Takaraya Ramen (宝屋ラーメン)

Unfortunately this excellent restaurant has suddenly closed as of November 2011.

Takaraya (宝屋) features several dishes that are very ‘Kyoto’ in style and taste. The cuisine of Kyoto features subtly complex and sophisticated flavors. To the sensibilities of the ancient capital, the more understated, the better. Typically, ramen is anything but subtle. This makes Takaraya quite a novelty and a must for any ramen connoisseur or visiting gourmet.

Sumashi Ramen (すましラーメン):
Takaraya’s sumashi ramen is a masterpiece, completely original, yet completely ‘ramen’. Completely ‘Kyoto’, Japanese ramen is typically overbearing; rich and heavy. The garnishes are unheard of. Deep-fried gobo (burdock root), mozzarella cheese! Unbelievable!

main ingredients: chicken soup base, slightly flat egg ramen noodles, chicken dango (meatballs) mozzarella cheese, aona (greens), cabbage garnished with thick sliced bacon and pepper sesame.

Takaraya’s sumashi ramen is a ‘10’.

Tamago kake gohan (出町の玉子かけご飯)
(Rice topped with raw egg)

Usually, rice with raw egg is served at breakfast, a simple dish with just a dash of shoyu (soy sauce). Takaraya’s tamago kake gohan is another masterpiece. Imaginatively garnished not with shoyu, but shio konbu (salted kelp, steeped in shoyu). First the egg is mixed into the rice, which is piping hot. The egg is not exactly cooked, but neither is it raw. Then sprinkle on the shio kombu and mix some more. Place a slice of cucumber atop the rice, blanket with a sheet of nori and scoop up a mouthful.

Takaraya’s tamago kake gohan is an ‘8.5’.

Toroniku chashumen (トロ肉チャーシューメン)
Shimofuri (sprinkled with frost) pork. Toro, is a reference to the most luxurious ‘fatty tuna’. Out of an entire hog, only 1 kilo of the Takaya’s toroniku chashu can be harvested. The thinly sliced chashu is soft, it nearly melts in your mouth. It is fatty, but not overwhelmingly rich.

Toruniku chashumen is offered with spicy miso, at no extra cost. (It isn’t really that spicy, don’t shy away from this unique garnish.)

Takaraya’s toruniku chashumen is a ‘7.

About Takaraya ramen noodles and eggs:
The wheat is grown and milled in Nagano Prefecture. The eggs used for the Takaraya ramen noodles and tamago kake gohan (rice with raw egg) contains no artificial or chemical additives. The chickens are fed a natural diet of rice bran, fish bones, corn and soybeans.Raw egg accompanies many dishes in Japan and is safe to eat (whether it agrees with you or not is another matter).

K.F. PakuPaku: I am always surprised to when I enter the shop as there are usually young couples and often foreign travelers. The typical ramen shops are patronized by salarymen grabbing quick and late dinner on the way home. Takaraya has a great, modern atmosphere. I always feel like I want to go back soon. Takaraya serves cold tea, rather than ice water. Thanks!

K.F. PekoPeko: Ramen is actually not a favorite dish of mine. I wouldn’t touch it for many years. If I am going to eat ramen, it had better be damn good. I have eaten at Takaraya about once a week for the last year and a half. I only order sumashi ramen, usually accompanied by tamago kake gohan. I love it!For a quick, reasonably priced, and pretty healthy dinner, Takaraya is a five star choice in my book.The service is excellent. The staff are friendly and well mannered. Overall the atmosphere and dining experience is excellent.

Criticism: gyoza (pot stickers) are run -of -the-mill. By no means bad, just not to the level of the other dishes.

About raw and undercooked eggs: In the years I have been in Japan, I suppose that I have eaten more than a thousand raw or undercooked eggs. I have gotten sick once and the culprit *might* have been raw egg. Some prudent folks avoid raw egg in the summer. You certainly wouldn’t want to ruin a trip to a far away land like Japan with a tummy ache, but neither would you want to miss out on some local delicacies enjoyed by the natives either. In the end, you’ll have to consider your own constitution and decide for yourself.

takaraya website (Japanese language only)

map:

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Isshindo Soba (一神堂そば)

Isshindo is a very small, outdoor yatai (stall) style restaurant with the atmosphere of the ubiquitous yatai of Japan common near train stations at night catering to commuters on their way home for a quick meal. Isshindo adds just the right amount of style and sophistication to the dining experience.

