Ichifuku (Osaka-fu, Toyonaka-shi)

元祖博多屋台 一福
がんそはかたやたい いちふく

Motsumiso tonkotsu ramen: 12 / 20

I had been a couple of time already to this ramen shop, close to Handai Toyonaka campus, which serves a no-thrill, ultra-classical Hakata ramen. I wanted to try it a last time, this time with a little twist, so I ordered the ramen with motsumiso (offal miso).

Broth: A very classical Hakata broth, which totally changes when eaten with the motsumiso. It then becomes more salty and… different. Not better, just different, and in a kind of not-so-interesting-though-reasonably-pleasant way.

Noodles: Barikata, as I ordered them.

Meat: A few thin slices of uninteresting chashu, as it is unfortunately much too often the case with Hakata ramen. The offal in the motsumiso does not taste like motsu and is not especially interesting either.

Toppings: Lots of negi, no menma (as usual in Hakata ramen).

Nothing bad here, but also nothing very exciting. The motsumiso brings a kind of original twist, but it is not enough to make the ramen especially recommendable. I would rather advise to order the basic, classical tonkotsu bowl - it's solid enough for some pleasant Hakata-feel.

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Sugari (Kyoto, Nakagyō-ku)

和醸良麺 すがり
わじょうりょうめん すがり

19/20

Tucked in a small alley with no obvious sign, this ramen restaurant is difficult to find. You should persist, though, as this is the best ramen restaurant in the old capital I’ve tried so far (and I've lived one year there). They serve ramen and tsukemen, that you can both order with motsu. I ordered the motsu tsukemen with yuzu noodles (they have another variety of noodles too, not sure what it was).

Broth: A good tonkotsu gyokai broth; a bit on the liquid side, but it sticked enough to the noodles.

Noodles: Excellent home-made, firm yuzu noodles.

Meat: The motsu bits in the broth were just the best I have ever eaten. Juicy and grilled, they will explode in your mouth in a firework of sensations that will leave memories on your tastebuds long time after you’ve left the restaurant.

Egg: That was, to some extent, the let-down of this otherwise awesome bowl. The ajitama was good, but slightly overcooked.

Toppings: Some soft tasty cabbage in the soup, which was obviously cooked longer than the usual crunchy japanese cabbage; it was more the kind of cabbage you would find in a French countryside-ish soup. A piece of large white negi, delicately flavored, slightly sweet; two small pieces of firmer, green negi, with the same delicious flavor. And some thin, delicate, more classical negi, mixed with red chili threads.

This ramen restaurant is not only the best one I’ve tried in Kyoto, it is also the most beautiful: a long counter in a beautifully decorated machiya, a mix of modernity and tradition, an atmosphere halfway between the contemporary lounge and the classical, exclusive Kyoto restaurant. This place is awesome. If you like motsu, it would be a crime to miss it; same if you like yuzu (I love both). With a better egg, I would have rated this place 20/20. Don’t lose a second, if you’re in Kansai, run there NOW. You don’t know what tomorrow will be made of.

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Other review: Ramen adventures

Kitanozaka Oku (Kobe, Chūō-ku)

北野坂 奥
きたのざか おく

Motsu tsukemen (with ajitama): 16 / 20

The stairs going down to the basement corridor leading to this restaurant may not be very welcoming, but you should really overcome this first impression. You will soon enter into a very spacious and pleasant, high-ceiling, kind of New York-loft-style restaurant serving ramen and tsukemen, that you can order with offal (motsu / もつ). I had the motsu tsukemen with an egg (aji-tama), and my friend the motsu ramen.

Broth: A good (if a bit thin) tonkotsu gyokai broth.

Noodles: Home-made noodles with a delicate taste, lacking a bit of a chew though.

Meat: The motsu bites are really the highlight of this restaurant. Grilled and mouth-melting, they are simply excellent! (at least, if you’re as much into motsu as I am)

Egg: The egg was very well cooked, though not totally homogeneously - but overall, the yellow was gooey in a yummy way. The white part had a strong shoyu taste.

Topping: Thick menma with a classical menma taste. Some white negi.

You can help yourself with red chili, sanchou and black pepper - I think that the latter fits the best with the motsu bites. This is one of my best ramen-experience in Kobe, I definitely recommend it (but look at my review of Sugari in Kyoto for an even better Kansai motsu experience).

I also tasted my friend’s ramen. The fishy taste was quite strong for a ramen, and the noodles a bit softer. It was quite creamy. I also recommend it, although the tsukemen may have my preference.


UPDATE (August, 17th): I came back and tried their spicy ramen.

Karai ramen (I don't remember the exact name): 12 / 20

The broth was here much less pleasant, with nothing much more than spicyness and a somewhat undefinable taste. The noodles were definitely too soft. Chashu was thick and very tender, a nice surprise. The egg was definitely overcooked that time. The thick, salty menmas were pleasant. I strongly recommend sticking with their tsukemen (with motsu, if you like it).

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Other review: Go ramen