Nibojiro (Kyoto-shi, Sakyo-ku / Sengoku ramen event)

京都西院にぼ次朗
きょうとさいいんにぼじろう
Kyoto Saiin Nibojirou

Nibo-shio-tonkotsu ramen: 14 / 20

And one more ramen event – the ramen Sengoku! I had mixed feelings about former events such as the Ramen Expo, but I could hardly pass on this one – and which ramen-companion could be better than Ben to go there?

My choice for my first bowl went to Nibojiro, which I selected because it was a ‘nibo-shio-tonkotsu’ – an uncommon mix (even niboshi-tonkotsu is not so common, although it has been popularized by Tamagoro). I like ramen oddities, I love niboshi, so I had to try this!

Broth: The first sip was quite intense in niboshi, but surprisingly, my tongue became rapidly desensitized and the pungent notes vanished, leaving a not-unpleasant-but-not-so-remarkable tonkotsu taste.

Noodles: Contrarily to many noodles I ate at the Ramen Expo, they were quite well-cooked. Congrats, as this is appears to be a difficult feat in such a context!

Meat: A thin, lean chashu with a relatively uncommon taste, yet difficult to characterize.

Toppings: Some miso paste, ground beef and onion. So maybe after all one should call it a miso-shio-niboshi-tonkotsu-tantan-inspired ramen? In my knowledge, only Mengenso managed to push the mix of styles so far!

Overall, a good bowl, but not as exceptional as I expected it to be. I needed to continue with something more exceptional on that day…

More info on ramendb (for the regular shop, with a different menu)

Amanojaku (Nara-ken, Nara-shi)

麺屋あまのじゃく(本店)
めんやあまのじゃく
Menya Amanojaku (Honten)

Shio-tonkotsu ramen: 18 / 20

Miso ramen: 17 / 20

When I was looking for lunch for an alternative to Mitsuba around (see my former post), I had noticed this restaurant with its remarkably high critics, but it was unfortunately closed for lunch. No problem at all: when I came back from Nara with my friend after Yamayaki, we decided to stop there and try their various tonkotsu dishes. After more than 30 minutes waiting (this restaurant is popular, and it was Saturday evening!), I ordered the shio tonkotsu, and my friend the miso tonkotsu.

Broth: Wow! An assari tonkotsu, intense in taste but light in texture, very milky – exactly the kind of tonkotsu I love. You know, someting from the Ippudo/Ishimanji family (rather than classical Hakata style) – but this one beat them! Seriously, it may be the best tonkotsu ramen of this style I ever had. I just regret it was slightly too salty.

Noodles: A bit too soft to my tatste.

Meat: A delicious slice of crumbly meat, braised and with the right amount of fat – again, the kind of chashu I love!

Toppings: A few menma, soft but with some hard fibers and a classical taste – not the best menma I’ve had, I must say, and kind of the letdown of this otherwise awesome bowl. You can also help yourself with some seasonings of all kinds - dried garlic flakes, ginger, different kind of sauce... there was more choice than in a good Hakata ramen shop!

The miso ramen of my friend had the same broth (although mine had a little bit of some juice sprinkled onto the broth – maybe the shio tare that for one would not be mixed in the soup?), and some added miso – it gave an interesting twist, which I would recommend to miso fan; but as for me, I preferred the tonkotsu-shio.

So, very briefly: this is the best tonkotsu broth I had in Kansai, and possibly anywhere else. A new favorite, too bad it is so much out of the way.

More info on ramendb.

Other reviews: The Semishigure

Kirari (Kyōto-shi, Fushimi-ku)

つけ麺 きらり
つけめん きらり
Tsukemen Kirari

Shio-ton Ramen: 18 / 20
(塩とんらぁめん)

We were supposed to meet with my family in Kyoto's southern Fushimi area for a sake-trip, but they were delayed and I was hungry, so I waited at a nearby ramen-place which looked good. Gosh, what a great idea! This shop specializes in tsukemen, but I was more in a ramen mood, and wanted to try their rare shio-tonkotsu ramen - which I ordered with some additional nori.

Broth: A very thick but delicious broth of tonkotsu - one can actually feel the texture of bone grains at times - with some veggie aftertaste. It sticks so much to the nooodles that it felt like a tsukemen!

Noodles: Slightly soft, but well, we are in Kyoto. I must admit that this fitted well with the broth.

Meat: A few delicious slices of peppery, delicious chashu that kind of tasted like roastbeef.

Egg: Half an egg is included in the regular ramen, so it’s not necessary to order any more. And I must say that this egg is a model, with its melting yolk (but hard enough not to fall into the soup), and a white part infused with strong flavors.

Toppings: Some fibrous menma, with a mild but good taste - more similar to fresh bamboo than to preserved one. The nori sheets I ordered fitted extremely well with the broth and the meat. There were even some fresh garlic you could crush inside the broth.

This is the best Kyoto-style ramen I ever ate - actually, there are many twists compared to the classical Kyoto-style bowl so I'm not sure I could categorize it as such. It was a bit similar to Gokkei in Ichijoji, but whereas the latter was too thick for me, this one just had the highest level of thickness I can stand. It stayed hot quite long, a perfect winter dish that keeps you going.

Delicious, and if I was more into Kyoto ramen, I could have given it a 19 or maybe even a 20: this is flawless ramen - like Takakura Nijo, although in a very different style. Kyoto, home of ramen perfection?

More info on ramendb.