Isshindo is actually enclosed by a wooden fence but has no roof over the seating area. On rainy days an awning is deployed which fully protects patrons from the rain. Depending on the season, there is a roaring air conditioner or gas heater ameliorating temperature extremes.

Isshindo seats only about 12 people and has a very friendly, neighborhood atmosphere. The staff, while frantically preparing orders are always very friendly.

Isshindo’s menu is minimal with several signature ramen dishes, well worth the venture a few blocks up north from the city center and just about a five minute walk down from Kyoto Gosho (the Imperial Palace).

Isshindo refers to it’s ramen as ‘soba’ which is not unusual though most Japanese these days think of ramen as ‘ramen‘ and soba as ‘soba‘ (Japanese buckwheat noodles).

Like many noodle shops, you can specify how your noodles are to be cooked; al dente, regular or soft.

Isshindo features two types of ramen soup base; tonkotsu (pork bone) and torigara (chicken bones).

Isshindo Soba (一神堂そば)

This dish is the famous of Isshindo. It features a garnish of scallions, zha cai (Chinese pickle, zasai in Japanese), and topped with short-necked clams. Shellfish and ramen is a shocking combination, unimaginable in Kyoto.

The soup base is a combination of pork and chicken stock.

Isshindo Soba is a must try, a ’9′.

Isshindo Soba, detail, clams and zha cai (and a little chashu)


Isshindo Soba, kaedama (a second helping of noodles)

Chuka Soba (中華そば)

Chuka Soba, literally, ‘Chinese soba’.

The soup is a combinations of pork and chicken stock and shoyu (soy sauce), and a simple garnish of menma (fermented bamboo shoot), scallion, chashu (roasted pork) and paprika.

This dish is slightly richer than Isshindo Soba, a more typical ramen appealing to patrons that want a standard ramen, but with a Isshindo twist.

Isshindo’s Chuka Soba is a ’7′.

K.F. PekoPeko:
Isshindo is one of my all-time favorite ramen shops. I only order the Isshindo Soba, often with mentaiko gohan, which is pretty good, though I am not much of a fan of mentaiko.

Isshindo Soba like all ramen is a richly flavored dish, but it is not over bearing. Combining several ingredients unusual to ramen such as clams and zha cai with Kyoto scallions, coarsely sliced to produce a ramen unlike any other.

K.F. PakuPaku:
I like that additional garnish on the ramen dishes, such as additional chashu, which is great when I am in the mood for a rich and meaty dinner. Great on a winter evening!

Isshindo Soba Exterior:

English: no English menu, no website

Map:

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– NOTICE: Unfortunately KyotoFoodie no longer recommends this restaurant. –

The company that owns Rokudenya, Kiwa Group still has some excellent restaurants in Kyoto but Rokudenya is history.The manager of Rokudenya seems to take a perverse delight in being unbelievably rude to customers. I have seen him so rude on occasion that by Japanese standards one would have to conclude that he is abnormal.

At Rokudenya I once found a shard of broken ramen bowl so large in my soup that it couldn’t have even fit in my mouth! The degree of sloppiness required to serve a customer’s dinner with about 1/5 of an entire ceramic bowl inside is more than can easily be imagined. In Japan it is simply unheard of. When I tried to call the manager over to show him the shard he tried to ignore me and tried to send over a young staff member. I persisted and asked him to come around the counter so I could show him the shard without alarming the other customers and spoiling their dinner. Now I know that I should have made a fuss. Finally he sighed and came over to see what was up. He offered a feeble apology as he already started to walk away and said to hold on while they made me another.

The staff has followed the manager’s lead. The last time I was there I noticed some of the staff sneaking cigarettes in the kitchen, one young guy was even stood on top of a counter where food is prepared to grab something off a shelf!

The food is not what it once was either, it seems that they are cutting corners on ingredients.

