Sitting pretty in a narrow alley just off the kitchenware-focused Doguyasuji shopping arcade is what we’re confident calling one of Osaka’s leading ramen shops. Menya Joroku recently celebrated a decade in the business of serving up Takaida ramen, a locally born style characterised by an almost black – but plesantly mellow – shoyu soup and extra-thick chewy noodles.
Joroku’s version combines a chicken and pork broth with chicken-based flavour oil and a rich soy sauce blend. It’s a balanced concoction in which the toppings are wisely kept to a minimum: unintrusive slices of char siu pork, menma and fresh scallions only.
While you wait for your bowl, take the opportunity to order the shop’s signature appetiser, hayasushi (¥150) – pressed Wakayama mackerel wrapped in a bamboo leaf.
Tip: The queue is usually comparatively short on weekday evenings.