Fusuma ni Kakero (Osaka-shi, Kita-ku)

麬にかけろ 中崎壱丁 中崎商店會
ふすまにかけろ なかざきいっちょう なかざきしょうてんがい
Fusuma ni Kakero Nakazaki Ichou Nakazaki Shoutengai

Italian (gentei) ramen: 14 / 20 

After our ramen at Bird, we went with Brian to Nakazakicho so that I could show him my favorite places like Minto and Amanto. Brian was in the mood for some further ramen experience though, so after a drink there I decided to bring him to one of Osaka top ramen joint, Fusuma ni Kakero - my third time there in two and half months! Fortunately though, they had a February Gentei (limited edition), so I could try something new: an Italian-inspired ramen!

Soup: It had a definite Western taste of consommé, but was a bit too fat.

Noodles: Spaghetti-like noodles, very easy to slurp.

Meat: The real asset of this bowl: some delicious, herbal chicken.

Toppings: This bowl goes crazy here: salad leaves, crunchy fried onions, spongious but tasty mushrooms, tomato bits and – sic – mozarella! (I'm not convinced by the cheese part though)

Overall, it looked like some italian spaghetti changed into ramen. I’m not fully convinced though and think this should remain an experiment; not a bad one, but their regular shio and shoyu are better - and I don't even mention their special Monday's SCS ebi-tori paitan!

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Other review: Friends in Ramen (for the shoyu ramen), Japan Times, Philoramen 1 (for the SCS ramen), Philoramen 2 (for the shio and shoyu ramen)

bird (Osaka-shi, Kita-ku)

bird
ばーど
Bird

Assari ramen: 15 / 20

Kotteri ramen: 16 / 20

Brian from Ramen Adventures was around in Osaka this week-end, so we decided to go for some ramen together. He suggested to go to bird, a curious shop close to Higashi-Umeda that I instantly became eager to try, as they use a very special ingredient: cotton candy! Clearly, we had to try this oddity. I ordered the assari ramen, and Brian the kotteri ramen. While they were getting ready, we could discover this ovni ramen-kitchen: a cotton candy machine; some fish drying on clothespins; the soup taken out of the freezer to be cut into large pieces before being heated. Clearly, this restaurant does nothing like others! But here come our UFO-designed bowls, which we frantically shot with our cameras, as the cotton candy was melting at high speed!

Both: This smooth shoyu broth was the assari one, but it was quite thick for an assari – the chicken broth provided some significant texture. At the place where the cotton candy had melted, the broth got a significant sweetness (which Brian accidentally stole away from me – warned you, man!). Good, but nothing exceptional. Brian’s broth was thicker and more peppery – I preferred it actually.

Noodles: You know, when noodles have this very strong egg taste? Well here they were quite the opposite, as if something had been removed to them, but I’m not sure what. They were quite thick and firm, though.

Meat: Some crumbly chashu, a bit like lard, with some melting fat intersped – the kind of chashu I love!

Egg: A very liquid, kind of cold ontama, that IMHO did not bring anything to the bowl. I don’t recommend ordering it.

Difficult to rate this bowl: average noodles, great meat, pleasant broth, insignificant egg and extreme originality of the cotton candy. It’s definitely worth going there if you like discovering ramen curiosities – but I recommend ordering the thick version, without egg. The tsukemen also looked like coming from another world, could be interesting to try it some day.

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Other reviews: Ramen Adventures, Friends in Ramen

Sodaisho (Osaka-shi, Kita-ku)

総大醤
そうだいしょう
Sodaishou

Koikuchi shoyu ramen: 16  / 20
(こいくち醤油ラーメン)

Kurodaisho: 15 / 20
(黒大醤)

It had been some time already that I wanted to eat at this very popular ramen joint, but the queue always convinced me to go somewhere else. On this Saturday at 1 pm, though, it was short enough so that I could give it a try. They specialize in a shoyu ramen that they prepare in two versions, as well as a shio ramen, and both a shio and shoyu tsukemen. I was with a friend so it was a perfect occasion to compare the two versions of the shoyu bowl: my friend ordered the Kurodaisho (the signature bowl), and I ordered the Koikuchi (more concentrated in taste). Let's start with the latter.