I have no idea what happened to this restaurant, but we have visited Rokudenya several times and the experience was equally appalling on each occasion.

Therefore, we recommend that you avoid Rokudenya.

Rokudenya – Tantanmen in Ponto-cho

Rokudenya features many Chinese style noodle dishes, called tantanmen. Tantanmen (担々麺、担担麺) which hails from Sichuan Province in China, it is heavily spiced with Sichuan pepper (the same plant the Japanese sansho comes from), sesame, chili and chili oil. Rokudenya has a number of tantanmen inspired ramen and other dishes. These dishes are often nouveau, Sichuan style spicy and very, very delicious.

A remarkable dish is the Red Tantanmen (赤担々麺). This is a spicy, tomato based soup (unheard of for ramen) garnished with whole, fresh tomato and parmesan cheese! It is a novel composition yet it seems like a classic.

The menu features many other dishes, lots of nabe dishes. The most famous is the soft-shell turtle nabe (Chinese style hot pot, rather than the Japanese nabe.) Turtle is said to be good for your skin, and for the gents, to give you plenty of extra umph for the ‘night life’ as they put it in Japan.

(We have not tried Rokudenya’s nabe dishes as we sampled the more ‘summery’ offerings. We are looking forward to Rokudenya’s nabe dishes as the weather cools off and we move into autumn and winter.)

There are many other ippin ryori dishes on the menu. They are often Sichuan-spicy and novel in composition.

Homemade chili oil is available on a covered ceramic pot at each table, this is spooned on to the tantanmen to give it some extra punch. Rokudenya’s chili oil is also available to purchase/take away. Despite the amount if chili in it, it isn’t that hot, it is pungent and even a bit sweet.

The dining experience is casual. Rokudenya is located in the heart of Ponto-cho (hanamachi), Rokudenya a fairly new restaurant, but in an old and well kept Kyoto-style townhouse (町家, machiya).

Kurogoma Tantanmen (black sesame tantanmen)
This is a house signature dish, very spicy and rich in chili, Sichuan pepper and sesame flavors, Rokudenya offers both the standard hot and a summer cold version (reimen, literally, cold noodles).

Natsuyasai Reimen (summer vegetables and cold noodles)
This dish features cold noodles (reimen) and a selection of fresh Kyoto summer vegetables. There is no shoyu based tare but a mixture of whipped raw egg and grated nagaimo (mountain yam).

Red Tantanmen (tomato tantanmen)

Tebaage (deep-fried chicken wings)

Spiced with five-spice and deep-fried — excellent!

K. F. PekoPeko:
I thought that the Natsuyasai Reimen (Summer vegetables and cold noodles) was excellent. A very ‘Kyoto’ style dish. Simple, light and understated. While it’s not a dish that I would order often, with a splash of vinegar, this is an excellent midsummer meal when one’s appetite wanes from the sultry Kyoto summer.

Red Tantanmen is not quite as spicy as the tantanmen dishes and is wonderful. Despite it’s novelty, it seems like it must have been on the menu for centuries. Another must try!

There is a monthly and seasonal menu with many ippin and noodle dishes. These are all worth a try.

English menu (small red text is English)
well translated, understandable — thanks!

Rokudenya entrance and noren (shop curtain)

Rokudenya storefront menu

Japanese New Year’s Osechi Ryori: Shopping for Vegetables at Kyoto Wholesale Food Market with Kichisen Owner Yoshimi Tanigawa

At Kichisen, they start shopping for ingredients for osechi in July. Most all shopping is done at the Kyoto Central Wholesale Market. After ordering seafood, Kichisen master Tanigawa heads over to the vegetable section to purchase the finest Kyo-yasai, or Kyoto vegetables for his Japanese New Year’s Osechi. On the way back to Kichisen, we stop in at a favorite ramen shop for breakfast and I get a lesson on how to eat ramen properly.

Master Chef’s Daily Routine
We continue our visit to the Kyoto Wholesale Food Market with Kichisen owner and master chef, Yoshimi Tanigawa. Part 1 is about morning prayers and selecting fish for osechi.

