Dōtonbori Kamukura｜Osaka – Hankyu Sanbangai

I visited Kamukura, a super-famous ramen restaurant that originated in Osaka.

This shop is so well known in Japan that it hardly needs an introduction, and I’m sure many of you have been there before. Its signature is a mildly sweet soup packed with plenty of Chinese cabbage. It’s quite unique—there aren’t many ramen shops that serve this style—and it’s absolutely delicious.

This time, I ordered the Premium Chashu Ramen with extra soft-boiled egg and green onion toppings.

I don’t think the premium chashu was on the menu in the past, so it might be a relatively new addition. It’s made from Iberico pork shoulder loin, and it has a slightly different texture from regular chashu—somewhat like roast beef—while still pairing very well with the soup.

The regular pork belly chashu that’s included in the standard “Oishii Ramen” is also in the bowl, so it’s fun to compare the difference between the two types of chashu. Kamukura’s ramen is known for its clear, refreshing sweetness, which is always amazing—but when you add the garlic chives and doubanjiang provided at the table, the flavor changes again and becomes even better. You first get a kick of spiciness, followed by the sweetness of the vegetables and pork, which makes it really delicious.

However, once you add them, you can’t go back to the original flavor, so I recommend eating half without any toppings first, then adding them for the other half.