Sing Sing (秦秦 高浜店) in Takahama, Fukui

Sing Sing was one of the first restaurants I posted about on my Instagram back in mid-2017. (Man, has it been that long...!?!) This place is actually a chain restaurant, though I have only been to the Takahama shop all the way down in South Fukui. I said back then this was one of the best ramen spots in all of Fukui when I had only visited a handful of ramen restaurants in my area and I haven’t been back in 2 years, so I recently went back to reaffirm or update my opinion of the shop. It’s extremely likely my experiences at two dozen or more ramen places in Fukui and more all around Japan would have changed my opinions on this place…

Surprisingly, my tastes were pretty spot on back then. This place continues to remain a top in my prefecture, though my feelings on the broth have changed a bit. They have a fairly large menu with the usual variety of ramen, such as miso, tonkotsu, shio… But my usual order is the Gokushiro Aburi Chashu Ramen, a strong, tonkotsu-based broth with deliciously grilled chashu for 1100￥ ($10 USD). As you can see, the highlights are definitely those thick slices of mouth-watering pork. You can hear the chef searing them in the back, the crackle of the meat making me even hungrier in anticipation. They are without a doubt as delicious as they look, soft and fatty, but with just the right crisp and savoriness.

The rest of the ramen is also quite good. The noodles are a good portion, but are a bit underdone for my taste. Also the egg is almost hard-boiled… while it was tasty with flavor, I prefer a softer, creamier consistency.

Of course, they have sides too…

You can also add in extra green onion and sweet pickled radish to taste. If you prefer a spicier noodle, a red version can be had for 60￥ more. A double portion of noodle is only 150￥ more for those really hungry.

I will say this ramen isn’t for everyone. Like all “strong” ramen, it is heavy to the taste, a bit greasy, and leaves you with a very full feeling. As expected, the flavors are also quite salty and umami, so if you’re looking for a light “gourmet” ramen, this isn’t it. (Then again, ramen is rarely gourmet or light!)

But for me, this hits the right spot. I highly recommend this rich, but deeply satisfying ramen.

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

Ramen Niji (らーめん虹) in Mihama, Fukui

This is one of my favorite ramen restaurants in my area, Ramen Niji in Mihama, Fukui. The have a few variants of ramen, but their signature Niji Ramen has an extremely thick tonkotsu broth that is heavy on the richness of pork bone flavor. The thickness is more akin to a stew than a broth… definitely the kind of ramen that I love the most. I always opt for the Chashu Niji Ramen for 1000￥ ($9 USD) which adds a few plentiful slices of pork.

More than just the rich soup, they also grill their chashu to give it a deliciously savory taste that only serves to enhance the meaty umami flavors. While the thin noodles are not exactly my main preference, they have just the right firmness to complement the soup. You can also opt for a larger portion or add kaedama extra noodles for 150￥ more if you want more, but I think the heavy soup makes it feel quite satisfying as it is.

The only drawback for me is that they are nearly a forty-minute drive from my house. I have visited them many times over the years and I will definitely continue to go. I can’t recommend them highly enough!

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

Ikkoku Sakigakedo (一刻魁堂) in Handa, Aichi

On the way to Aichi to pick up another car, Matsuda-san and I wanted something delicious so he recommended Ikkoku Sakigakedo, a rather large chain of ramen shops all over Honshu I had never heard of before.

They serve up a wide range of ramen options, but they are known for their strong soy sauce taste. I originally wanted to try that, but when I saw the title of Kotteri (rich / heavy) Tonkotsu, I knew I had to order that and a side of their chashu rice bowl.

I’ll admit the presentation is pretty fantastic. While it honestly wasn’t that many chashu slices, the little pile in the center on top of the moyashi bean sprouts really makes it look impressive… and it was! The highlights of the soft and tasty chashu and as-advertised thick tonkotsu soup were satisfyingly delicious. The noodles were a bit soft, just the way I like them, but not much to comment about in terms of texture or taste.

The side of rice, though, is worth noting. The bits of juicy chashu gave it a real satisfying umami taste that I highly recommend as a side.

Now that I know about this restaurant, I can definitely look forward to having some solid ramen next time I’m traveling around!

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

Ramen Yokozuna (ラーメン横綱 刈谷市) in Kariya, Aichi

Ramen Yokozuna is a chain of ramen shops hailing from Kyoto, now spreading primarily around the Chubu and Kansai (roughly central) areas of Japan. They are famous for having a wide variety of ramen and are always open late. I stopped by the Kariya, Aichi, location a few months ago with my friend to have a bite on the way home from picking up a car in Nagoya.