 

Broth: A deep shoyu taste (although not as deep as in the recent Takaida-kei I tried), just deep enough for what I like – there was also some hints of yuzu which you can, as I discovered later, order in a larger quantity.

Noodles: Slightly fat, firm and good.

Meat: Two large, very thin slices of chashu with some alternance of fat and lean parts. OK, but nothing to call home about.

Toppings: Some small, very thin, crunchy menma with an intense taste – they were good, especially when eaten mixed with the noodles, providing a crunchy and tasty twist to the whole thing. A slice of kamaboko.

The Kurodaisho of my friend was good too, but with a thinner taste, less fishy, and without the hint of yuzu – I slightly preferred mine. Overall, that’s a good place for a classical shoyu experience, although the long queue made me expect something slightly more exceptional.

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Other reviews: Friends in Ramen, Osaka Insider.

Junk Story (Osaka-shi, Chuo-ku)

らーめんstyle Junk Story
らーめんすたいる じゃんくすとーりー
Ramen Style Junk Story

Shio no Kirameki: 17 / 20
(塩のキラメキ)

Junk story! What a poetic name... I remember the first time I went there, more than a year ago, I was expecting something ultra-fat and unhealthy – probably because of the similarity of the name with JUNK GARAGE in Saitama. Hell no! They serve a very sophisticated, light shio broth, which I enjoyed vey much at the time. The Ra-Sai was a perfect occasion to refresh my memory of their special dish, the Kirameki shio ramen (which I ordered with the noodles in regular, nami size – you can also ask for free for a bigger, chuu version).

Broth: A pleasant shio broth with a hint of yuzu, and some herbal notes – although less on the parsley side than e.g. Menya Hyottoko in Tokyo. I appreciate that it was not over-salty.

Noodles: Classical, straight noodles, neither too hard nor too soft. Could be more remarkable, but they do the job.

Meat: That’s the highlight of the bowl, no doubt about it: a few tender slices of chicken tataki with a citrus taste, just great.

Egg: Half of a perfectly cooked egg, with a gooey yellow on the hard side, and a white part well infused with shoyu taste.

Toppings: Some white negi, mitsuba and chili stripes. Some good, slightly fibrous, squared menma – first time I see this shape! – with a classical taste.

A great shio, no doubt about it, the best I’ve tried in Osaka with Shiogensui. The broth may be more interesting in Shiogensui, especially in its plum version, but the chicken tataki here deserves extra credit. A bowl not to be missed, in case you enjoy clear broth ramen.

More info on ramendb.

Other review: Friends in Ramen

7.5Hz+ (Osaka-shi, Kita-ku)

麺屋7.5Hz+ (梅田店)
めんやななてんごへるつぷらす
Menya Nana Ten Go Herutsu Purasu (Umeda-ten)

Chuka soba, small: 15 / 20 

7.5Hz has been on my radar ever since Ben from Friends in Ramen told me about the Takaida-kei style, of which this shop (along with other ramen-monuments like Kinguemon or Dogyan) is a representative. Finally, I made it to the undergrounds of Kitashinchi to try it. The area is not that great but well, that’s one of the many nondescript undergrounds place that Osaka has to offer – at least it’s warmer than outside in winter. I was happy to see that you could order the ramen in a small version, like at Dogyan - but note that you can also order some dark shoyu tsukesoba with giant noodles.

Broth: A strong, very dark shoyu broth – that’s Takaida-kei, no doubt about it! It had a more fishy taste than at Dogyan, Maru Joe or Kinguemon though, so this was an interesting change. But too salty to my taste, unfortunately.

