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。

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超豚骨 濃度8

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.

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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.

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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!