あいつのラーメン かたぐるま
Kyoto ramen adventure!
Kata - 肩 - shoulder.
Kuruma - 車 - car.
The Japanese word kataguruma, or shoulder car, means piggyback. It's a fitting name for a shop opened by the disciple of another famous shop. In this case, it's Orenoramenappare (俺のラーメンあっぱれ屋), also in Kyoto. But the original is not convenient by modern standards. It will take about an hour on public transport to get there. Kataguruma is just a couple stops from Kyoto Station proper.
The menu is similar. Tonkotsu shoyu ramen, thick or insanely (濁) thick. There is also a limited-to-twenty tsukemen. Let's try that.
Homemade spice and pepper oils.
The soup is frothed up with a hand blender, aerating it and giving a bit more creaminess. The only sounds in the shop are slurps and the whizzing of this tool.
Peppered pork chashu, one of the shop's signature items.
This, the original shop, is one of the country's most famous bowls, having received many awards in the past. A must-slurp in my opinion, at either the original or the second branch.
