2022-338th bowl (13th in December) ◎ White Shoyu Chuka Soba @ Zen Laboratory Address: 1-11-5 Shibata, Kita-ku, Osaka City Nearest Station: Osaka Umeda Station - 3 minutes walk Closed on: No Holiday Business Information: Twitter TP 3.60 (204 reviews; +11.3 reviews per month) Osaka City: 159 | Kita-ku: 36 [August 2021 TP 3.06 (23 reviews; +48 reviews per month) | Osaka City: 1152 | Kita-ku: 222] After a drinking party on a weekday night in December 2022, we made a stop at Zen Laboratory for the third time in 1 year and 4 months. I had the White Shoyu Chuka Soba for 900 yen. The soup was a luxurious blend of purebred Nagoya Cochin, Aomori Shamo Rock, Amakusa Daio, and Omi Black Chicken. The chicken clear broth was based on a blend of two sauces using Aichi Prefecture's Nitto Brewery "Suketuke Shiro Tamari," with added sake, mirin, Rausu kombu, four types of dried fish, and scallops. The aroma oil was made from Shiga Special Chicken Oil extracted from Omi Army Chicken, Omi Black Chicken, and Omi Chicken. The noodles, made from Hokkaido wheat mixed with Satsuma potato starch, were approximately 1.5mm thick straight fine noodles. The rich wheat flavor combined with the umami of the broth made each slurp of the noodles delicious. The toppings included two types of chicken and pork chashu, menma, komatsuna, minced early red, and green onions. The chashu consisted of two types: pork shoulder loin rare chashu in pancetta style, and chicken breast rare chashu. The fresh flavor of komatsuna and the accent of early red were delightful, making it impossible to stop slurping the soup. Summary of Visit: Meals: 3 dinners Satisfaction: 4.0 + 4.0 + 4.0 Expenses: 1000 + 1300 + 900 = 3200, 3200/3 = 1067 Noodles Consumed: - Zen's Cold Noodles (August 2021 dinner) - Rating: 4.0 - Katsuobushi and Kombu Cold Soba (August 2021 dinner) - Rating: 4.0 - White Shoyu Chuka Soba (December 2022 dinner) - Rating: 4.0 Visit Ranking Check: August 2021 TP 3.06 (23 reviews; +48 reviews per month) | Osaka City: 1152 | Kita-ku: 222 December 2022 TP 3.60 (204 reviews; +11.3 reviews per month) | Osaka City: 159 | Kita-ku: 36

I had never tried Konbu water dipping noodles before, but I decided to visit this place where I could try it. The interior and exterior of the restaurant felt a bit out of place compared to the name, more quirky than stylish. The operation seemed a bit disappointing at first, but when I tried the Konbu water dipping noodles, I was very impressed. The noodles were delicious on their own with just salt and wasabi, very satisfying. The light dipping sauce went perfectly with the noodles, and the toppings like green onions and komatsuna were also great. The chashu was tasty as well. I was amazed by the unique taste and quality of the ramen, and I look forward to trying other ramen options next time.

As a finish after drinking, I went to Zen Laboratory. I knew their ramen was delicious, so I chose the tsukemen. I tried eating it following the instructions. First, dip the noodles in the salt, then dip them in the wasabi. Ah, these noodles are delicious! The aroma of the wheat is very strong, the texture is firm, and the sliminess and umami of the kombu make it irresistibly tasty! The dipping sauce is made from bonito broth. It has a refined bonito flavor without any off-notes, and it's full of umami and refreshing, so it's delicious too! It's a perfect match with the noodles coated in kombu water! Finally, I poured the remaining kombu water from the noodles into the dipping sauce to finish! The kombu water may solidify if reheated, so I couldn't drink it hot, but it's still delicious, so it's all good! The service was as polite as always, and I really appreciate it. Thank you for the meal!

Visited a trendy restaurant opened by someone who trained at the popular shop "Chuka Soba Mugen" in Ebisu. The store is stylish and glitzy for a ramen shop. This time, I ordered the Marudori Tori Ajitama Tsukemen. The portion of noodles seemed small. The ingredients included rare chicken chashu, which was good. The egg was just a regular boiled egg. I wish the dipping sauce had a bit more punch. The noodles were a bit clumpy, which was disappointing. Next time, I'll try the recommended Shiro Shoyu Chuka Soba.

