A Ma and Pa Ramen Place

The next ramen adventure was in Tezukayama, near where we live. There is a tram line that heads south to Sumiyoshi Taisha. North of where the tram line goes over the Nankai Koya line, the tram leaves the road - when heading south, the road veers off to the left, the tram veers off to the right. About 20 metres south of the Y shaped intersection, you will find this little ramen place.



We parted the red, head high, curtains that sit outside most ramen stores, and came face to face with two kindly, elderly Osakans.

"Okiniii!"

It felt a bit like going to grandma and grandpa's for a ramen. The decor was a little drab, but this is a Chinese food joint in Osaka near a train-line, so it's not going to be the Ritz Carlton.

We took off our shoes and sat facing each other on a raised platform. The little red cushions were comfortable enough, but for people who don't spend much time sitting on the floor, this is tough stuff on the lower back. The TV behind me was a little too loud, but that's OK. I think Ma and Pa might be a little deaf, and if not Ma and Pa, the clientele seemed to be all over 70, so it was probably for their benefit too.

The menu was pictureless, and full of kanji (beyond my reading ability) and so I struggled through the katakana/hiragana options and we settled on ordering a kimchi ramen. For no better reason than because I can read "キムチ."



The broth was a Tokyo style, soy broth, but made with Osakan light soy sauce, so the colour was lighter than many of the ramens I have enjoyed in Eastern Japan. The toppings included bean shoots, preserved bamboo shoots, green onion tops, three slices of roasted pork back and, of course, kimuchi.

The noodles were a bit Maggi, two minute noodles, but really, for ¥550 it was more than passable. I don't expect gourmet noodles for ¥550. I do when I'm paying ¥800-900 yen for a bowl of noodles, but this was more than acceptable. I looked around and saw that they do a variety of Japanese and Chinese dishes including gyoza, fried chicken bento, and other bigger soups.



The sides were fairly stock standard. Salt, soy, gyoza sauce, salad oil, and white pepper, but I was particularly taken by the Szechwan sauce that they had on the side that tasted of "Flower Pepper" - I would like to know where I could buy some of that stuff.

Ma and Pa were both very nice to us, and smiled a lot, but didn't fawn over us. Pa supplied the requisite "gruffness" where as Ma supplied the homely vibe. I would come again because it didn't leave me feeling like I'd been smacked in the head with a ramen overdose. It filled my belly, and left me content.

Broth - 2.5/5
Toppings - 3/5
Noodles - 2/5
Atmosphere - 3/5
Service - 4/5