This is Menya Hassaku, a brand new ramen shop in the Wakasa area, near my town. Their menu consists of chicken-based toripaitan ramen, such as tsukemen dipping-style. They currently have only six counter-top seats, so get in early!

Along with most of the other customers in the shop, I also opted for the Ajitama Shiro Chashu ramen, with egg and extra chashu, for 1230¥ ($11 USD). With only the friendly proprietor running the shop and taking orders, it took a bit of time, but it was nice to be able to watch his process and converse with him a bit. Luckily, it was worth the wait! The smooth, salty, slightly creamy chicken broth complemented the good portion of thin, firm noodles. It was flavorful without being overwhelming.

The soft egg and other ingredients were also quite delicious. My only minor complaint was that the chashu was a bit greasier than I expected.

You can also add an extra noodle portion for 150¥ if you’re still hungry. They also seem to have some rice bowls on the menu… I will definitely be back!

After coming back from my trip to Osaka, I wouldn’t be a real ramen lover if I didn’t stop by and have a bowl in the famous Ichijoji area of Kyoto. As previously mentioned, there are a ton of famous ramen shops in the area and this time I decided to check out Yume wo Katare which was recommended to me by my co-worker. The restaurant has always eluded me with their crazy long lines, but this time, I stopped right as they opened and there were already a few other hungry patrons waiting. Good timing, me.

Their menu is simple, offering only two sizes of two ramen: regular or large of soup or soupless. The other buttons are for toppings or take away pork. “Take away pork? Why?” I wondered and I was answered later. For now, I selected the larger size at 900￥ ($8.25 USD) plus a flavored egg for 100￥ at the ticket machine. (The normal size is 800￥.) I wanted to see how large the rumored size was. Grab your water, your oshibori (hand towel), chopsticks, and spoon from the corner and have a seat, placing your tokens from the machine on the counter. The only question the patrons were asked shortly before being served is “Do you want garlic?” Unless you avidly avoid the flavorfully smelly ingredient, I highly, highly recommend it. And they throw a huge scoopful down, as you can see.

The ramen is actually a Jiro-style ramen, made famous from the chain of Ramen Jiro, particularly around the Tokyo area. (I’ll make a post about them later.) The style is mainly an over-the-top style, with mounds of bean sprouts, thick noodles, a heavy or greasy shoyu soup base with lots of fat, hilariously large portions, and lots of garlic, giving it a strong flavor and a portion that just doesn’t seem to disappear as you consume it.

And Yume wo Katare is no exception to that. They differ slightly, as their shoyu soup base is actually a bit stronger than others, with chunkier bits of pork fat in the soup. The sprouts are piled high, the noodles thick, chewy, and flat, and the chashu chunky and thick. And the chashu, while not the normal “rolled” chashu, was soft, juicy, and well-marinated… certainly savory and extremely delicious. I could see why someone would want to order this separately. I also highly recommend the flavored egg, as it was really soft, perfectly cooked, and surprisingly delicious.

Later I found out you can customize your order to some degree, asking for more or less sprouts or fat. Maybe next time I’ll ask for even more garlic.

“Gourmet” this is not, but at this price, the value per yen is amazing. If none of this sounds appealing to you, this definitely won’t be the place I recommend. But for those seeking quantity, satisfying savoriness, and a bit of salty fattiness, Yume wo Katare will fit the low-priced bill.

Even Eustace* agrees.

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*Eustace is a husbando-worthy character from the web-based free-to-play RPG game Granblue Fantasy. He actually does not eat ramen in order to keep his manly physique.

Menya Hassaku (麺屋はっさく) in Kaminaka, Fukui

Ramen Yume wo Katare (ラーメン荘夢を語れ) in Ichijoji, Kyoto