Kyoto Ramen Koji

G’day Foodsaurus readers! Sorry for the lack of posts over the past few months, I’ve been busy with other areas of life. I know it’s mid-March but Happy 2015! I realise that I still have a couple of posts from Japan that I’d love to share with you… so here’s one from Kyoto!

As a Japanese ramen lover, I was super excited when we arrived in Kyoto and discovered that JR Kyoto Station had an entire floor dedicated to ramen noodles!

I wanted to eat my way through all eight shops, but I only managed to visit three times. Each shop has its own specialties from different parts of the country so it can take a while to decide especially if it’s all in Japanese.

The Instant Ramen Museum – Osaka

While we were in Osaka, we visited The Instant Ramen Museum in Ikeda. This is where the humble packet of instant noodles started. This museum is every 2 minute-noodle fan’s dream, there’s no admission fee and there’s lots to see, do and eat (the eating part costs ¥).

Ichiran Ramen – Shinjuku

Ichiran is a popular ramen noodle chain in Japan and we went based on the recommendation of our friends, Jason and Gloria. The one we visited was in Shinjuku Tokyo and although we couldn’t work out how to read the address, we were able to find it by walking towards the shops once getting out of JR Shinjuku Station’s Higashi exit.

This store is open 24/7 and they specialise in one product – the classic tonkotsu ramen.

My First Bowl of Ramen in Japan

I just got back from a two week holiday in Japan! This was our first trip to Japan and it was to say the least – amazing. There were so many highlights from our trip that it is going to be hard to write about everything! I will try my best to give you a glimpse into the trip but overall, we loved Japan, the people were so nice and friendly, the food was awesome, we enjoyed exploring the different places (including getting lost) and experiencing the culture.

Menya Noodle Bar – Chinatown

A few Saturdays ago, I had lunch at Menya Noodle Bar in Chinatown. Despite the time being close to 3pm when we arrived,  this little shop in Haymarket was still very busy serving out bowls of ramen.

Ichi-Ban Boshi – Sydney CBD

Ichi-Ban Boshi at The Galeries has been my favourite ramen spot in Sydney since they first opened when I was still studying. I have memories of having lunch with my Aunt here – we would arrive early to get a table and would always order ramen, udon and gyoza. This is also where Peter & I go to when we are in the city and want a cheap but good meal.

Zenya Noodle Bar – Eastwood

Zenya is a popular dining spot in Eastwood as it is one of the few places that serves Japanese cuisine in the area. I have dined at Zenya’s a number of times – and have personally seen the chef boiling a large pot of pork bones for its pork broth.

Ryo’s – Crows Nest

Ryo’s is a place that has been a place I’ve wanted to visit for a while to try their Japanese ramen noodles, which some say is the best in Sydney…