I ordered a fried chicken set meal (5 pieces) with gyoza. The fried chicken set comes with 3 pieces, which is slightly cheaper. The owner manages the restaurant alone, so the service is a bit slow but not enough to be dissatisfied. The gyoza has a good flavor even without dipping sauce, so try it as it is first! Both the fried chicken and gyoza were delicious. The ramen had a similar taste to Masutani style, but it reminded me of Ebisu-ya in Shimogamo (laughs, the noodle place is older). The soup had a good animal-like smell and was really tasty!

I visited a place called "Emen" that I had been curious about for a while. It's located in the Horikawa shopping street. They have quite a variety of ramen options which is interesting. Since it was my first visit, I ordered the regular ramen and fried rice set for 1000 yen. I heard the noodles were on the softer side, so I requested them to be cooked firm. The ramen that came out was a Kyoto-style ramen with a lot of lard. The soup seemed a bit light, but it had a nostalgic Kyoto ramen flavor. Adjusting the taste with pepper and spicy miso brought it closer to my liking. Kyoto ramen is comforting and allows for various flavor adjustments, which I really enjoyed. The chashu was tender and delicious. Adding extra spicy miso to the chashu ramen sounds tasty. The fried rice was as expected, tasty and satisfying. I look forward to trying the chashu ramen next time.

Old-fashioned ramen shop in a local shopping street. Ordered the fried chicken set for 1050 yen. The regular soy sauce ramen is comforting. The fried chicken was tastier than expected. The shop is open all day, so it's convenient if you miss the lunch hours.

I randomly walked into a shop at Horikawa Shopping Street at 2 o'clock and had a bowl of noodles. Personally, I prefer straight noodles like the ones at this shop over curly noodles, and the richness of the broth was just right. It was a quiet time so I could sit at the counter and my order came out quickly, which was nice. I heard that the beer didn't taste good and when I forgot to get a receipt from the vending machine and asked for it, I was refused, which felt kind of funny like in a small town. Overall, it was delicious!

I visited this restaurant near Nijo Castle on my way back. An elderly man runs the place by himself. It's recommended to be patient as it may take some time for the food to be served. They operate on a system where you purchase meal tickets at the entrance. It seems they can exchange money at the shop if you don't have exact change, but it's best to come prepared beforehand. One family left without eating because they couldn't exchange money. The taste is on the sweeter side. The ramen soup has a slight porky smell to it. This might be their specialty, so those who like it may enjoy it. The fried rice is average.

I arrived at the restaurant after 8:00 PM, which is usually past closing time at 9:00 PM. However, this time I made it in time for their operating hours. I purchased a ticket for the "ramen" (670 yen) and sat at a vacant counter seat, waiting for my bowl to arrive. When it was brought to me, the bowl was filled with chashu pork, bamboo shoots, and green onions, with plenty of pork fat floating on top. The soup had a mild saltiness and a light flavor, despite the abundance of pork fat. It also had a slight spicy kick from the chili pepper and a punchy animal aroma. The medium-thin straight noodles were pleasantly chewy and complemented the soup well. The thinly sliced pork belly chashu was also delicious. This ramen was a soy sauce-based broth with plenty of pork fat added to the classic chicken broth, and it had a strong animal aroma.

I visited the restaurant on Thursday night, December 9th, a little after 6 pm, and there were 4 customers already there. Before purchasing my ticket at the machine, I realized I had never tried their curry before, so I decided to give it a go. After buying my ticket, I waited at the counter where the owner was working alone, so it took a while before my order arrived. When it did, I took a bite of the curry ramen, which was quite light in flavor. It wasn't bad, but it left me wanting more richness, so next time, I plan to try the curry with thicker noodles.

Today, I had lunch at Wara Wara Men. It was already lunchtime but luckily it wasn't crowded. I ordered the Karaage Set for 940 yen (3 pieces of karaage, ramen, and rice) and the Cha-han Set for 880 yen (ramen and fried rice). The ramen looked and tasted delicious, although the noodles were a bit small. The fried rice was a cute size, but the flavor was a bit light. I still managed to finish it all. The karaage was crispy and had a good ginger flavor. Overall, it was a satisfying meal.

Seabra Kyoto-style soy sauce ramen has been around for about 30 years since the beginning of the Heisei era. The restaurant has a new feel to it, maybe it's been renovated? But the owner exudes an aura of having been in business for a long time. I tried the ramen set with gyoza, which was a new addition. The gyoza was amazing! The ramen rice and traditional gyoza were a perfect match. When I was leaving, I caught a glimpse of the owner making each gyoza from scratch. Highly recommend the gyoza!

On this day, I went to Nihonbashi Red Cross Hospital for an MRI examination in the afternoon. It's my annual comprehensive check-up. Of course, I hadn't eaten lunch, so I finished around 3:30 pm. At this time, no lunch restaurants were open... I thought I would have to go without lunch, but then I found this place open. It's a rare nowadays to find a restaurant open all day. It felt like finding an oasis in the desert... I entered without hesitation and bought a meal ticket from the machine. As expected, I was the only customer... I was thinking of getting a regular ramen, but then I saw they had vegetable noodles, and since I was coming back from the hospital, I thought I'd go for something light. I bought the vegetable noodles for 730 yen (tax included). I took a seat at the counter. It came out in about 5-6 minutes. Oh, it's really just vegetables... of course. The soup is not clear, more like a chicken broth simmered type of soup. The vegetables are Chinese cabbage, carrots, and bean sprouts. The noodles are thin straight noodles. I tried it and... the soup has a slight smell but it's quite tasty. The noodles were a bit clumped together, so I wish they were more separated... but the taste was not bad. Maybe this is the standard taste for ramen... I thought. It seems that pork fat is a standard for ramen, so it might be good for those who like rich flavors... This time I went for something light, but next year I might try the curry noodles... since no other restaurants were open...

