December is an extremely busy period in my industry. There is not a single day off. In the midst of this busy December, I had my first lunch at 10 a.m. and by around 1 p.m., I was hungry again, so I left my work behind for a second lunch (Oh my!). On this particular day, things were relatively calm, so it was okay. I decided to go to a ramen shop inside a pachinko parlor on the way. It is called Tengara Ramen, located inside Maruhan just before the Yamatogawa River. It seems to be a shop run by a company called Maruhan Dining. There was a menu at the entrance... well, not all items were listed there, but the menu for Gohan Doki (rice time) next to it had everything. Tengara Ramen is apparently located next to Gohan Doki. Once you pass through the door, there is a proper menu where you can take your time to choose. However, since it was crowded, I had to give up on taking pictures. The interior of the shop is like a food court, with two counters - one for Tengara Ramen and the other for Gohan Doki. When you purchase a food ticket, the order goes directly to the kitchen, so there is no need to go to the counter to hand over the ticket. When your ticket number is called, you go to the counter to receive your order. It's a good system. I think this food ticket system here is the best I've encountered so far. I ordered the Red Tengara Ramen for 700 yen including tax. Although it didn't come with red pickled ginger, you could add it yourself. It had one slice of chashu, about three pieces of menma, and quite fresh green onions. The ramen base seemed to be the most standard white Tengara Ramen. The noodles were thin. Surprisingly, it was quite delicious. It was a light tonkotsu broth that was easy to drink, but still had a solid pork bone flavor. The crucial spicy miso was surprisingly spicy. The amount was small but it packed quite a punch. However, what kind of spiciness was it? It was not just the saltiness of miso or the spiciness of chili peppers, I think. A mysterious spiciness. Hmm, I don't understand it! But it was delicious, so it's all good. Thank you for the meal!

Today's ramen was from a new ramen shop called Gohandoki, located in Maruhan with a food court vibe. It's completely self-service. I tried the rich miso ramen for 780 yen. The chashu and the soup were both very salty and had a frozen food-like quality to them. The shop is called Ramen Tengara, located in Sakai Enrisono.

[First Visit on Sunday, October 28, 2018 around 11 am - Commemoration of Stenography Day] I went for a walk alone and stopped by for lunch (Part 1). For lunch (Part 2), I had delicious beef curry at Sukiya Sakai Takasu store in Takasu-cho. The restaurant, Gohan Doki Sakai Enri Ono store, is located inside the Maruhan Sakai Enri Ono store, creating a food court-like atmosphere. I ordered the Shiro Tenkara for 620 yen including tax. The description said "Tonkotsu broth with thin noodles," but it was not the usual tonkotsu soup, rather a mysterious tonkotsu soup. Honestly, the taste was a bit confusing, but it wasn't bad. The staff, all lovely ladies, were friendly and efficient. Thank you for the meal!