I ordered a Irodori Tonkotsu/Shoyu Ramen for 850￥ ($8 USD) and a side of Tarako Fish Egg and Mayo fried rice for 360￥. The broth was surprisingly rich and flavorful, with a nice pork taste. The noodles, chashu, and egg were also quite good, but otherwise not spectacular.

While I didn’t necessarily love the fried rice and the heavy Japanese mayonnaise topping, it was interesting enough I could order it again.

You can also add garlic, green onion, and other spices to taste. And for hungry eaters, there are also larger sizes for 100￥ more. For the value and convenience, I will definitely be stopping by one of their restaurants again!

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

Delicious Noodle Tiger & Dragon (虎と龍 福井渕店) in Fukui City, Fukui

Even in the midst of summer, ramen for lunch always hits the spot for me. I visited Delicious Noodle Tiger & Dragon, a ramen shop in Fukui City serving up a few different variations of tonkotsu (pork bone) broth.

There are also mildly differing toppings that are Kumamoto or Hakata-inspired. Most of their options can be customized with thin or egg noodles, noodle hardness, and stronger or weaker soup flavor strength.

I ordered their Tonkotsu Chashu Ramen for 920￥ ($8.30 USD) with an egg topping for 100￥ more, opting for a stronger broth and soft-cooked egg noodles. The noodles were great, soft as expected, and at a reasonable portion for the price. The chashu was plentiful, if not a little fatty. The softness does complement the creamy, but not too heavy, tonkotsu soup, so it was likely a purposeful choice. Even though they messed up my egg for the day (the chef apologizing for this batch of overcooked eggs), it was still nonetheless surprisingly, deliciously savory.

I also appreciated the countertop had a few additions like spicy vegetable, Chinese-inspired spice, and the usual spicy hot oil and soy sauce. The spicy greens were really great to put on the ramen before the end to change the flavor profile.

It was overall quite delicious. Worth the stop for a good bowl of ramen!

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

Menya Teru-no-Suke (麵屋 輝之介) in Fukui City, Fukui

While I don’t live near Fukui City, I go there often enough to try many of their ramen shops and sometimes, I am quite surprised. Spoiler alert: Teru-no-Suke Ramen is one such restaurant that I really enjoyed recently. For us single diners, they have a few “single booths” that are comfortable, wide, and offer a nice view of the street. Overall, the decor seemed quite clean and modern, leading to a good first impression.

Their menu had six total variations: Black, Red, White, Chinese-style, and Black and White varieties of Tsukemen “dipping-style” ramen. Their Black is what they recommended, so as my first time, I always try to go for the shop favorite. At 850￥ for the regular and 1000￥ ($9 USD) for the large, the bigger size was my choice this time, along with an unusual curry rice side for 190￥ more. Their Black is so named because of the charred garlic oil-based broth, combined with tonkotsu. This should give it a creamy savoriness from the pork bone soup with a salty, rich, and deep garlic taste.

And that it did. I was actually surprised at the strong, flavorful broth, with the black part of the soup the oil and the remainder tonkotsu. A quick taste of the black only revealed an incredibly savory, garlicky, and slight bitter flavor. Mixed together and the broth was sublime, a bit on the heavy and oily side, but amazingly delicious.

The rest of the dish was also amazing, as the plentiful, thick, and soft noodles soaked up and carried all the broth flavor. The bamboo shoots were firm, but soaked in a bit of flavor. The chashu was also quite flavorful and would be worth ordering an additional topping of it next time.

The only minor downside was the egg which was salty and tasty, but a bit overdone.

And lest I forget, the unusual (for a ramen restaurant) curry and rice side dish. While small, at only 190￥ it was well worth the price, as it was chunky, slightly spicy, and quite good to complement the richness of the ramen. Though it is slightly sweet so it’s similar to what you may have eaten at other Japanese curry restaurants.

As you can see, I quite loved their ramen and I will definitely leave it on my list to try again in the future.

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

Butanchu (豚人) Ichijoji Honten in Kyoto

Although I've stopped by Butanchu before, I went with my friend to check out their Honten (Main Store) in the Ichijoji area of Kyoto.

This area is famous for a ton of other main stores and amazing shops and Butanchu is no exception. Their huge variety of ramen choices and customizable broth and toppings are amazing... every time I've stopped by one of their shops, it has been delicious.

Instead of the “Bakusho” (LOL) crazy mountain of toppings I ordered last time, I went with their popular Doko Tonkotsu Ramen with Dragon Noodles, thicker broth, more pork fat, and more garlic... all for only 830￥ ($7.60 USD). The price, value, and portion was absolutely perfect. That soft chashu and thick, fatty broth were unbelievable.

The noodles were surprisingly awesome, as one side of the noodles had serration-like teeth that helped to really hold on to that thick broth, hitting me with a spike in flavor with every bite!

Definitely worth coming here again.

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.