Noodles: Thick, yellow noodles with the right chewiness. Like at Dogyan, they were kind of hard to slurp.

Meat: A slice of slightly unremarkable chashu, not unpleasant though, with some large, smooth fatty part.

Toppings: Some large green negi that, as usual in Takaida-kei, fit very well with the broth – they had a kind of metallic taste. Some menma with a (too?) strong classical menma taste.

Overall, a good Takaida-bowl – I preferred it to Dogyan (the broth was not as fat, and the chashu slightly – but only slightly – better). To bad it was too salty though.

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Other review: Ramen Adventures

Misawa (Osaka-shi, Fukushima-ku)

つけ麺 みさわ(本店)
つけめん みさわ
Tsukemen Misawa (Honten)

Niboshi tsukemen: 16 / 20
(煮干つけ麺)

After Mitsuboshi, I decided to continue my exploration of the Fukushima area. JET always had a terribly long queue, so Misawa was next on my list: a niboshi tsukemen, I had to try this!

Broth: A peppery broth with some niboshi taste, crowned by some even more peppery fish powder. There is some ginger on top of the noodles bowl, but be careful when using it, as it can easily overwhelm the taste of niboshi. The soup wari was not so special, but you can get a beautiful, triangular yakiishi (hot stone) to heat your bowl.

Noodles: OK, but not so firm.

Meat: One small slice of good, braised chashu, with melting fat.

Toppings: Some thick, fibrous, OK menma, soft behind the crunchiness. Some raw, very crunchy bits of white onions on the side that went quite well with the soup. You can put some shichimi (mix of seven spices) that seemed to include japanese pepper/sanshou - quite pleasant.

Although nothing was in itself exceptional, the peppery powder, crunchy onions, ginger and shichimi all brought interesting and various twists, and changed this bowl into a symphony of flavors. Definitely recommended.

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Other reviews: Friends in Ramen 1, Friends in Ramen 2 (another shop)

Mitsuboshi (Osaka-shi, Fukushima-ku)

みつ星製麺所 (福島本店)
みつぼしせいめんしょ
Mitsuboshi Seimensho (Fukushima Honten)

Wafu ramen: 17 / 20
(和風らーめん)

Fukushima is a remarkably rich area in terms of ramen, and this restaurant is – its name does not lie – one of its stars. I arrived there at 12:30 on a Saturday without much hope to find a seat, knowing that there are many ramen shops in the area anyway, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was only a 15 minutes-long queue; that’s very doable, so here I wait. I ordered the wafu ramen, the thin one (but they are especially famous for their kotteri ramen).

Broth: A thin and cloudy tonkotsu-niboshi broth, with some bits of fat in suspension. The taste of niboshi was present and pleasant, but not as pronounced as e.g. in Mugen where I went last week. You get some yuzukoshio on the side that you can mix in your broth to your liking; despite my love of yuzukoshio, I would not recommend putting all of it, as it would (it did!) overpower the subtle niboshi taste - finding the right balance is relatively difficult.

Meat: An excellent crumbly chashu, with just the right amount of fat.

Egg: Half of a perfectly cooked egg with gooey yellow, on the hard side, infused with a variety of delicious flavors.

Toppings: Lots of negi of all kinds, that were not too strong and fitted quite well with the broth. A slice of kamaboko (are actually some kamaboko better than others?). A small slice of nori that was (too) quickly soaked.

Despite the slightly too mild broth, this ramen is simply excellent, and not far from the perfect equilibrium. Very much recommended.

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Other review: Friends in ramen (for the noko ramen)

Hakuju (Osaka-shi, Higashiyodogawa-ku)

白寿
はくじゅ
Hakuju

Ganso Kalubi Ramen, white: 16 / 20
(元祖カルビラーメン：白)

Saying that this restaurant is localized in a nondescript place would be an understatement. Seriously, who goes to Kami-shinjo - and walks ten minutes from there to go eat some ramen? Well, it looks like some people do, was I thinking on my way towards this well-kept secret of the Northern suburbs. This restaurant has a very special ramen menu, with hormon- or kalbi-ramen, in either red of white version. I was very happy to see that you can order a smaller version for 500 yens, which I did (better to eat less ramen and more fruits tonight), in the white kalbi version. The dish arrived sizzling in a pot, with some spice-bay-mix on the side – original!