Visited on the evening of Sunday, October 18, 2020, a little after 8 pm. There were two customers before me. I purchased a ticket from the vending machine. I was torn between getting curry or the special "laughing noodles" here, but I ended up ordering the latter. I requested the noodles to be cooked firm. It took about 5 minutes for my order to be served, which is pretty standard. The soup here has a slightly strong animal-like smell, which can be seen as unique or off-putting depending on personal preference. Even though I asked for firm noodles, they were still a bit soft for my liking. I added plenty of chili pepper from the table and finished the dish.

During the hectic time around 3:30pm after a meeting where I missed lunch, I was lucky to find Laughing Noodles open. Despite the empty restaurant, they kindly and efficiently prepared my meal. The traditional Kyoto ramen I ordered had a rich tonkotsu soy broth with back fat, thin noodles, three slices of tender chashu pork, and toppings of menma and green onions, all for 670 yen. Although it may seem greasy, it kept the ramen hot and delicious until the last bite. The balance of flavors and cost was impressive, and I definitely want to visit again. Thank you for the meal!

On September 20, 2020, the second day of the 4-day weekend, Kyoto was crowded with people. I wonder if it used to be even more crowded with foreign tourists in the past? Lately, I feel like I've become a bit numb to that. Today's order was tantanmen. I'm not sure why "men" is in hiragana, but this was the first time trying this menu at this restaurant. My impression after eating it is that this is a different type of ramen compared to tantanmen. It had leeks, minced meat, and a soup that I think was sesame-based, but surprisingly creamy and sweet, it was an unexpected tantanmen.

I was rejected by a certain shop, so I decided to revisit this place. I arrived about 30 minutes before closing time, and there were a few groups of customers already there, as well as a couple of customers who came after me. Last time, I had curry ramen, so this time I decided to try the Stamina ramen that caught my eye. It seemed like many other customers were ordering the fried chicken set. After a short wait, a bowl of ramen was served. At first glance, I noticed that there was more back fat than I had imagined. When I tried the soup, it had a subtle umami taste with a rich flavor from the back fat. Overall, the soup was quite thick and creamy. The noodles were thin and straight, with a slightly soft texture. The bowl came with two slices of chashu, along with fried dumplings, kimchi, bamboo shoots, green onions, and other toppings. The soup was richer than I had expected, and with plenty of toppings, I felt quite full after finishing the bowl. I would like to visit again if I have the chance.

I came to Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto for work on this day. For lunch, I went to a restaurant called "Chuka soba Warame" located near the site in Horikawa Shotengai. They have both counter and table seats, so it's suitable for solo diners, families, or anyone. You purchase a meal ticket at the ticket machine near the entrance. I chose the "Ramen Rice Set for 780 yen" this time. As the name suggests, it's a set with ramen and rice. The ramen that arrived is a soy sauce-based ramen with back oil, typical of Kyoto's Chuka soba! The thin noodles go well with the soup, and it's delicious. Thank you for the meal!

I visited this place on a rainy day. It was around 8:00 at night, with 1 customer already inside and 2 more coming in later. There were also 2 people getting takeout. I looked at the menu at the ticket machine and decided to try the curry ramen. The fried chicken set seems to be popular. A simple bowl of curry ramen was served shortly after. The soup had a good consistency, not too thick, with a mild curry flavor. The noodles were thin and straight, with a nice chewy texture and a good flavor that paired well with the soup. The three slices of chashu were slightly salty and well-cooked. The only other topping was green onions, keeping the dish simple yet delicious. I finished the whole bowl without realizing it, and I would like to try the fried chicken set next time.

【Kyoto Marathon④】Solo Ramen Instagram 240th bowl After the Kyoto Marathon, it's time for some nutrition replenishment. Enjoying ramen while dragging my feet, with a vow for revenge. Thank you for the delicious meal. Char siu ramen with gyoza at Chukasoba Ememen. #CharSiuRamen #Gyoza #Chukasoba #Beer #ChukasobaEmemen #Ememen #Kyoto #RamenInstagrammer #NagoyaInstagramExchange #MenNaviTokai #Nagotabe #Nagoreco #SoloDining #RamenDatabase #MenInstagrammer #TokaiMenInstagrammerExchange #InstagramGourmetAward2020 #Ramen #RamenNoodles #Noodles #Ramen

I had a ramen and fried rice set for lunch. The chef was working alone and seemed busy, but everything ran smoothly. Impressive! Is it called Kyoto ramen? It's not bad with the pork fat in it. However, I noticed a slight smell of pork bone broth. There are no other ramen shops around here, so they seem to have a monopoly.

Anyway, the back fat is delicious. The soup has a rich back fat flavor with a good balance of saltiness from chicken bone soy sauce. The fried rice and soup go perfectly together. I always end up finishing the soup. I often go during the day, and the skilled owner manages everything by himself. If you can't wait, I recommend fast food restaurants. By the way, it is written on Tabelog that they are closed on Mondays, but they are often open during the day on Mondays.

Gyoza set meal for 920 yen at J.Com Kyogoku. My friend recommended it as their favorite, so I tried it. It was just okay, but the service was a bit sloppy.