I had the white soy sauce ramen before and it was delicious, so I decided to revisit! I was planning to order the handmade wonton noodles again because they were so tasty, but I was intrigued by the limited-time chilled tantan noodles, so I ordered that instead! The visual presentation was amazing ✨ The tantan noodles looked delicious! The soup was quite spicy and satisfying. It would be perfect with rice added. However, the noodles were a bit too firm and it seemed like they didn't pay much attention to the chilled noodles. I rated it 3.5 because I love the white soy sauce ramen. If we only consider the chilled tantan noodles, taking into account the cost performance, I would rate it 2.9, so I am looking forward to improvements in the future!

I went to Shime's Ramen and ordered the White Shoyu Ramen. The ramen arrived quickly and it looked beautiful. I took a sip of the soup and it was amazing! The rich soup was delicious. It was thick and full of flavor, I love it! And all of this for only 900 yen, such a great deal. I will definitely be coming back. Thank you for the meal!

After winning a heated battle yesterday, I am now within reach of M10 and single digits. I had planned to visit Strike Ken at Koshien today, but I had too much time to spare, so I moved to the T-shop at Hankyu Department Store. After buying some souvenirs, it was lunchtime, so I walked to Umeda in Osaka and changed my visit to ZEN LABORATORY. It was just after opening, so there were still plenty of seats available in the stainless steel interior with a silver motif, giving a clean feeling. I chose the bonito kelp water dipping noodles to combat the heat. The dipping noodles soaked in kelp water and dipping sauce, followed by a separate plate of toppings, were explained to me how to eat them. As instructed, I sprinkled seaweed salt on the noodles and slurped them up, feeling refreshed. The wasabi aroma paired well, but the bonito broth dipping sauce lacked punch. The noodles, which could be eaten with just the kelp water, were so silky that they left a thread. After enjoying the summer-like flavor of the dipping noodles, it was time to head to the day game.

I visited the restaurant for the second time. It was a weekday at 11:30 am, so there were only about three groups inside, and I was seated right away. I had the Katsuo Kombu Mizutsuke Ramen Kyoku. There were instructions on how to eat it, so I followed them. First, I tried a bite of the noodles with salt, then a bite of the noodles with wasabi. I was amazed that the noodles, soaked in kombu water, tasted delicious with just salt. Of course, it was even more delicious when eaten with the dipping sauce.

I tried the Chinese ramen at the new restaurant. It cost 1100 yen. I also had a mini negi chadon for 300 yen and an ajitama (flavored egg) for 100 yen. They provided hot water in a glass with good insulation, and there was ice water in front of me. The noodles were thin and flat, the soup had a rich soy sauce flavor and was well-balanced. The toppings included two shrimp and two meat wan tan, thickly sliced green onions, large menma (seasoned bamboo shoots), and a large piece of chashu (roast pork). The cost performance was excellent. The service was polite and they even saw me off when I left. Overall, it was a perfect ramen shop. The negi chadon had just the right seasoning and was delicious. It's been a while since I found a top-rated ramen shop. ^_^

The first time trying the bonito and kelp dipping noodles here. The noodles are beautiful, and the kelp water is slimy. Eating it with a slightly strong dipping sauce is just right. They recommend eating the noodles first with salt or wasabi, but personally, I think it's unnecessary. I can't really taste the deliciousness of the wheat noodles themselves...

I purchased the rich tsukemen on a weekday at 7:00 PM with zero wait time. There were only about 3 other people inside, so it didn't seem very popular. I received the rich tsukemen quickly, and the taste itself was delicious with a strong chicken flavor. However, the noodles clumped together and were difficult to separate, making it hard to eat.

