As most of you know, team Ramen Raff
visited the Kansai region not long ago. We ate a lot pancakes, shopped in
Osaka, ploughed through the crowds of tourists in Kyoto and Nara. It was a
full-on trip but we managed to try some of the best ramen that Osaka, Kyoto and
Nara has to offer.
Without
further ado, here’s the list of ramen shops you need to consider checking out
when you are to visit the Kansai region:
OSAKA
Ramen Hayato
This shop is listed in the Michellin
Bib Gourmand list and I can see why. The composition of each bowl, the
ingredients and flavours are premium. There was a line when we got there around
12pm. We waited no more than 20 minutes before we were seated inside the
counter-style eatery.
Although popular for their miso
ramen, you should also try their shoyu ramen (¥850/$9.60AUD). The
noodles are slightly thicker and the broth is a soy gyokai (seafood) based
possibly niboshi. I love the depth and complexity of this broth including the
notes of smokiness. The negi was nice for adding sweetness to the smoky
backdrop of the broth.
Their miso ramen (¥930/$10.50AUD)
is the one of the best that I’ve had. Thin to medium thick flat noodles cooked
futsu (normal or medium) level. The broth density was medium thick and almost
heavy on the abura. It was also quite complex and had a super well-balanced
sweet, umami, salty and citrus (yuzu) flavours. Toppings included: 2 types of
tasty tender chashu, chewy menma, sweet negi and bean sprouts. A must visit
when in Osaka especially if you are a miso ramen lover.
1 Chome-2-2 Minamimorimachi,
Kita-ku, Ōsaka-shi, Ōsaka-fu 530-0054, Japan
Tuesday to Sunday 11am to 4pm
Nearest station: Minami Morimachi
Fukuryu Wadachi
There are two Fukuryu Wadachi
branches and we ended up visiting the Honmachi shop. It’s around 4-5 minutes
walk from Honmachi station. Just like Hayato, the shop was quite small but
immaculate. At 7am, the joint was nearly packed.
We tried 2 variations of their Tori
paitan ramen: the standard Fuuku ryu ramen with ajitama (seasoned egg) and
special fuuku ryu ramen. The difference is that the special ramen has more
chashu and extra ajitama. The sous vide chashu was tasty and the ajitama was
lightly flavoured. The broth was topped with espuma citron or yuzu foam to give
the creamy chicken broth citrusy notes. The pepperiness of the mizuna and
sweetness of the onion added a nice complexity. The noodles were almost
pasta-like.
Japan, 〒550-0005 Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi,
Nishi-ku, Nishihonmachi, 1 Chome−8−2
11am to 3pm, 6-10pm
Nearest station: Honmachi
Zundouya in Shinsaibashi
I’ve tried a few tonkotsu ramen
chains in the last few years. Zundouya is my favourite chain to date. The best
part of their Shinsaibashi shop is that it is open 24/7! So we headed there for
breakfast (why not?!).
I tried the ajitama ramen (¥850/$9.60AUD).
It was a Hakata-style ramen with thin straight katame noodles, medium thick
shio tonkotsu broth with せあぶら(back fat)
that had medium level umami. Heavy on the fat means higher broth density and I
loved it. The ajitama was perfect with a slightly custardy yolk. Chashu was
heaps tender and tasty. Also topped with kikurage, negi and nori.
Tip: Get the fried rice (¥350/$3.95AUD)
here as it is insanely flavoursome! The gyozas and karaage chicken were good
too. Get the large matsuri set (¥700/$7.90AUD) which comes with 6
dumplings and 4 karaage chicken pieces.
Japan, 〒542-0085 Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi,
Chūō-ku, Shinsaibashisuji, 1 Chome−5−7, セーナビル
Open 24hours
Nearest station: Shinsaibashi
Muteppou
I will forever hold Gumshara as my
favourite ramen place. It's what made me fall deeply in love with ramen the
first time I’ve had Mori-san’s pork sparerib ramen. On our first visit to
Osaka, we visited the ramen joint that started Mori Higashida on his journey to
become a ramen chef master and open up Gumshara in Sydney. Muteppou in Osaka
got him hooked on their ramen the same way I got hooked on Mori-san's ramen.
The lines can get crazy during lunch time so try to get there before 11am
(opening time).
I tried their chashumen with
tamago (¥1050). It's their signature kotteri tonkotsu ramen with multiple
slices of chashu and hanjuku tamago. The chashu was just like Gumshara's, which
were tender, fatty and tasty. The egg was perfect where the egg white has just
set and the yolk was slightly runny. Their tonkotsu broth (compared to
Gumshara) is closer to a gravy-like consistency! Though the broth texture
was hectic the umami flavour was just right and not too intense. Along with the
sweet notes from chopped green onion, the broth was indeed amazing! The braised
menma (bamboo shoots) compliments the broth. The curly noodles were perfectly
cooked around futsu level. If you like your broth super thick and heavy, then
you need to try this!
