Kobe Ramen - Kobe - Motomachi Station

I had visited this spot back at my orientation in September, but didn't take pictures. I was also running around in 85 degree heat in a shirt and tie, so I wasn't really relaxed and able to take in the food the way I wanted.

It's a fairly large restaurant, seating probably close to 35 people in all. Their menu is prominently displayed out front, with Ramens A, B and C only differing by the amount of pork included...A comes with no meat, B with 5 or 6 pieces, and C with about 10 pieces. They mean it when they say oomori.



The default soup base in shoyu, thinner and lighter than my typical choice, but it wasn't bad. It lacked the depth and punch of a fattier broth, but still provided a nice backdrop for the rest of the bowl. The noodles were nice and hard, just the way I ordered them, and bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, and green onions topped with a nice dusting of pepper rounded out a bowl of above average, but not great ramen.

The meat, despite a large amount of fat, wasn't as tender as I had hoped. Seeing the centimeter wide strip of fat that lined each piece had me salivating at the thought of soft, juicy pork, but alas I was mistaken. It was somewhat tough, and I resorted to pulling the fat off the pieces of meat before I ate them since they were serving no purpose. The veggie toppings were nice and crisp, and the pepper gave the bowl a nice kick. I'm not usually one to add pepper, but I was glad for it here.

I also ordered a half sized fried rice, which came with shreds of pork amongst the veggies. This had to be one of the oiliest plates of fried rice I've ever had. There was visible grease moving about on the plate as I finished my serving. It was fairly decent, but the slipperiness of the dish was astounding even for a dish that relies on oil. I finished it, of course, but I felt like I should have been rubbing it down with napkins first.

One of the more interesting things I saw was a takeout menu that included the ramen. I've seen meat, fried rice, gyoza, and other side dishes available for takeout, but can't recall ever seeing the ramen included.

Kobe Ramen is pretty good, but I'd do a few things differently next time. I'd skip the meat toppings in my ramen, and probably opt for something other than fried rice as a side. The gyoza looked decent, and the ramen can stand on its own without chashu.