Kombu water splash ¥1,000 Beer ¥550 It was refreshing and very delicious. Thank you for the meal. #ZENLABORATORY #KansaiGourmet #OsakaGourmet #UmedaGourmet #KansaiRamen #OsakaRamen #UmedaRamen #Ramen #WantToConnectWithPeopleWhoLikeRamen

Today's second stop is at "ZEN LABORATORY" in Umeda, this is my second visit. The limited edition "Zen's Hiya" is only available on weekends? Oh well, that's okay. Let's go for the other limited edition option, the "Konbu Water Bukkake", which I purchase from the ticket machine. Here comes the bowl. Let's dig in. The broth is made from bonito dashi and soy sauce. The noodles are chewy medium-thick straight noodles. Toppings include chashu, menma, chopped green onions, onions, and spinach. The chashu consists of pork loin and chicken breast. The onions are Early Red variety. I mix in the wasabi that comes on the side for a change in flavor. That was delicious.

I arrived at the restaurant around 2 pm on Saturday and was able to get in smoothly without waiting, probably because it was a bit late. I ordered the White Shoyu Ramen with Wonton. The taste was more like salt than white shoyu, but it had a light yet deep umami flavor and was very delicious.

I went to Zen for lunch and finally tried the Chinese noodles I had been curious about. I was so happy that I ended up ordering two bowls. The noodles were thin and delicious! The wontons were also tasty. The white broth dipping noodles had slightly thicker noodles, but they were also delicious. I will definitely come back again.

It had been a while since I went out in Umeda and had a few drinks. Afterwards, I was thinking about where to have ramen as a finishing touch, and I found a new restaurant, so I decided to visit. It had been a while since I had tsukemen, so I tried the regular chicken tsukemen. The noodles were delicious on their own and also tasty when dipped in the broth. The broth was rich, but not overly so. The rare chashu and chicken chashu enhanced the flavor of the meat even more when dipped in the broth. When I finished eating, I told the staff and they brought me a piping hot soup-wari. It was also delicious. I was satisfied and would like to come back again.

A ramen shop that stays open until quite late at night. The exterior looks like a cafe at first glance, very stylish. There are counter seats and table seats, and even though it's close to closing time, there are still a few customers. The ramen is a well-balanced light Chinese-style noodle soup.

The staff was not very friendly and the ramen did not suit my taste. However, some people may find it quite delicious. (By the way, my friend also ordered the white soy sauce ramen with a boiled egg topping, but for some reason, the soy sauce was black instead of white.)

I visited this place because it seemed popular and the food looked delicious. I ordered the White Soy Sauce Ramen with Wonton set for 1,100 yen, and added a side of white rice for 100 yen, totaling 1,200 yen. The rice was delicious. The ramen had a clear soup which I liked, but it was a bit salty for my taste. The topping of purple onions was good. The wonton was also tasty. The meat included thinly sliced pork chashu and chicken chashu, both of which were delicious.

Chuka soba Kyoku 1200 yen The best Chuka soba to eat in a stylish space ☝ It's stylish and has a neon vibe, which might make you wonder, but the quality blows that away. It's actually quite the opposite of a typical ramen shop, with a stylishness that makes it easy for even one person to enter. The chashu is also incredibly delicious. I plan to explore various shops on the Hankyu Umeda side. It was delicious! Thank you for the meal!!!

On a hot weekday at 11:38, in Chayamachi under the Hankyu overpass, next to Horumon Chiba, with a stylish interior, orange neon lights, Western dance music playing, there is a food ticket machine on the right as soon as you enter, I chose the white soy sauce ramen for 900 yen, a small bottle of Akahoshi beer for 550 yen. Can I bring it to you first? There are only two staff members, possibly the owner and a female staff member. The ramen was served in just 5 minutes, and it indeed had a distinct taste of scallops. They aim for a clean taste, but there is a slight lingering bitterness from the broth. It looks light, but the saltiness is quite strong. The restaurant's specialty is the white soy sauce made with chicken broth, kombu, bonito flakes, and scallops, creating a mellow flavor. The chashu made from chicken and pork was delicious, and the interior design of the restaurant, despite its sharp edges, is serious and focused. The homemade medium-thin noodles were also good. Overall, it was a tasty meal. Thank you for the meal.