1 Chome-5-21 Ebisuhonmachi, Naniwa
Ward, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 556-0013, Japan
Tuesday to Sunday 11am-3pm, 6pm-11pm
Nearest station: Daikokucho
Tenkaippin
Tenkaippin is a ramen chain that
originated in Kyoto. But now, you can find it most major areas in Japan as
there are over 200 restaurants around.
Their chashu kotteri ramen with
extra tamago is my go to here. It was a beautiful bowl of glistening slices of
fatty pork, nice firm noodles, menma, soft boiled tamago, green onions and a
pottage-like thick soup (very true to Kansai’s love of thick broths). For a
chicken broth, it packed a lot of flavour and it almost had a creamy
bisque-like density. This is a bowl you shouldn't miss!
Address: 3 Chome-10-18
Shikitsuhigashi, Naniwa Ward, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 556-0012,
Japan
Nearest station: Daikokucho Station
Hours: Daily 11.00am to 1:45am
KYOTO
Gogyo
This one is a no brainer. When in
Kyoto, one needs to visit this famous joint especially at lunch time
(free to upsize your ramen!). They are famous for their Kogashi (burnt) soy and
miso ramen.
My go to for lunch is their kogashi
miso ramen with extra chashu (¥1130). It comes with thick egg noodles, five
slices of chashu, naruto, nori, half soft-boiled egg and some greens. The
chashu here is fatty and tasty. Noodles are cooked perfectly but the broth here
is the star. The broth consistency is close to medium thick range scale. The
burnt miso gives the broth smokiness and a deep umami flavour.
Their Kogashi shoyu
ramen (¥880) is almost the same except the broth has more subtle
flavours while still containing a lot of smokiness and more complex
umami.
To my Sydney readers,
brace yourselves because Gogyo Surry Hills (ex-Salaryman spot)
is set to open in the next 2-3 months!
〒604-8121 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto,
Nakagyō-ku, Jūmonjichō, 中京区柳馬場通蛸薬師下る十文字町452番地
Hours: Mon-Fri 11:30am to 3pm, 6pm
to 12am
Sat 11:30am to 4pm, 5pm to 12am
Sun 11:30am to 4pm, 5pm to 11pm
Near: Nishiki Market
Closest Station: Karasuma
Mensho Takamatsu Shijo
Besides our hotel being in the
centralised location of Karasuma, it was also 2 doors down from this popular
ramenya that specialises in tsukemen. Even at 10pm (shop closes at 11pm), the
joint was packed.
The shio niboshi kaoru ramen (¥650) had
a light broth with decent umami and some sweetness. The noodles were like thin
Hakata-style type and cooked al dente. It was topped with shoulder chashu, thin
menma, negi and shiragi negi.
The real star in this shop is
their tonkotsu gyokai tsukemen (¥850). The firm
noodles were almost like soba-type noodles that possibly had high ash content
and blended with some whole wheat flour. The noodles were insane! The shoyu
flavoured dipping broth had depth of smoky and umami flavours. I really liked
the sweetness from the onions, negi and sudachi (a citrus fruit quite similar
to lime). The pieces of chashu was a nice touch to the broth.
Japan, 〒600-8091 Kyōto-fu, Kyōto-shi,
Shimogyō-ku, Motoakuōjichō, 東洞院四条下がる元悪王寺町39-2
Opening hours:
Monday to Sunday 11am-11pm
Closest Station: Karasuma
NARA
Menjin Baromuan
This is one of the most highly rated
ramen shops in Nara. Locals would line up and patiently wait to get into this
shop. We lined up for over 30 minutes.
Their shin chuka soba (¥750) is
insanely awesome! It has to be one of the most vibrant and flavoursome ramen
I’ve come across. The medium thick whole wheat blended noodles and are made
in-house and are cooked medium. The broth is a shoyu flavoured triple soup
style of pork, chicken and fish. Flying fish infused oil is added to the broth
for extra umami and smoky flavours. The sous vide chashu almost tasted like
premium cured meat with sweetness and slight pepperiness. It also had amazing
thick chewy special menma. The hanjuku tamago had a slightly runny yolk.
27 Surugamachi, Nara-shi,
Nara-ken 630-8357,
Japan
Opening hours:
Tuesday to Sunday 10.30am to 2.00pm
Closed Monday
Nearest station: Nara