Kichisen Osechi: Searching the Kyoto Vegetable Section

Kichisen Osechi: Kyoto Vegetable Section

Kichisen Osechi: Tanigawa Chats with Vegetable Vendor

In many shops, the kerosene stove is a popular destination for both staff and customers.

Kichisen Osechi:

Kichisen Osechi: Kuwai

Kichisen Osechi: Maru Daikon and Kintoki Ninjin Carrot

Kichisen Osechi: Saya Ingen

Kichisen Osechi: Ingen Mame

Kichisen Osechi: Mini Daikon

Kichisen Osechi:

Kichisen Osechi: Rape Blossoms, Nanohana

Kichisen Osechi: Red Turnip, Aka Kabura

Kichisen Osechi: Turnip, Kabura

Kichisen Osechi: Osechi Kyo-yasai, Ebi Imo

The nine boxes in the center ar filled with ebi-imo, literally ‘shrimp potato’.

Kichisen Osechi: ＠Young Bamboo Shoot, Waka Takenoko

Kichisen uses fresh, ‘winter bamboo shoots’ from Kyoto — we had never heard of these before.

Kichisen Osechi: Kyoto Fruit Section

Kichisen Osechi: Dried Persimmons, Hoshigaki

Dried persimmon are used in a New Year’s decoration called Kagami Mochi.

Kichisen Osechi: Kumquat, Kinkan

Candied kumquat are an important feature of osechi.

Kichisen Osechi: Japanese Citrus, Yuzu

Kichisen’s osechi has candied yuzu peel in it, which we had never heard of.

Ramen Breakfast
We stopped in at a ramen shop near Kyoto Station for breakfast and there I realized that I had been eating ramen ‘the wrong way’ all these years. I always mix everything up before I start eating, but Tanigawa told me that the best way to enjoy the variety of ingredients is from the middle of the bowl, pull up the noodles with whatever ingredients happen to be on top. Interesting.

Kichisen Osechi: Ramen Breakfast

Kichisen Osechi: Ramen Breakfast

I asked if it was alright to take his photo eating ramen, thinking that it might be scandalous.

Kichisen Osechi: Ramen Breakfast

Back at Kichisen

Upon hearing the car horn while we passed by on the other side of the street, the students rush out and assemble to unload and clean the vehicle.

Kichisen Osechi: Unloading

Kichisen Osechi: Unloading

Kichisen Osechi: Unloading

If you look down into the basement garage you can see the master’s punching bag and red Ferrari.

Kichisen Osechi: Unloading and Accounting

Kichisen Osechi: Unloading and Accounting

Kichisen Osechi: Unloading and Accounting

Kichisen Osechi: Unloading and Accounting – Kumquats

These will go into osechi, they were ordered from southern Japan. The kumquats having the green leaves still attached is essential for osechi.

Kichisen Osechi: Unloading – Kyoto Ice

Kichisen Osechi: Unloading – Live Eels

These eels will be cooked for Tanigawa’s aging dogs.

Genya Ramen: Sake Kasu Ramen 伏見酒粕らーめん 玄屋

Sake Kasu Ramen: Yesterday I stopped in at Genya Ramen in Fushimi to try their famous sake kasu ramen. Sake kasu is the ‘lees’, what is left after pressing sake mash. Fushimi is the second largest sake producing region of Japan, so there is plenty of sake kasu around town. Sake kasu is often used as a soup base too. Sake kasu in ramen is something that I hadn’t heard of before. It is a very unique dish!

Sake Kasu Ramen: Great Concept, Pretty Good Ramen
I had wanted to try this restaurant since I heard about it and finally made it. I thought that the concept is really great because Fushimi, in south Kyoto, is the second largest sake producing region in Japan so Genya made a ramen dish on that theme. Unfortunately I thought that the taste was just ‘good’, not great. I was hoping for ‘great’. That said, I guess that I would still recommend it; if you are into ramen and/or sake, Genya is a nice place for a novel ramen lunch. The service was good, polite and quite friendly. The restaurant was bustling at lunchtime the weekday that I was there.

Sake Kasu Ramen – served

Sake Kasu Ramen

Sake Kasu Ramen and Abura Age

This deep-fried tofu, abura age, is the wrapping for inarizushi, Fushimi’s famous ‘sushi’. Another local, and clever touch.

