Kin’yū Ramen(金龍ラーメン)

They called it Kin’yū Ramen(金龍ラーメン) just as it is pronounced in Japanese.
I was curious about how good this ramen restaurant must be, having two locations right in the center of Osaka.

The name of the ramen shop, “Kin’yū” (金龍), sounded unfamiliar.
In my country, South Korea, ramen shops are often named after individuals or called something like “Ddang Ddang Bunsik” (땡땡분식), a type of snack food restaurant.
However, Kin’yū Ramen named their establishment like a proper restaurant.

In Japan, there are many ramen shops that have inherited the fame of famous ramen chains or establishments.
Among them, Kin’yū Ramen in Osaka was particularly popular among Koreans.
It was because of the fact that could get unlimited rice and kimchi, which was quite unusual compared to the system in Japan where have to order rice and kimchi separately.

Kin’yū Ramen Dotombori Branch (Kin’yū Ramen, 金龍ラㅡメン, 道頓堀店)
There were two locations in Shinsaibashi, Osaka, and I decided to go to the main branch located one block below the main street.
The Dotombori branch was on the main street, so it was crowded and felt a bit chaotic.

Kin’yū Ramen Main Branch (Kin’yū Ramen, 金龍ラーメン 相合橋 本店)

The main branch was located at the end of the Dotombori main street, and there were significantly fewer people, making it a place where solo travelers like me could enjoy ramen comfortably.

There were two types of menu items, and although the Chashu Ramen looked delicious, I chose the original Kin’yū Ramen to taste the “Japanese ramen.”
It was also written in Korean, probably because many Koreans visit.

When you receive a ticket from the vending machine and hand it over to the kitchen, they loudly announce something in Japanese inside the kitchen.
I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but it seemed like they were notifying the kitchen about my order.

I sat at an empty spot and prepared water, kimchi, and a side dish.
My ticket number was 9.

Kimchi and rice were self-service.
Luckily, they had my favorite chives as well.
Perhaps because the ramen shop was not located on the main street, there weren’t many Koreans.
Among the Japanese people, I was able to blend in like a local and taste Japanese ramen.

The ramen had a taste reminiscent of miso ramen and also resembled ‘Korean Sagol-Gomtang ramen’ with its rich bone broth.
It was that kind of ramen with the unique savory taste of Japanese ramen.

Nevertheless, I finished all the noodles and mixed the rice into the broth, enjoying every last bit of it.
It was truly delicious to my taste buds.
However, unless I lived in Osaka, I thought it would be best to try other delicious Osaka foods during my trip.

After filling my stomach with ramen, I continued exploring the streets of Japan. Seeing women dressed in kimonos made me realize that this place was indeed Japan.

Dec. 12. 2009