすくなりました。

Would I Go Again?
Yes.

はい。

Should You Go?
Yes.

はい。

Information
らららのらーめん 一豚力

Junpuden

Finally, a trip to Junpuden.  Junpuden is a place I spotted in Ramen Walker and ramendb, and have wanted to go to for a long time.  It's in Sakai, which is in Osaka prefecture but south of Osaka city, so I've never had any reason to travel there aside from ramen.  In addition, Junpuden is closed on Sundays, which makes it even more annoying to go to.  But this weekend gave me a Monday off, which was enough to get me to make the trip.

Now if you're wondering what it is that made me travel far out of my way to get ramen, the answer is simple: curry.  I've gone out of my way to eat curry ramen and tsukemen before, and I will again.  Junpuden offers both, in addition to tantan men/tsukemen and super spicy tsukemen.  If you eat the super spicy tsukemen, you get your picture on the wall.  I was not brave enough to try that this time, but maybe if I'm back.

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純風殿

Ōsaka-fu, Sakai-shi, Sakai-ku, Kitakawaramachi, ２丁２−２５

Junpuden is just north of the shopping arcade on the west side of Sakai Higashi Station.

The Bowl
Thick noodles, and thick broth, just the way I like my tsukemen.  The broth was barely a soup, it was practically a bowl full of curry sauce.  But that made it very good for the noodles to pick up.  There was a little bit of spice to it, too.  Aside from the noodles and sauce, there were a few pieces of chashu and menma too.  The chashu was in thick pieces; not particularly fatty, but they tasted very good covered in curry.

Would I Go Again?
Absolutely.  I want to try the tantanmen, and one day it would be fun to lose to try the super spicy tsukemen, too.  I hear they even make you drink all the broth.

Should You Go?
If you like curry.  It's far, but it's good.