Broth: A pleasant, sweetish, light tonkotsu, not too fat - the spice mix fitted very well with it.

Meat: Delicious melting, fatty calbi!

Toppings: Some greens and Western-style onions.

What a beautiful harmony! The alliance of the sweet, milkish broth with the unctuous meat and soft onions worked wonderfully. If you are for some reason travelling on the Hankyu Kita-senri line, this is definitely worth a stop.

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Rokudo (Osaka-fu, Toyonaka-shi)

六道
ろくどう
Rokudou

Sappari tsukemen: 15 / 20
つけ麺（さっぱり)

I had other ramen-plans around Toyonaka station but they happened to be close on that day, so I turned towards this low-key shop with fake concrete walls (seriously??). They serve a variety of dishes, including a shoyu ramen, a tori paitan, as well as two kinds of tsukemen: kotteri (a mix of torigara and tonkotsu) and assari - I chose the latter.

Broth: A very salty shoyu-katsuo-torigara broth that didn’t inspire me so much – not enough taste could be transferred to the noodles.

Noodles: Very good eggy, thick noodles, quite chewy – it looks like they are home made.

Meat: Two large slices of smoked pork - delicious, although definitely overabundant.

Egg: Half a delicious egg, on the hard side, with a very tasty white part.

Toppings: A long branching menma, quite salty but otherwise mild (not sure it was preserved, it may have been fresh). A slice of nori - beware not to soak it too much.

Soup wari: You get some subtle dashi (with a pleasant kombu taste) that you can pour to your liking: a nice personalizable option, but even pouring the whole thing wasn't enough - the broth was still way too salty and undrinkable.

What a contrasted bowl! Too bad the broth was slightly unremarkable, as it could otherwise have been a high class-ramen. One slice of meat less and a less salty broth would have been welcome. But that place is really worth checking if you are in the area - for me, it was better than the more famous Mentetsu.

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Mugen (Osaka-shi, Fukushima-ku)

中華そば 無限
ちゅうかそば むげん
Chuuka Soba Mugen

Niboshi soba: 16 / 20
(煮干そば)

Ben (from Friends in Ramen) had informed me about the Osaka Ra-Sai, a ramen festival that would last four months (from early February to the end of May), and during which you have to visit sixteen ramenya. I’m generally not a big fan of this kind of commitment-fostering event, but when looking at the shops that were participating, I saw many tempting places I had never heard about before. And here we are with Ben at Mugen, on the very first day of the operation, at the opening time!

Mugen offer quite a few different specialties: shrimp shio, chuka soba, niboshi ramen and even abura soba. I wanted to try all of them, obviously, but I went with the niboshi (and Ben with the chuka soba).

Broth: Ah, the delicious niboshi scent! One of the best niboshi broth I ever had, nothing less (and Ben's pungent shoyu broth was also quite good).

Noodles: Interesting shape, they were a bit flat and had the right texture.

Meat: What a letdown! A very insignificant slice of meat that felt as if it had been artifically put together. And a slice of chicken, barely cooked and equally pointless.

Egg: Two halves of a very runny egg. Good yolk, but quite soft, and with a tasteless white part.

Toppings: A long branch of bamboo - it may not have been menma, as it did not have a taste of preserved food; quite refreshing. The negi also fitted very well with the broth, as it usually does with niboshi.

Overall, a bowl that shines for its broth and could have been great without its very disappointing meat. Ramen-cooks over the world, please dare trying meatless ramen instead of using such industrial sh*t! The planet and our tastebuds will thank you.

More info on ramendb.