Ramen @ Ichiryu Manbai, Daikokuchi, Kyoto

 

There is nothing like a hot bowl of steamy ramen to clear up late-night hunger pangs. Whether it is 1 pm or 1 am, which was the time when I went there, hot noodles always take the cake. Especially after a very long karaoke session. It was a bit of a struggle to find which shops were open during the wee hours, but luckily Ichiryu Manbai was still selling its wares. In particular, chicken-based broth noodles. 

The ol faithful. Top left it is! 

The menu of the place is somewhat standard, with a choice of shoyu or salt-based broth. And after that, the choice of toppings, which consists of the usual selection of eggs, charshu, and certain vegetables. As this is my first time, I relied on the classic move of the "top left", where the top left of the ramen ticket machine will have the house specialty, which was the soy-based special which stood for 1100 yen and had all the toppings. A decent price actually. 

Such beauty

The bowl, however, was anything but standard. Everything was in its place and looked more like a painting from an art museum, more than anything else. The soup was strong but smooth, which is a strange way to describe it. It has the woody and musky flavour of soy sauce but it is not as intense as pork-based broth. Even the colours seem to describe it better than what words can. The soup is dark, but you can see it is very clear. A picture paints a thousand words right?

So porky... so good...

The other elements were fantastic as well. Rather than just standard braised pork, the bowl consists of a sou vide smoked pork shoulder and a slice of boiled chicken breast. it gives the whole thing a difference in texture and flavour, which I always enjoy. The experience intensifies with the broth sticking onto the meat toppings like a clingy child. This was actually pretty good!

Like a blazing sunset

The egg was also pretty spot on. It tastes like any other flavoured boiled egg from any ramen restaurant. But it was done correctly and there are no flaws at all. Nothing much to complain about there, to be honest. The noodles were also really good. It has an oak-like feel in terms of the flour that was used, giving it a woody profile that compliments the soup. Whisky drinkers probably know what I mean. 

No better endorsement. 

Despite being pretty tired past midnight I felt a surge of electricity after the first slurp. And in the end, the whole bowl was crushed relatively easily. The midnight munchies may have contributed to the experience, but having it at any other time would be a welcoming entry to anyone's schedule. So if you just ended a night of drinking in the middle of this historic city, or you are not sure what you would like to have for lunch, this is a good place to be. And the address to this great establishment is as follows:

〒604-8031 Kyoto, Nakagyo Ward, Daikokucho, 71番地 ワールド会館 1階

Front of the house