My Two Complaints
1. If I hadn’t known that the soup included sake kasu, would I have realized it just from the taste? I don’t think so. That was my main disappoint. I want to taste the ingredients, not just ‘know’ they are in the dish. (This is fairly common in Kyoto. Light, subtle taste equates to sophistication in Kyoto. But this isn’t subtle, it’s just too light. If you can’t taste it, what is the point? Is it even there?) Ramen isn’t exactly subtle or sophisticated food anyway. So, I say, bring it on! Mainly I could taste the pork in the soup. It just tasted like old-fashioned ramen soup, the taste in Japan from like 80 years ago. Some people like it, I guess I am looking for something a bit more out of the ordinary.

When you have kasu-jiru (kasu soup) in Japan, you can definitely taste the kasu. I mean, you can get a buzz from it sometimes. So, I feel justified in expecting to taste the kasu. OK, I rest my ‘kasu case’.

2. The noodles. The quality of the noodles also disappointed me a bit. They were really run of the mill type ramen noodles. Sake kasu ramen is special, or at leas tought to be, and I was expecting that the noodles would be pretty good.

Minor Complaint
No sake on the menu. Come on! This is fushimi, this is a sake kasu ramen shop, offer me some sake!

Genya Ramen Interior

Genya Ramen Interior – Sakagura Cash Register

The cash register ‘facade’ looks like a traditional Fushimi Sake Brewery! Never seen one of those before!

Genya Ramen Storefront

Genya Ramen Storefront

Genya Ramen Storefront – Sake Barrel ‘Sign’

Genya Ramen Storefront – Handwritten Menu

Genya Ramen Storefront – Noren Shop Curtain

– location coming soon –

Meet lumberjack ramen! In the North Mountains above Kyoto, in a village called Keihoku-cho, there is a ramen shop that specializes in wild boar ramen. I passed by this shop some years ago and really wanted to try the ramen but as luck would have it, it was closed that day. Well, today, I finally got to try wild boar ‘inoshishi’ ramen.

Kyoto Mountain Wild Boar ‘Inoshishi’ Ramen いのししラーメン 京北町
The North Mountains around Kyoto are home to numerous wild boar, deer and bear — wild boar are especially prolific — and these animals sometimes find their way into Kyoto cuisine, usually in nabe. There are several shinise restaurants in the north of the city that specialize in wild boar nabe, see this Kyoto Support forum for details. However, wild game is not very ‘Kyoto’ food, it is ‘mountain’ food.

Today I was up in the mountains researching a new business project and at lunch time my hosts took me to this most unusual ramen joint. The shop is called Inoshishi Ramen Captain. It looks like any other roadside ramen joint in Japan, the kind of place frequented by truck drivers, lowbrow and seedy, with damn good ramen.

Wild Boar Ramen

Wild Boar Ramen

How did it taste?
A ramen dish called Inoshishi Ramen is made with real wild boar meat. It is available in salt, shoyu or miso soup. I chose miso because wild boar nabe uses a miso based soup.

At 1,250 yen, this is rather pricey ramen, but it is novel and tasty. If you are in Kyoto from abroad, sightseeing, I would definitely NOT recommend making the trip all the way up to Keihoko-cho for inoshishi ramen. If you live in Kyoto, have a car and are really into ramen, then, I think that you might put this shop on your list of places to go, sometime. If you are a ramen fanatic, well, then you are going to have to make a trip up to the North Mountains to try wild boar ramen!

Inoshishi Ramen Sign

Inoshishi Ramen Shop Storefront

Coca-Cola and Inoshishi Ramen Sign

I love this sign! Coca-Cola and Inoshishi Ramen!

Inoshishi Ramen Captain (いのししラーメンのキャプテン)
No English menu or service
tel: 0771-52-0489
Kyoto-shi, Ukyo-ku, Keihoku, Hosono-cho(京都市右京区京北細野町)

Map

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Mamezen is another Kyoto culinary treasure and if you are into noodles and, or soymilk dishes, you should definitely put Mamezen on your list of places to ‘foodie’ when you visit Kyoto. Mamezen serves ramen in a unique soymilk broth: Mamezen Soba. I like the ‘omakase set’ which is soymilk ramen and yuba donburi ricebowl.

Mamezen Soba: Soymilk Ramen

Mamezen is the creation of a young Kyoto chef named Minoru Yonegawa. His family owns a very nice yudofu (simmered tofu hotpot) restaurant in Kyoto called Toka. Toka make their yudofu in a soymilk-based broth, which is very unusual, creating a very ‘Kyoto’ luxurious and rich broth with which to simmer your tofu in.

Chef Yonegawa worked at his family’s restaurant for several years and noticed that local Kyotoites really don’t come to yudofu restaurants, even if you make your broth with soymilk! He wanted to serve food that was in keeping with his roots, being based on soy but also something that would appeal to Kyoto people. Of course travelers are welcome too. While he had never seen or heard of tonyu (soymilk) ramen, he thought that he ought to be able to pull it off and that Kyoto people would like to eat it regularly. He was right, he started out serving it privately just to friends and then soon realized that he had to open his own restaurant!

Mamezen Soba: Soymilk Ramen - detail

Mamezen Soba: Yuba Donburi - detail

Developing Soymilk Ramen Recipe
When Chef Yonegawa was developing his soymilk ramen recipe his wife was pregnant with their first child and the recipe is quite informed by that time in their life.

Japanese ramen is usually very salty and very high in calories. It is often said that you should not drink the soup after you finish the noodles. Children, pregnant women and elderly are told not to eat ramen as it is really not very healthy and their bodies cannot take the extremes of the dish. Mamezen Soba, on the other hand is made with a deeply flavored but gentle Kyoto dashi broth and rich, healthy soymilk, so drink it up!

Mamezen Soba: Ramen or Soba?
Ramen comes from the Chinese, la mian. Soba is an indigenous Japanese word. Originally, in Japan ramen was called chuka soba, lit. Chinese noodle. Today, ramen is the most common term for this dish in Japan, but chuka soba is still quite common. Ramen and chuka soba are the same dish.

I have only been to Mamezen for lunch but they do offer a dinner menu that includes the Mamezen Soba dishes and a limited number of soy-based a la carte yummies as well and quite a good selection of Japanese beer, shochu and sake, among others. Refreshing Chinese tencha is served. Tencha is the Japanese name for this tea which is made from rose buds. It has a subtle sweetness but is only very slightly flowery.

I ordered the set lunch that includes Mamezen Soba and a donburi of yuba and ankake over rice. The donburi was quite good and unlike the kumiage yuba donburi that I am familiar with.

Mamezen Soba: Soymilk Ramen - detail

Mamezen Soba: Yuba Donburi

How Did Mamezen Soba Taste?
Very good! I hadn’t been to Mamezen for quite awhile, about a year, and realized that I would be going there more often now.

Soup: This being Kyoto, we must be dashi crazed and Mamezen is right on target. Chef Yonegawa starts by making a very rich katsuo dashi broth and then adds soymilk and simmers it down until it is thick, rich and silky. It is a very unique soup for Kyoto. I recall the soup being lighter in flavor previously. I asked the boss about it. He said that he might be simmering it longer as it thickens up the taste and density. If you like your soup stronger and richer, just ask for ‘koime’. The overall taste and feel of the soup is wonderful, I can’t think of a dish that combines the rich and pungent (dashi) with silky smooth (soymilk).

Noodles: The noodles used are very thin, something like angelhair pasta. They contain egg but I couldn’t really taste that. Personally, I am not really into thin noodles, I like them thicker and meatier. Chef Yonegawa’s choice of thin noodles is to be subtle and delicate, like Kyoto. Though not my fav, I have to agree with his choice. He might offer customers a choice to thick or thin.

Garnish: The dish is garnished with scallions, nama yuba, simmered shiitake and a bit of umeboshi. In the winter and spring, when nanohana (rape blossom) is in season, Chef Yonegawa uses it too.

Donburi: The donburi rice bowl was very interesting because it features a thick ankake sauce that is made with, you guessed it, Kyoto dashi and starch for thickening. Several sheets of namayuba is layed on top of the rice and then it is smothered in ankake with some ground fresh ginger on top.

This was a very interesting take on yuba donburi for me, which I liked very much. However, I like kumiage yuba donburi perhaps a little better. I would love to see how Chef Yonegawa would do that dish.

Veg or Vegan: The dish does use katsuo (bonito), that’s a fish, in the dashi. The noodles contain eggs. By request the dashi can be made without katsuo. Of course the egg cannot be removed from the noodles.

Do Not Miss: I have added Mamezen Soba to my Do Not Miss list in Kyoto. Rich and pungent (dashi) and silky smooth (soymilk) is something not to be missed! However, I do have a caveat. It might be a bit too ‘Zen master’ for those who are not really into Japanese and soy cuisine. The restaurant is a bit out of the way and if you really just want a delicious, but more ‘meaty’ ramen, you would probably be more satisfied with the restaurants on our Great Ramen Shops in Kyoto list. If you are sure you are into the kind of taste described here, by all means, make the trip to Shimogamo! (Twenty to thirty minutes from the city center by bus.) Also, the restaurant is closed often, call first to confirm that they are open when you plan to go.

Mamezen Interior - Counter

Chef Yonegawa, also a Shakuhachi Bamboo Flute Master

Some headgear there! It makes Devo look uninventive. His flute master name is 菊水流尺八道準師範米川翠月. That is a long name indeed! And, many Japanese probably can’t read it.

Owner Chef Yonegawa at the Mamezen Gate

Me at Work on a Sunday Afternoon

Mamezen is located in the historic Shimogamo neighborhood of Kyoto, a bit north-east of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Shimogamo Shrine. Mamezen is a very small and personable restaurant. Owner chef Yonegawa is a really, really nice guy. His wife helps run the restaurant and his two beautiful young children poke their heads in regularly. In addition to being a chef, Yonegawa is also a bit of a Zen master and is a master of the Japanese shakuhachi bamboo flute.

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Mamezen in English
English Menu: yes
English Website: none
Service: Warm-hearted and friendly
Price: 1,000-1,500 yen
Hours:
lunch: 11:30-3:00 pm (2:30 pm last order)
dinner: 7:30-11:00 pm (10:30 pm last order)
closed: Wed, Thurs and some other days (Zen master chef isn’t a salary man), call the mobile number listed below before you go.
Location and Access: Shimogamo neighborhood. Best accessed by bus, taxi, bicycle or on foot. Nearest bus stop is on Kitaoji Street.
Address: Kyoto-shi, Sakyo-ku, Shimogamo, Higashi Takagi-cho 13-4 (京都市左京区下鴨東高木町13-4)
Telephone: 075-703-5731
Mobile: 090-1153-5297
Near Sightseeing Spot: Kamigamo and Shimogamo Shrines, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These shrines are older than even the ancient capital!

Map

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Wunderkid Chef Dylan Brawn and I guest cheffed at Mamezen last night (Oct 30, 2010). Mamezen does a gentle and sublime ramen made with Kyoto-style dashi and soy milk which is called Mamezen Soba. We wanted to turn Mamezen Soba on its head and took inspiration from Momofuku’s bacon dashi ramen. We made our broth with homemade coppa and saucisson sausage. We also did yuba donburi. The rice is cooked with an insane amount of sake and dashi. We serve (self-serve so you can get as much as you like) freshly grated wasabi and my own homemade ‘momo-joyu’ summer peaches steeped in Kyoto shinise soy sauce.

We are planning to do this even again and if you are in Kyoto, you have got to come and chow this dinner!

Coppa Broth Ramen (With Soy Milk and Heavy Cream Garnished with Candy Sprinkles)

The Homemade Coppa - Finally Gets Cut

First Taste of Coppa

Mame Kid Trying the Coppa - and Liking It!

Mame Boss - Mamezen Owner Chef Yonegawa

Ramen Chef Warrior - Michael (Creator of KyotoFoodie)

Chef Dylan Impressing Some Customers with Our Dinner

Coppa Broth Ramen and Kumiage Yuba Donburi

Fresh Grated Wasabi for Donburi

Chef Dylan Propositioning Hottie Customer (You can't imagine what he just said to her!)